Introduction
The reading ability is considered an essential one within a great number of different countries. The system of formal education in most countries requires reading ability as an integral part of the educational process. Though some children experience early reading difficulties, the problem is solved as soon as their reading becomes more advanced. The current report concerns the children experiencing early difficulties in reading and possible interventions with such problems.
Synthesis of the Article
The article contains the summary of the information presented in the article Interventions for Children Experiencing Early Reading Difficulties by the same author, Rebecca Barr. The author has managed to cover four areas in which the reading interventions were focused on improving children’s reading skills. The four areas under discussion are phonemic awareness (“children’s ability to recognize and analyze spoken sound structures of words” (Barr, n.d., pp.1-2)), phonics as a part of “…letter-sound associations, decoding, and blending” (Barr, pp. 1-2), fluency, and vocabulary that can be developed with the help of storybook reading (Barr, pp. 1-3). As the reading process presupposes different activities, it seems necessary to analyze various programs and methods which have been introduced to fulfill interventions into the learning process.
Comprehensive Intervention Programs
This area covers Reading Recovery and other comprehensive intervention programs, suchlike tutorial programs, small-group programs, and volunteer tutoring. Each of these programs has its advantages and drawbacks with regards to their effectiveness, direct influence on children’s abilities and behavior. Thus, the Reading Recovery program is aimed at “…providing a comprehensive lesson format, using assessment to inform every lesson, intensively training teachers, and defining successful intervention not by controlled experimental results but bringing the lowest 20% of a class to average” (Barr, n.d., p.4). The whole generation of educators is supposed to be greatly influenced by this program because it was developed in 1970 and was considered progressive in comparison with previous methods (Barr, p.4).
Other Comprehensive Interventions
The next aspect discussed in the article under consideration concerns tutorial programs, small-group programs, and volunteer tutoring as alternative versions of the Reading Recovery. First graders are at risk of experiencing difficulties in reading; they can be intervened with the tutorial programs that are based on the Reading Recovery. As you can see, certain programs have been designed to meet the requirements and needs of definite grades in terms of developing either “word identification and comprehension” (Barr, n.d., p.4) or “word recognition, text reading, and standardized test scores” (Barr, p.5). This presupposes a necessity of establishing and introducing specific programs for children in different grades that would develop certain skills and abilities in reading.
Paraphrasing of the Passage
I have chosen the two-paragraph passage from the article which concerns the two areas of the research in reading interventions; they include phonemic awareness (PA) and phonics. As these two areas are closely connected, it is natural to discuss them both within the subject of interventions for children experiencing early reading difficulties.
Phonemic Awareness
Children can recognize and evaluate sounds that they can hear in terms of word structures. Some models that are aimed at developing phonemic awareness can be considered the primary stage of the process of reading and its acquisition. As a rule, phonemic awareness as a method has been regarded as an additional technique applied to ordinary day-to-day reading instruction. The knowledge of phonemic awareness had a significant effect on the overall process of reading acquisition due to the PA interventions, as suggested by the National Reading Panel.
The effect of phonemic awareness in reading acquisition was demonstrated by children of lower grades than by older ones. The PA appeared to be more profiting for children of the preschool age, kindergarten, and the first graders. The results were almost equal for children of different socioeconomic positions. As the teaching had its certain limitations on skills, the instructions were conducted in smaller groups that enhanced the results and effectiveness of the current method. The overall time limit in terms of PA instructions included from 5 to 18 hours per year.
Phonics
It is natural to discuss the area of phonics as it is closely connected to the concept of phonemic awareness. Sound and letter associations and decoding of the meaning of certain word structures are an integral part of the phonics method. The mentioned research does not emphasize the advantages of this method for reading acquisition. Systematic instructions on phonics can contribute to the reading interventions. As well as phonemic awareness, the effect of phonics was demonstrated clearer by younger children.
Conclusion
As the problem of difficulties in reading is a burning issue of the educators, it is necessary to take into account various practices that had established numerous programs that can contribute greatly to the salvation of the problem. As children experiencing early reading difficulties can benefit from using phonemic awareness and phonics methods, these techniques are worth being introduced into the official education programs.
Reference
Barr, R. (n.d.). Interventions for Children Experiencing Early Reading Difficulties (pp. 1-7). Chicago: National-Louis University. 2010. Web.