Reading intervention is the term used to describe a variety of approaches that can be used to help children learn to read. These include guided, partner and wide reading. Some of the techniques involved are STARI, Lalilo, Sight word recognition and more.
Guided reading
Guided reading is a small-group instructional strategy used to help students develop reading and comprehension skills. It provides students with reading skills practice and teacher guidance, a method to build reading strategies, and opportunities to explore new texts.
Guided reading is most often used with students who have similar reading levels. However, teachers may use this methodology for children who need extra reading support.
Guided reading can take the form of discrete phonics instruction and can be a way to enhance reading by introducing challenging books and texts. Teachers will need to make sure that texts are accessible to all students. They will also need to ensure that there are sufficient copies of graded readers on hand.
Wide reading
A wide reading intervention is a non-repetitive approach to fluency instruction. It involves students reading different texts in the same context at the same time. This type of fluency instruction is important because it enables students to acquire new vocabulary and improve their comprehension.
Wide reading interventions involve students reading independently and in multiple genres. These interventions have been found to increase students’ connections to text and their ability to comprehend it.
In the current study, the effects of a class-wide intervention on the comprehension of word reading were investigated. Students in two third-grade classrooms with large numbers of students with reading difficulties participated in the study. They were randomly assigned to a group receiving a wide reading intervention, a group receiving repeated reading, or a control group. The students were assessed with the Passage Comprehension subtest of the WJ III Letter-Word Identification test.
Partner reading
Partner reading is a pedagogical strategy that increases the rate of reading. It involves the same passage of text read by two students, each alternating with 5 minutes. The student who reads first then follows along with the other.
This study explored the quality of interactions during partner reading and identified three important variables. These factors included the type of assistance provided by the pair, the level of social cooperation, and the degree to which on/off task behavior occurred.
Ideally, a pair of children should be able to provide assistance to the other. This can vary depending on the amount of difficulty of the material and the skill of the reader. However, it’s not unusual for a skilled reader to be able to provide assistance to a less-skilled reader.
Sight word recognition
Sight word recognition is a key component in the reading process. It helps students read more efficiently and understand more texts. With this in mind, there are numerous strategies that educators can employ to help students become faster readers.
A sight word is a familiar high-frequency word. They can be grouped with similar phonics patterns or used alone. Students should be encouraged to make connections and build vocabulary through the use of these words.
These are words that should be reviewed frequently. They can also be used to test students’ skills. One way to make this possible is to place them in a reasonable order.
STARI
STARI is a literature-focused Tier II reading intervention that targets adolescent readers in grades 6 through 9 who are two or more years behind their peers. Among the program’s components are a slew of interactive media like novels, nonfiction texts, and poems. You can download these e-books on the cheap by registering on the website. Aside from the STARI name, the program’s biggest selling point is its individualized attention. The program’s designers believe that engaging and empowering students will result in improved learning outcomes. STARI’s high-touch curriculum is available to schools and districts nationwide through its online store.
The STARI program was the brainchild of Harvard University’s Lowry Hemphill and is the product of a collaborative effort between four Massachusetts schools. In a randomized controlled trial, 400 sixth through eighth graders participated in the STARI program for a mere five hours a week. Results showed that participants demonstrated markedly greater performance on ETS diagnostic tests than control students. This was a significant achievement as most middle schoolers struggle to decipher a complex text.
Lalilo
Lalilo’s reading intervention is a web-based tool designed for Kindergarten to Grade 2 students. It uses a blend of audio, visual, and textual instruction to teach phonics, word recognition, and comprehension. Adaptive exercises help students learn at their own pace, while teachers can drill down to target skills and progress monitoring ensures all students are on track.
Based on Common Core K-2 Reading Foundational Skills Standards, Lalilo provides structured, individualized practice to build foundational reading skills. Students work through multiple worlds as they complete tasks and collect badges. Teachers can access student data and monitor progress on a dashboard, and can assign specific lessons.
In addition to a wide range of exercises, Lalilo offers a library of over three thousand exercises. For an annual license fee, teachers can also access a variety of additional features.