Hi Carl,
Sorry to be so long writing back. I've been really busy and too tired
most nights to do much replying and am at this point about 5 packets of
mail behind - to read that is. :(
  >Ok, this is a new term for me, please explain the Reading Recovery program 
a
  >how it is supposed to work.
Well I asked a friend for some information for you and another
person. She is a Reading Recovery teacher but hasn't had time to write
back yet with details. I also picked up a nice small compact description
at the school I have been teaching at this week....they have RR teachers
there being trained after school, etc. Unfortunately, I have mislaid the
paper in the classroom - not hard to do since I have been sorting
through mounds of paperwork, etc. and am getting the classroom in
order...the teacher has been sick on and off - more on than off - for
weeks and things have been in an awful state.
Anyway, rather than have you wait another week here is a longer version
that I condensed from an article several years ago.
        Reading Recovery is an early intervention program used to
prevent children, who lack early literacy skills at the beginning of
grade one, from becoming disabled readers.
        The program began in New Zealand and was initiated by Marie Clay
as a research project. Clay and her colleagues piloted a number of
techniques in the hopes of implementing an intervention program that
would help troubled readers.
        The Reading Recovery program consists of a daily 30 minute
lesson on a one-on-one basis for a period of 12-14 weeks. Each lesson
consists of five steps and the same lesson structure is used every day.
        Step One consists of reading two or more familiar books that are
either picked by the child or selected by the teacher because of their
appropriateness. The teacher assists the reader by offering feedback in
the form of encouragement and pointing out reading strategies.
        Step Two involves the reading of a book that the child has read
only once before. As the child reads, the teacher records the type of
errors that they make (this is called a "running record") in the text.
This information is used to determine what kind of strategies the child
uses when reading and also helps the teacher to select the next text to
be used. The teacher, as in step one, can point out strategies that the
reader uses and can help by asking questions and giving cues to the
text.
        Step Three consists of working with features of print by working
with letters at points in the lesson. First, letters of the alphabet are
identified and then children construct words using magnetic letters, the
chalkboard and writing books.
        Step Four involves composing a message or story. Every day, the
child writes one sentence on a page. The child is encouraged to predict
which letters represents the phonemes of the word but help from the
teacher is always available. When spellings are not known, Elkonian
boxes are used and both reader and the teacher combine their knowledge
to write down the word. After the sentence is complete, it is
transferred onto a strip and the words are cut apart. This provides a
sequencing activity and a message that is highly motivating to read
since it is the writer/reader's own experience.
        The lesson ends with Step Five, where a new book is read by the
child for the first time. Before reading the book's text, the child is
encourage to tell as much as the story as they can through prediction of
such things as the cover, title, illustrations, etc. At this time, any
content/concept that may be unfamiliar is discussed.
        The Reading Recovery program has proven to be remarkably
effective. Most of the children who take part in the program catch up
their high achieving peers. The success of this program has been
attributed to the fact that early prevention is implemented before error
patterns become habituated.
This is taken from a paper I wrote on Reading and the Disabled Reader.
If anyone wants to hear more of it, I'll be glad to write out more -
this section was near the end. I write my opinion of the RR program and
why it works and opinions of how reading, especially with the troubled
reader, should be taught....general terms only since these were my
conclusions.
I believe the short version I had was a little more concise, simpler put
and more accurate. If I find it I will check it out and, if necessary,
post the information.
                        -Ruth
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