Early steps
Purpose: A one to one tutorial program which is intended as an early intervention program to help students in 1st-3rd grade that have fallen behind or deemed at risk.
Rationale: The goal of the program was to provide quality after school reading instruction to second and third grade public school children who had fallen significantly behind their peers in reading. The program has grown and is now used as an intervention program during school hours. The reading instructional program assumes the following:
- Children learn to read by reading
- Children need the support of good stories with syntactic and semantic characteristics versus artificial and contrived language
- Word study should play an important role in reading so that they recognize these words when reading and use it in their writings.
Intended Audience: For students who fall behind others in reading ability-especially in 1st through 3rd grade.
Description of the Procedures:
Early Step lessons involve the following components:
1. Contextual Reading at the Child's Instructional Level-The child reads and rereads leveled, well-written books or stories. Tutor support during reading may include choosing patterned stories, echo reading, or taking turns. The time devoted to contextual reading may vary from 8 minutes to 20 minutes depending on the situation.
2. Word Study-Various letter and/or word sort or categorization activities are done with the student. This portion of the lesson takes the child through letter knowledge to consonant sounds to the most common word families.
3. Writing-Children are encouraged to write sentences or short stories based on their interest and experiences. while writing they say aloud each word as they write. The teacher encourages to write the letters and sounds the child hears. Invented spelling is encouraged in first draft writing. The time allocated for writing may vary from 5 to 15 minutes.
4. Easy Contextual Reading-Children are given the opportunity to read aloud easier material, either rereading a favorite book or reading with a partner a new but easy book. This helps develop sight vocabulary, confidence, interests, and fluency. The time allocated for contextual reading may be 10-15 minutes.
5. Reading to the Child and Introducing New Books-Tutors will close the lesson with the reading of a chapter or short book or may close with the introduction of a new book that the child will be expected to read without much help the next day at the beginning of the lesson. The teacher will introduce the book and support the child as he or she reads, coaching and encouraging him/her to figure out the words. Tutors are encouraged to monitor the level of material that the child reads. The level of reading in which the child earns the biggest gains is when the readers is challenged but not overwhelmed.
Early Step lessons involve the following components:
1. Contextual Reading at the Child's Instructional Level-The child reads and rereads leveled, well-written books or stories. Tutor support during reading may include choosing patterned stories, echo reading, or taking turns. The time devoted to contextual reading may vary from 8 minutes to 20 minutes depending on the situation.
2. Word Study-Various letter and/or word sort or categorization activities are done with the student. This portion of the lesson takes the child through letter knowledge to consonant sounds to the most common word families.
3. Writing-Children are encouraged to write sentences or short stories based on their interest and experiences. while writing they say aloud each word as they write. The teacher encourages to write the letters and sounds the child hears. Invented spelling is encouraged in first draft writing. The time allocated for writing may vary from 5 to 15 minutes.
4. Easy Contextual Reading-Children are given the opportunity to read aloud easier material, either rereading a favorite book or reading with a partner a new but easy book. This helps develop sight vocabulary, confidence, interests, and fluency. The time allocated for contextual reading may be 10-15 minutes.
5. Reading to the Child and Introducing New Books-Tutors will close the lesson with the reading of a chapter or short book or may close with the introduction of a new book that the child will be expected to read without much help the next day at the beginning of the lesson. The teacher will introduce the book and support the child as he or she reads, coaching and encouraging him/her to figure out the words. Tutors are encouraged to monitor the level of material that the child reads. The level of reading in which the child earns the biggest gains is when the readers is challenged but not overwhelmed.