Comprehensive core reading programs

Site Index. Families Educators Districts Communities. Quick Links Colorado. Contact Us Colorado Dept. Peer reviewed Direct link. Reading Research Quarterly , v44 n2 p Apr-Jun Core reading programs provide the curriculum and guide the instruction for many classroom teachers. Students should be able to orally state as well as write the sound made by a letter or group of letters.

This differs from phonemic awareness in that a student must understand the letter or group of letters that make up sounds to write them correctly. Fluency refers to a student's ability to read a piece accurately and rapidly with appropriate expression and phrasing. Fluent readers spend little time decoding, which lets them focus on deriving meaning from the text. Fluent reading should sound like conversational speech. Vocabulary development is the understanding and knowledge of words. As students increase in ability, vocabulary concepts such as synonyms, antonyms, homophones and figurative language should be addressed.

These components are interconnected. The following table lists each component and the recommended grades in which to implement the instruction for each. Such reading instruction, however, requires a solid understanding of the relevant skills as well as one of how the activities or assignments relate to those skills.

Classroom teachers may wish to evaluate the current core reading program used in their schools, to determine whether the five components are being adequately addressed.

For more information about this guide, see Resource Page