How can I help “at risk” grade one students become independent readers and writers using Reading Recovery techniques?
Motivated by a concern for the failure of some children to demonstrate the ability to learn the basic skills that provide the foundation for reading and writing, I made a commitment to investigate the internationally acclaimed program, Reading Recovery. After years of implementing remedial language programs at the junior and intermediate levels, I became convinced that it was a difficult and frustrating task for an older student to internalize the reading and writing continuum. In many cases, it appears as if reading readiness is a window, open for the brief early primary years, and cruelly closed to those who don’t have access to an intensive early literacy program. By the time a child turns seven, the window seems to come slamming down. Most parents instinctively provide opportunities for learning in the home, which sets the stage for their children’s formal education. Talking to children on a personal level challenges them to think and converse. Asking them questions that require th
