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Why Johnny Can't Read
American education system not adequately preparing students
Falling behind international rivals -
Russia launches Sputnik threatens national security
first unmaned rocket in space -
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Decoding, Grammar, Conventions, Mechanics
Focus of reading materials and writing instruction -
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Skills taught through drill; Mastery of "enough" skills resulted in fluent reader and writer
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Learning to Read: The Great Debate (Chall)
concluded: “a code emphasis method of reading, based on phonics, produced better results than a meaning-emphasis approach" -
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Focus on meaning making
• Emphasis was on predictability of the text structure, quality of design, and less control of vocabulary. • Students were encouraged to draw upon their own experiences and background knowledge to derive meaning from the text. -
Whole Language
Instruction included authentic, connected texts -
Literature-based reading textbooks
appeared as "trade books", books written for the general public but used in the classroom to teach skills or content -
Balanced Literacy
• pendulum moved away from whole language to a balanced approach, some phonics and some whole language • California’s plummeting scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) attributed to implementation of literature-based reading framework (whole language). -
Return to systematic approach
• Publishers quickly marketed materials as following the balanced approach • inclusion of “little books” as a supplemental source of reading instruction; 8-12 pages in length, providing practice by combining control of vocabulary and spelling patterns with predictable language patterns; little substantive -
National Reading Panel
requirements for reading methods were to be “scientifically based,” “reliable,” and “replicable” -
Reading First
Instruction must address five key early reading skills: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension Instructional decisions must be informed by scientifically based reading research
