Reading Recovery

What is Reading Recovery?

Reading Recovery is a school based literacy program that is designed to assist the learning of certain students so they can participate fully in classroom activities.

Reading Recovery was developed in New Zealand and is now operating in the United Kingdom, USA, NSW, SA, Queensland and the ACT.

It is an early intervention program which:

• Aims to prevent the difficulties some students have in reaching literacy goals
  
• Focuses on Year One students who, after one year of schooling and despite quality programs, are not developing effective reading and writing processes
• Enables students to become active,independent problem-solvers within a short space of time
• Builds on student’s strengths,encouraging success and independence
  
• Strengthens self-esteem and students’ natural desire to learn
  
• Is based on a holistic approach to the acquisition of literacy
  
• Relies on a team approach supported by the whole school community – principal, staff, parents and school council.

Is Reading Recovery Effective?

Past experience has demonstrated that Reading Recovery enables the students to make rapid progress in establishing effective reading and writing processes. In an average range of twelve to twenty weeks, children change from being ineffective readers to being active, independent problem solvers, able to meet the challenges of reading and writing in the classroom.

The Program

Reading Recovery is an individual program where students and teacher work together for half an hour every day, as an extra to the normal classroom literacy program. The specially trained teacher helps the student to read many books and write stories each day. In this way, the student catches up with classmates and the extra help is then no longer needed.

The average length of time for students’ participation in the program is 16-20 weeks. This is dependent upon the student’s progress as monitored by the Reading Recovery Teacher, the school-based Independent Observer and the Year I classroom teacher.

• The format of a daily, 30-minute Reading Recovery tutoring session involves:
  
• Re-reading two or more familiar books
  
• Re-reading a book introduced at the previous session
  
• Developing letter-sound knowledge
• Writing a story
  
• Rearranging a cut-up story
  
• Introducing a new book
  
• Attempting a new book

Your child and Reading Recovery

If your child has been recently selected for the program. You will probably notice an improvement in his/her enjoyment of reading and writing soon after the lessons begin.

It is very important that your child attends school every day.

The Reading Recovery teacher will contact you to discuss your child’s program.

Reference material

Many books have been written about Reading Recovery, many by Marie M Clay.