We have cracked it with Codebreakers!

  This term we have successfully ran another ‘Codebreakers’ reading programme aiming specifically at improving children’s reading ability. We have used this approach of focused reading intervention at the school in the past few years and have seen significant progress in children’s reading skills.

Reading ages increased from 5 to 30 months in just 6 short weeks! 18 children participated in the programme with the impressive average increase of reading age of 8.5 months!

  See the latest Press release in the TC Weekly News. What is it?  Codebreakers is a name for an intensive reading practice at school and home. Children learn to ‘break the code’ of the written word.  The aim is to provide rigorous, structured, systematic instruction that is delivered on a daily basis in addition to the child's regular classroom instruction. How long?  The reading programme usually takes place over a 6-week time period and runs once a year. Each day children read twice at school one-on-one for 15-25 min. with their teacher and another adult and once or more at home with a family member.

How?  The child’s reading age is measured at the beginning of the term and the teacher determines if the child needs an extra reading boost. The child receives additional reading practice in the 6-week time frame, focusing on phonics, reinforcing skills learned in class and on a one-to-one basis filling gaps they may have missed in regular class teachings. Why?   Between the ages of five and seven most children go through an extraordinary transformation as readers. If all goes well, by the end of Key Stage 1 (Grade 2) they should know the sounds of all letters and be able to form them into words, know the most common sight words, and read and comprehend simple texts – all the basic skills of turning print into meaning. Success at this stage can be crucial to success in later years. As such, it is paramount for children to secure their reading skills as their further learning is based on this skill. Children move from  ‘learning to read’ in Key Stage 1, to ‘reading to learn’ in Key Stage 2. Who?   Codebreakers reading program is aimed for children whose reading age is below their chronological age and any other students whose individual teacher feels a need to boost their reading ability.

Look at the Results!

We have just competed our Codebreakers program a few weeks ago and we saw incredible improvements in the reading age test results.  Reading ages increased from five to 30 months in just six short weeks! 18 children participated in the program with the impressive average increase of reading age of 8.5 months! The majority of the children made improvements in all reading skills involved – segmenting, blending, stringing the words together and learning sight words. Moreover, the children became more motivated to read and increased their confidence in their reading ability.   Who was involved?  In addition to teachers, we had a great deal of parental help to make this program happen and we would like to thank the following people: Wendy Ayer, Carmen Telniceanu, Myles & Diane McDowell, Cindy Flanagan, Kelcey Grandsire, Gabrielle Connolly and Louise Scott – we couldn’t have done it without you! Results speak for themselves! We can’t stress enough the importance of daily reading with your children at home. We encourage you to continue reading every day with your child - as this is the essential skill they need to have a firm foundation for their success through their school years and beyond. Parent Volunteers  - We have completed our Codebreakers reading program for this year. It is an intensive program and requires lots of effort on behalf of everyone involved.  However, it doesn’t mean we are stopping daily reading. We are always looking for parent volunteers who can come and read with individual children.  If you have an hour a week to commit for a month, please speak to your child’s teacher, Mrs. Danics or Mrs. Hinks. We can always use your help! Resources: Oxford Owl has more great information about what you can do at home you help your children to read. You can also find numerous free ebooks on this site.  

Why do some students struggle with reading and what can be done to increase their success? 

These questions consume teachers and parents and are ones that compelled researches to search for answers. The following research from the Johns Hopkins School of Education states their findings on the subject of reading. The three most common reasons some students struggle with reading include:

1. Lack of Reading Skills, Specifically Phonics and Comprehension

Majority of the research in reading fluency agrees that children often struggle because they lack two critical reading skills: phonics and comprehension.

2. Vision Problems

Children who struggle with reading may be experiencing difficulty with visual tracking, eye teaming, double vision, and the ability to communicate what they see or don't see.  It’s crucial to rule out these problems when reading ability is an issue by visiting your child’s physician.

3. Learning Disabilities

Some children have difficulty processing and memorizing information. Frequently, some will learn words in one context and not transfer them to the next. By activating prior knowledge, teachers and parents can help children make connections between past and current life experiences. Children with learning difficulties benefit from learn in different ways, "Struggling readers need to hear it, see it, say it, and write it before they can learn it."If learning disability is suspected, the child needs to be properly assessed so that his/her specific need can be addressed.

What are the Essential Components of Effective Reading Programs for Struggling Readers?

Research in the field of reading acquisition agrees there are four essential components necessary for struggling students to progress in reading: 1) Explicit Phonics Instruction Direct phonics instruction is extremely important for struggling readers. Phonemic awareness instruction asks children to focus on and manipulate phonemes, the smallest units, in spoken syllables and words. Explicit phonics instruction helps children understand that spoken words are composed of identifiable sounds and that sounds are represented in print by symbols. Explicit phonics instruction must also teach blending sounds and word patterns. There are simple ways to help children strengthen their blending skills. Examples are games that change one letter to make a new word, rhyming words that focus on specific sounds and blends. Also pointing out little words contained within bigger words when a struggling reader gets stuck. Children can be asked to build compound words from word cards. As they construct the words, they learn new vocabulary and how to search for the little words within larger ones. Another main skill struggling readers lack is the ability to quickly recognize sight words. Due to the slower than normal development of "sight vocabulary," that many can read fluently and automatically, the lack of rapid word recognition limits comprehension for at-risk readers. Struggling readers can learn sight word knowledge in a variety of ways - reading a list of sight words everyday for speed and accuracy, using sight words on flash cards, in matching games, word searches, silly sentences, and computer games such as "Word Munchers." Sight words can be reinforced by posting them on a "word wall" in the classroom or home and by having students make individualized booklets of words to know. The development of sight word vocabulary allows children to construct meaning from their reading rather than simply trying to identify the words. Struggling readers often have a difficult time transferring old knowledge to new situations. One strategy to remedy this problem is to teach students word families. This helps them use their knowledge of a known word to decode an unfamiliar word with the same letter pattern. 2) Reading and Listening Comprehension Reading and listening comprehension was also identified by the educators as an essential skill to be taught. Comprehension is a crucial aspect of reading. Unfortunately, some readers often struggle in this area due to lack of familiarity with the content. There are other areas that limit comprehension for struggling readers. These are lack of fluency, inability to transfer information to new settings, finding the main idea in a story, and using context clues while reading. When children stumble on words, the amount of information they can comprehend is limited. Asking students to engage in a variety of listening activities is one way to model fluency, inflection, and correct expression as well. Asking higher level questions related to the stories the children hear is helpful so that students can slowly apply these questioning skills to their independent reading. Children need to be asked about a text before, during, and after reading. After reading a selection, children should summarize the content and relate it to themselves or something that they already know. Monitoring for meaning is a skill that struggling readers need in order to strengthen their comprehension of text. 3) Tutoring Opportunities Children who are experiencing difficulty with reading should spend more time reading in a one-on-one setting than those who are fluent.  Providing individualized tutoring, whether for 20 minutes daily or three times weekly, is essential. Effective reading programs incorporate a certain amount of instruction time that is concentrated and often individualized.  4) Extending Reading from the Classroom to the Home According to the experienced educators, reading at home reinforces the skills and concepts students must acquire. Additionally, when parents support their children by taking the time to listen and help them read, it signals that reading is important.  10-30 minutes of reading is required every night.