The Superkids is a systematic and comprehensive reading program that was developed for educating students who study in the kindergarten, as well as in the first and second grades. The first principles of the program were formulated in the 1980s, and then, the Superkids were modified by the Rowland Reading Foundation (“Superkids Overview” par. 1). The purpose of this paper is to overview the program components, evaluate it in terms of advantages and disadvantages, and discuss the details of the program implementation in the classroom setting with the focus on the kindergarten level.
Overview of the Program
The Superkids was developed as a complex phonics-based reading program to be used in the elementary school. This literacy curriculum allows for teaching the principles of reading, the basics of spelling and grammar, as well as handwriting, in the context of one program because the integration is one of the curriculum’s cores (Borman and Dowling 208).
Thus, the purpose of the program is to develop students’ reading skills regarding the broad context of developing their literacy (Jordan and Foster par. 3). Students are taught to read and work with different levels of the text systematically and with the focus on all elements of literacy. From this point, another core of the program is the systematic approach.
The oral language development of students is one of the main goals of this curriculum, and it can be completed regarding the integration of activities and vocabulary development (“Superkids Overview” par. 3). From this point, the students’ vocabulary is developed during each lesson with the help of numerous reading, speaking, and comprehension activities. The teacher’s task is to help students learn how to decode texts and support this skill with training in writing and handwriting.
Program’s Advantages and Disadvantages
The main advantage of the program is the provision of systematic literacy education associated with the development of reading and writing skills. The rigorous and step-by-step instruction allows for developing students’ skills appropriate for a certain level. One more advantage is the focus on motivating students to learn (Rowland 5).
Students are provided with colorful reading materials that represent interesting characters and tasks that are correlated with children’s interests. As a result, students are encouraged to develop their fluency and accuracy in reading and the use of vocabulary (Dale, Jenkins, and Mills 302). It is possible to identify such a program’s disadvantage as the dependence on the active approach to developing reading skills, and there is a risk that teachers can avoid implementing the integration concept completely (Rowland 6). Such a situation can decrease the potential benefits of the program.
Program’s Implementation in Kindergarten
At the first stage of developing reading skills, the focus is on phonics instruction. Students learn the alphabet letters and associated sounds to apply the skill while blending sounds and reading whole words (“Superkids in Kindergarten” par. 2). Teachers discuss all sound-letter combinations and motivate students to read aloud. Other skills related to writing are developed simultaneously, including the writing of uppercase and lowercase letters, short words and phrases (Borman and Dowling 209). Therefore, at the beginning of the first grade, students can read and write short words.
The Superkids can be discussed as an effective program to develop students’ skills in reading while using an integrated approach. This principle guarantees the systematic development of students’ literacy skills. Children are interested in the learning activities because of the teachers’ focus on motivating students with the help of a variety of tasks and materials.
Works Cited
Borman, Geoffrey, and Maritza Dowling. “Student and Teacher Outcomes of the Superkids: Quasi-Experimental Study.” Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 14.3 (2009): 207-225. Print.
Dale, Philip, Joseph Jenkins, and Paulette Mills. “Follow-Up of Children from Academic and Cognitive Preschool Curricula at 12 and 16.” Exceptional Children 71.3 (2005): 301-317. Print.
Jordan, Jerry, and Sarah Foster. Case Study: Evaluation of Superkids Reading Program. 2015.
Rowland, Pleasant. “The Science of Reading, the Art of Teaching.” Illinois Reading Council Journal 42.4 (2014): 4-10. Print.
Superkids in Kindergarten. 2015.
Superkids Overview. 2015.