All First Graders Reading by January!
Source:
Various Superintendents and
Principals
As educators who have attended all workshops or seminars at
which I have presented know, I make the statement that —
“All children who are first graders will be reading by
January. Most will be reading the district’s reading
material of choice, and the others will be able to read a
linguistic reader.” We need to have consistent, predicable
materials for the children who are less mature, and if we
have them available, they will all read. My statement is
true for children who have attended an ARL kindergarten and
then enter an ARL first grade. Can this really be accurate?
I’ve been asked if I follow up to see if this is in fact
happening. Therefore, I’ve checked with several schools
during the first week of February with the following
results.
Amityville, NY: Kathy Arzt, Assistant Superintendent,
reports that there are 243 first graders. Approximately 85%
are minority children and approximately 75% are on a free
or reduced lunch program and she reports that all children
who have been in the district through kindergarten and now
in first grade are reading. The only exceptions are new
students to the district and, in fact, some of the new
students have readily acquired the phonemic skills and are
succeeding.
Madison, ME: Carey Clement, Primary Principal, reports that
all 70 first graders are reading. One additional student,
identified as handicapped and mainstreamed, is not.
Ogdensburg, NY: Tim Vernsey, Principal, Madill Elementary,
reports that all 41 first graders are reading. Thirty-one
are reading the regular series and ten are reading a
linguistic reader. Of the ten, three are “coded” and one
other may soon be coded. It should also be noted that this
is the first full year of the implementation of ARL in this
school.
St. Michael’s School, Pincher Creek, AB, Canada: Mark
Belliveau, Superintendent, reports that of 32 first
graders, only one is yet too immature to read. In comparing
the results with pre-ARL, he reports that there is a
“significant difference.”
The schools cited above have all followed the sequence
recommended in the paragraph 5 of the MATRIX v11n1
(Explicit Phonics & Phonemic Awareness). Using the
linguistic reader with the less mature children allows them
to experience the success they will not have with the
series/approaches which require them to rapidly change from
short to long to vowel digraphs and vowel diphthongs. As
educators, we recognize that the linguistic readers are not
"good literature", but the first grader is simply delighted
to be reading. They are not worried about the literary
quality of the reading material, they are worried and very
aware that they are not reading when other children in the
same room are experiencing success. We need to give them
the predictable materials, be patient until they develop
the ability to blend in the manner required (the three
blending patterns), and help them experience success. When
we give them the proper books for their stage of language
development, they read. If we are patient and assist them,
they will acquire the skills needed to continue to grow. It
is much easier to help children of ages 8–16 to continue
their academic growth when they have a comfortable start.
First grade success is crucial in setting the positive
attitude and ego strength for later success.
-Dr. Phil McInnis
McInnis
ARL
2452
Route 364, Penn Yan, New York, 14527, US
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