By Gibbes Hance
Choosing the right reading program for your child is crucial to help them embark on a literacy journey with perfect pronunciation and intonation. It helps teachers and parents simplify learning for students struggling with words. A good reading program can bring about transformative results in even those children who have problems reading fundamental words.
You must be cautious when selecting reading programs for children. Here’s a complete guide on selecting and enrolling your child in a proper reading program.
How to Hunt for the Best Reading Program?
Things to keep in mind when choosing a reading program for your child:
- Research backup: A successful reading program is always backed by years of solid research that explains what works for children and what does not. Opt for a reading program guaranteed by research to give the best results. You must evaluate various programs to ensure that they align with strategies and activities supported by research for beginning reading.
- Effective assessments: Choose programs that help test the child’s reading ability in different ways to assess their reading capabilities reliably. They must conduct progress monitoring and assessments that are reliable and valid. The test results can help improve their learning, improvising on areas they lack.
- Adaptive approach: Pick adaptive approach programs that cater to every student’s individual needs and address their reading issues.
- Clear and consistent guidance: A good program will provide clear reading guidance in a highly consistent manner. Effective programs come with direct, intensive, systematic, and sustained reading instructions.
How Do I Find Information About Specific Reading Programs?
Several centers or education departments have reviewed the reading programs currently available. Findings on the sites can serve to guide programmatic decision-making. You must look for factual information about reading programs. Some of the reputable sites that offer unbiased information are as follows:
- The Oregon Reading First Panel
- The Florida Center for Reading Research
- Reading Programs that Work: A Review of Programs for Pre-Kindergarten to 4th Grade.
- The Washington States 4-12 Reading Intervention Materials Review
Additionally, you check the details of the program on their website. Look for the above-stated points in their advertisements. Browse reviews on social media platforms to learn about positive and negative feedback on candidates who have already enrolled.
What Areas Should An Ideal Reading Program Focus On?
A good reading program will focus on the five essential keys to reading success:
Phonemic awareness
The ability to listen, decode, and manipulate the different sounds in words. Reading programs develop phonemic awareness by teaching sounds, syllables and words using a sequential series of skill-building activities.
Phonics
Understanding the relationship between letters and their sounds is a must for all children. You should be able to learn how to encode sounds into words and decode words into sounds for effective writing and spelling.
Vocabulary
Besides articulation, reading programs focus on developing a child’s understanding of the meaning of words and their context. Thus, boosting academic success with a vast knowledge of words.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding what you read is the ultimate goal, be it a storybook or an information book. A reading program helps you master the right pace that facilitates quicker comprehension.
Fluency
Lastly, combining it all, a proper reading program aims to strengthen a child’s ability to read aloud accurately and at speed. They encourage regular practice empowering children to become lifelong learners and readers.
Concluding Thoughts
Choosing a reliable reading program that helps children with their specific reading difficulties is imperative. An ideal reading program will always be personalized to accommodate all kinds of reading problems to grant much-needed fluency.
