Current Best Practices and Field Research to Guide Philosophical Underpinnings of New LA Curriculum

The Delaware Township Language Arts Curriculum Committee has convened for the 06-07 school year. The charge of this committee is to write a philosophy grounded in best practices and current research to support literacy instruction in our school community. The committee is presently exploring best practice approaches to guide this process. Below are some examples of the research presently being reviewed which will be foundational to the updated curriculum when completed.

The findings of the National Reading Panel offer detailed information on strategies that are proven to work in reading instruction. The Partnership for Reading encourages educators and parents to explore the research and to activate those concepts in the classroom and at home. Here are some of the fundamental findings of the NRP:

Certain instructional methods are more effective than others. To teach reading well, teachers must use a combination of strategies, incorporated in a coherent plan with specific goals.

To become good readers, children must develop phonemic awareness (an understanding of the sounds that make up spoken language), phonics skills (an understanding of the sounds that letters and letter combinations make), the ability to read fluently and accurately, and the ability to comprehend what is read. Systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness directly improves children's reading and spelling skills.

Systematic and explicit phonics instruction produces significant benefits for children from kindergarten through sixth grade and for children having difficulty learning to read. Effective Phonics Instruction involves teaching a sequence of phonics elements, not just highlighting elements as they appear in a text.

Guided repeated oral reading is important to developing reading fluency - the ability to read with efficiency and ease. Guided repeated oral reading helps students recognize new words and understand what they read.

The research is not conclusive on whether reading silently by itself improves reading skills. Therefore, reading silently should be combined with other types of reading instruction.

Vocabulary should be taught directly (apart from a narrative or text) and indirectly (as words are encountered in a text). Repetition and multiple exposures to words contribute to the understanding of word meaning.

Reading comprehension - understanding what is read - is best supported when teachers use a variety of techniques and systematic strategies to assist in recall of information, question generation, and summarizing of information.

Teachers must be provided with appropriate and intensive training to ensure that they know when and how to teach specific strategies.

Computer technology can contribute to the improvement of reading instruction.

Finally, the connection between home and school can strengthen the learning process and enhance a child’s ability to read and ultimately succeed.