Reading Programs

Reading Programs Offer Structure to Students

Reading programs may consist of a set of activities or materials, a course of instruction, special tutoring, or a combination. Many reading programs have been designed by teachers and are freely shared with other schools and with parents and teachers. Others are commercially available.

Some examples of reading programs include the
Four Blocks® Literacy Framework,
Accelerated Reader,
Read 180, and
Hooked on Phonics

The type of reading programs you use will depend on what your child needs. You may want to use these programs at home to enhance your child's reading abilities. Consider starting your pre-schooler on the road to reading with Hooked on Phonics or help your child with a reading difficulty by enrolling him in a specialized tutoring program, like Sylvan Learning.

Reading programs may include Guided Reading. The teacher works with a small group of students all reading the same book. The teacher selects books easy for students to read with subtle help from the teacher and challenging enough to hold their interest and strengthen their skills. Selections for reading should also help students develop their use of reading strategies.

Many reading programs involve phonics - phonics teaches children how different sounds relate to different letters or groups of letters of the alphabet. Having learned to recognize these relationships, a child should be able to "sound out" new words. According to Every Child a Reader, Phonics "provides a foundation of skills and strategies which can be used to quickly and efficiently decode words and build reading fluency, which is essential to reading comprehension. While these skills alone are insufficient to develop good readers, no reader can become proficient without these foundational skills.

Self-selected reading is another way to help children develop their reading skills. This practice encourages them to select books that appeal to their interests. Teachers display and read from a variety of choices, including books, magazines, and materials from the Internet. The children get an opportunity to select material to read on their own. While they read silently, the teacher may take the opportunity to meet with individual students to talk about reading. The teacher leads class discussions on reading choices, and students tell each other about what they are reading.

Ideally, a combination of programs will enhance students' skills and give them a variety of reading experiences.