PALS: A Reading Strategy for Grades 2–6 (Archived)
Challenge
Review the movie below and then proceed to the Initial Thoughts section (time: 2:15).
Transcript: Challenge
A new school year begins in just one week, and as always Mrs. Nash is looking forward to teaching a new group of fifth-grade students. This year, she is especially excited because she has recently transferred to another school district. Mrs. Nash welcomes the challenges and the opportunities that go along with meeting and collaborating with a different group of school personnel. She is also eager to begin working with Miller Elementary’s culturally and academically diverse student population and their families. During a recent inservice, the principal reported that the students’ reading scores from the previous year were below proficient. The school was not making adequate yearly progress as outlined in the state guidelines developed under No Child Left Behind.
Given this new information, Mrs. Nash believes that she needs to find a research-validated approach that she can implement to improve her students’ reading skills. Reviewing their files, she notes that her students have demonstrated a wide range of ability levels and that several of them are English Learners. A training on reading strategies is on the schedule for late September, but Mrs. Nash doesn’t want to wait until then to get started. She wants to begin addressing her students’ reading skills immediately, but she is not sure what to do.
Here is your Challenge:
What characteristics might Mrs. Nash look for in a reading approach?
What types of activities can Mrs. Nash use to increase her students’ reading skills?
How can Mrs. Nash implement these activities?
