It's an exciting time to be in education for everyone at Cowes Primary School.
Great new facilities and a new STEM curriculum are just some of the innovations in recent years.
And at junior level, the prep kids in particular were partying just before the Easter break, to celebrate a very special milestone … the presentation of reading folders at the end of their first term at school.
A huge effort has gone in at junior level at Cowes in the past few years with the implementation of a brand-new reading program, the positive impact of which is exciting, say the school’s prep teachers.
For the last three years, the junior school’s teachers have immersed themselves in a range of professional development opportunities, relating to teaching reading.
As a result, based on evidence-based research and recommendations, and visits to other schools where teaching methods were shared, the school has adopted a new program, known as “The Science of Reading.”
Research
“Some valuable changes in reading instruction were made, and after three years of implementation, our results reflect a very positive impact.,” said the school’s Prep Co-ordinator Cath Huther.
“We committed at the outset to being guided by the latest research to ensure that we deliver the best possible literacy instruction for every student.
“The Science of Reading research provides us with an evidence-based best practice approach to the teaching of foundational literacy skills. The program says a lot about how children learn to read; how to make sure every student learns to read; and what to do if a child encounters difficulty with reading.
“Research demonstrates that there is a known pathway to reading in the brain which relies on connecting speech sounds to identify the printed word, and the program is based on this finding,” explained Cath.
“Instead of asking children to memorise words, letter sounds are introduced to students, who learn that a particular letter, or sequence of letters, have different sounds. After these are taught, words can be successfully sounded out.”
Phonics
There are 44 phonic sounds in all, taught in sequence and systematically, and readers are introduced sequentially as the children progress.
Students are presented with “decodable” readers, containing words with the letters that they are now familiar with, and can sound out.
“Children with disabilities, dyslexia, or no challenges at all, benefit from this method,” Cath said.
“As the Science of Reading research points out, if a child memorises ten words, the child can read ten words. But if a child learns the sounds of ten letters, the child will be able to read 350 three
letter words, 4320 four letter words and 21,650 five letter words. (Dr. Martin Kozloff, Distinguished Professor of Education).
“Children can pick up a reader with relative confidence, having the tools to identify words in the books they are presented with.”
Cath said a huge amount of time, focus, and accumulation of resources has been spent at Cowes in the implementation of the Science of Reading approach.
“We have been working to build up our resources to run this program, and results are impressive.
“Other schools are also adopting our approach.”
Parents are also involved on the reading journey with their children.
“Children need practise with the phonics skills they are learning at school, and decodable books and passages are sent home.”
Cath said that a small percentage of students do still experience reading difficulty, but that an early intervention system is in place at Cowes.
“The best solution to any problem is prevention. Timely intervention is the safety net to ‘catch’ students before they become disheartened and fall behind.
“Lesley O’Donohue, the school’s speech pathologist, provides assessment, resources and ongoing programs to cater for these students’ needs.
“Intervention groups, run by teachers and support staff, at all year levels, delivers small group instruction at the point of need.
“Our aim is to ensure that every single child in the school, learns to read, and reads well.”