The Integrated Method of Reading Therapy
The Integrated Method of Reading Therapy:
- The teacher should consider:
- Does the student know the names, sounds and appearance of the letters, and the order of the alphabet?
- Does the student know the 220 Basic Sight Words thoroughly?
- Does the student have phonic skills?
- This method, stemming from the work of Professor Edward Dolch, will quickly develop "a proper notion of reading." Using the materials recomended, the student for the first time will experience what reading really is.
- If a child cannot read at Grade 1 level, then the teacher and student read sentences alternately from short attractive picture books that have a great deal of repetition.
- The session continues with reading alternately from carefully chosen material which help establish the basic sight words. Meanwhile, phonics, especially the vowels, are carefully introduced.
- Gradually the novice develops enough basic sight vocabulary and knowledge of phonics to read larger chunks, -the student and teacher taking turns reading paragraph by paragraph, and eventually whole pages. The purpose of alternate oral reading is to alleviate tiredness, to increase the span of attention, and to develop fluency.
- The teacher's goal is to relieve the learner's anxiety and allow a state of relaxation to develop. This enables the innate ability of the learner to emerge, allowing the development of literacy to proceed. Simultaneously, this method teaches the student the skills not already known and fosters a positive self-image while demonstrating that reading, like speech, communicates a message.
- This method will also be helpful to people of all ages who have difficulty with literacy. The same principles apply, in developing:
- Accuracy
- Fluency
- Comprehension
- Discipline
- Flexibility
- Pleasure in reading
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