Like a child's first spoken word, their first reading words will be accomplished by mimicking, communicating and attaching meaning to sounds.
Direct Instruction is a back to basics learning to read system that teaches readers how to sound out letters and quickly develop a natural fluent reading rhythm.
This simple teaching method called Direct Instruction is:
1.
Successful ONLY if explicit phonics practiced
Successful ONLY if explicit phonics practiced 3.Beneficial to all new and struggling readers
Beneficial to all new and struggling readers4.The future for African American reading success
The future for African American reading successWhy do Blacks thrive when taught
the BASICS by Direct Instruction?
Because of 2 key learning necessities +1 natural trait
1.Letter-Sounds Alertness -
Letter-Sounds Alertness -The listeners ability to hear, manipulate and identify the smallest unit of sound.
2.Phonics Skills -
Phonics Skills -The ability to connect letter-sounds to printed words.
3.Rhythm -
Rhythm -The ability to hear, manipulate and identify the smallest unit of sound and naturally connect those sounds into soulful expressions.
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Not being able to read literally robs the soul and kills the spirit of African American children across this nation. In this word driven, high-speed, information age, Blacks in alarming numbers are recklessly being turned into illiteracy statistics.
BUT! An about-face simple solution to this travesty is staring us right in the face.
Just tap into their natural ability to connect rhythm and sounds.
Reading Future Realized
How?
The Basics! Teaching old-fashioned phonics and letter sounds drills!
Test Scores: Reading
In 2008, 94% of Barclay Elementary/Middle School Grade 3 students met and exceeded standards in Reading. This was higher than the Maryland state average of 85%.
Barclay Yearly Reading Scores after Direction Instruction Introduced
94% (2008) +17%
81% (2007) +10%
71% (2006)
2009 Reading Future Destroyed
Direct Instruction abandoned
Blacks Reading Scores Plummet at Barclay Elementary
2009 - 2011
Barclay Yearly Reading Scores after Direction Instruction Removed
Why explicit phonics teaching abandoned ?
Whole Word advocate Dorothy Strickland 2009 keynote speaker for statewide struggling
reader initiative.
Wholesome sounding Reading First program model installed as the statewide mandate
which ONLY allowed SBRR (scientifically based reading researched) programs for public
schools.
Mandatory 90-minute daily reading instruction training for ALL Kindergarten 3rd grade
students, ONLY using the state approved SBRR Reading First modeled after
George Bush's NCLB mandate.
Repeat of another state sponsored political reading failure.
Underground Teacher Movements!
There are many successful unsung heroes or heroines whose techniques are invisible in teacher education classrooms. Rarely are new teachers trained in Direct Instruction, a proven successful method of educating students, especially children of color.
Unfortunately for minority students (during teacher training), reference is primarily focused on popular research studies, opinions of biased experts and political legislation.
Direct Instruction = systematic or explicit phonics
Please don't be fooled by wholesome sounding names like implicit phonics / whole words / balanced reading programs
Please keep this conversation going
A look into a future
you can be sure of
At the beginning of each school year in September, I admit to my school children as young as 3 ½ years of age and guarantee they will be reading by Christmas.
(Mrs. Collins educated many black students believed to be uneducable)
After adopting a Direct Instruction model from a local private school in Baltimore, Barclay Elementary, whose student population consist of 91% African Americans
in four years their reading scores went UP 30 to 50 percentage points and referrals for special education went DOWN by a factor of four!
91% (2009) - 3%
81% (2010) -11%
65%(2010) -20%
children from poor communities
scoring above national averages
Nairobi Day School, East Palo Alto, CA
Barclay Elementary, Baltimore MD
Wesley Elementary, Houston TX
Marva Collins, Educator, Chicago IL
Jaime Escalante, Educator, E. Los Angeles CA (Spanish Teaching)
Direct Instruction
Secret to Reading Success
for African American Children
Vanessa Peters
Mini Book One
