Extra Credit: Back to the Basics of Reading

Howdy Class!!!


Thanks for dropping in for another lesson :)
In searching the ever popular LA Times Newspaper, I found an article regarding the reading reform taking place in Los Angeles schools. Please refer to the link provided below to read this article by Howard Blume of the Los Angeles Times.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0330-reading-20110330,0,7946885.story


Blume's article discusses the current reform that Los Angeles school officials have put into action. This involves the reading program that has been used for years to teach students how to read. Open Court was the previously used program. The complaints toward this program and why it was replaced are that it was simply dated, expensive, and gave no room for teachers to venture out in their own ways to teach their students. The new reading program California Treasures is said to give teachers the support they need to succeed in teaching their kids how to read, as well as giving a little room in curriculum.

To sum up the pros of this new California Treasures program in comparison old Open Court program:

• Breaks down goals of lesson with strategies provided to meet these goals
• Provides different approaches to teach different levels of reading
• Gives educators the chance to create their own lesson plans

Overall, the new program being implemented seems like the best decision for Los Angeles Elementary schools right now. At the end of the day, as long as the students learn to read on the correct level they should, it does not matter what reading program the government provides us. Reading is fundamental and without it, students are not fully capable of moving forward in learning.

Thanks for stopping by & hope to see you next time class!!!
Miss Crystal <3