Did You Know? Reading Recovery

Did you know about the Reading Recovery program at Dr. A. R. Lord, new this year?

Dr. A. R. Lord Elementary School is one of 31 schools which offers Reading Recovery to Grade One students as part of the early intervention model promoted by the Vancouver School Board. For more information please see http://www.vsb.bc.ca/district-news/early-intervention-methods-help-young-readers.

Strong reading and writing skills are essential for success in school and later life. Although most children learn to read in the classroom programs, a few children have great difficulty learning to read and write. Reading Recovery can help!

Reading Recovery is…

• For first graders who struggle with early reading and writing
• Individual 30-minute lessons
• Free (no cost to families)
• Research-based
• Short-term, just 12 to 20 weeks (30 to 50 hours)

What - Reading Recovery is a highly effective short-term intervention of one-to-one tutoring for low-achieving first graders. The intervention is most effective when it is available to all students who need it and is used as a supplement to good classroom teaching.

Who - Reading Recovery serves the lowest-achieving first graders—the students who are not catching on to the complex set of concepts that make reading and writing possible.

How - Individual students receive a half-hour lesson each school day for 12 to 20 weeks with a specially trained Reading Recovery teacher. As soon as students can meet grade-level expectations and demonstrate that they can continue to work independently in the classroom, their lessons are discontinued, and new students begin individual instruction.

Reading Recovery is not…

• Special education
• A replacement for classroom teaching

Reading Recovery works because…

• Highly trained teachers work intensively, with individual children, each school day
• Lessons are planned to build on the knowledge and strengths of each child

Families can help by…

• Being sure your child’s school attendance is as regular as possible
• Listening to your child read books sent home by the Reading Recovery teacher
• Making reading time positive, short, and enjoyable
• Returning books each day so the teacher can send home new books

For more information on Reading Recovery, watch this short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXxM2JVxJKY

Here is a great resource that describes Reading Recovery in Chinese (Traditional), Vietnamese, and many other languages:  http://www.schools.nsw.edu.au/languagesupport/documents/reading_recov.php