The 5 Big Ideas of Beginning Reading (University of Oregon) stem from the National Reading Panel (2000) which was an American study into quality research dating back to the 1960's. It reviewed 10,000 research papers into reading instruction and reading in general. From the study the University of Oregon Refined the research in to the following 5 Big Ideas (animation) for teacher training and instructional purposes.
Why no phonological awareness or phonics? Phonological awareness and phonics are off shoots of combinations of phonemic awareness and the alphabetic principle. Different organizations and interest groups use different terminology such as "The Big 5" or the "The 5 Keys" depending on nuances concerning the approach they are taking to reading instruction. But yes, active reading teaches phonological awareness.
Ultimately, the difference between instructional techniques that refer to approaches other than the 5 Big Ideas of Beginning Reading Instruction rely on off the shelf programs sold en masse are, at their core, a 1 fits all program whereas instructional approaches based upon the 5 Big Ideas of Beginning Reading rely on teachers having a comprehensive understanding of how to assess and program based on the individual needs of students and understand (As opposed to blaming the students, tutor and family for lack of success in the program) how to build bridges for students to move from one reading skill to another and progress in ability.
In addition to the 5 Big Ideas of Beginning Reading. Active Reading packages instruction in a Universal Design for Learning framework which emphasizes the following 3 concepts;
A common misunderstanding in reading support & instruction circles is Grammar instruction.Instruction in grammatical concepts is an exceptionally important part of the process of learning to read for many students experiencing difficulty achieving expected reading benchmarks and outcomes. This is because effective grammar instruction supports rapid vocabulary development and consequently phonological, fluency and comprehension skills.
Traditionally this has been for a number of reasons namely;
At Active Reading we take a slow and steady approach to learning grammatical concepts where grammar metalanguage is gradually introduced and concepts taught in away that integrates it at appropriate points in students' instruction. Grammar components make use of integrating instruction with traditional strategy games.
Active Reading makes use of an variety functional reading maps that cover the classroom walls and provided to students individually to explain more difficult to understand concepts and eradicate confusion. These maps show students a variety of pathways from moving from one foundational skill to another. Students are taught how to read them so they can see clearly what they have leaned previously, what they are learning now and what they will be learning next. This helps students develop goals and feel a sense of achievement, and visual reference points while learning to read.
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