Reading Recovery
Being able to read is vital to survive in the real world. If one is
not able to learn at a young age how to read well their education process is
hindered. That is the why Reading Recovery programs have been set up in schools
across America. Originally developed by New Zealand educator and psychologist
Marie M. Clay, the program provides an alternative to traditional reading
practices for educationally disadvantaged and learning-disabled students.
There are three main components of the program: the diagnostic survey,
the tutoring session, and teacher training. The diagnostic survey consists of
administering the survey to each child and using the results when working with
each child individually. The tutoring session works on reading stories, reading
comprehension, and writing stories of their own. The educator makes observations
of the student to plan the next day’s lesson. Most importantly, the teacher goes
through a year-long intensive course in Reading Recovery procedures and in the
theories and practices of effective reading instruction. Here at Oak Ridge, the
lowest 20% of the first grade class are chosen for the Reading Recovery program.
The teacher works one-on-one with the student for thirty minutes. In this time,
the student is taught how to read correctly, using procedures that they learn to
do for themselves. Our program dismisses the student once they reach the average
reading level of their grade.
Reading Recovery programs have many unique
characteristics. Some characteristics are: teachers focus on each student’s
strength’s, not deficits; students learn strategies that help them to become
independent readers; students learn to read by composing and writing their own
messages; teachers base instruction on detailed analysis of student behavior and
knowledge; and students are taught how to predict, confirm, and understand what
they read. The Reading Recovery program has shown great success. Most children
who complete the program can perform in the average achievement range and do not
need remedial help again. If that fact is not enough, the Reading Recovery
program has been implemented in 38 states, the District of Columbia, Australia,
four Canadian provinces, England, and New Zealand.
If you would like more
information, and you live inside the Oak Ridge school district, you may contact
Charlette Findley, Reading Recovery Educator, at school ( 266-3232 ). If you
live outside the district, you may write to Carol Lyons, The Ohio State
University Reading Recovery Program, 200 Ramseyer Hall, 29 West Woodroof Avenue,
Columbus, OH, 43210-1177.
Click here
to go to the Reading Recovery web site.
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Modified 12/20/2004 wb