If it IS broken, . . . . Fix it! :)

Reading instruction has changed a great deal from when I was in elementary school. (I am 40.)  In 2000, The National Reading Panel report revealed a lot of research about reading.  Since that report, educators have revamped and tweaked their instruction to assure that programming and instructional strategies incorporate the "Big 5."  They are: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension.  As educators, we have also realized that we need to be very diagnostic in our assessments.  If we are not, and certain foundational elements in reading are missing, reading can be that much more challenging from a proficiency standpoint.  We need to know where students are and what strategically should be taught next, to provide for the best gains.  If it isn't proven effective, time should not be spent doing it.  That means, that as we gain new knowledge about the teaching of reading, we have to be willing to let go of things we were used to.  Round-robin-reading, is one such example.  This is where students would take turns reading a book or text as a class or group.  When this is used, the only students benefiting from the "eyes on text" is the student reading.  All the other students are not getting the same benefit and they need the practice too.  Read the article by clicking on this link to get the full story. As a parent, does this mean that you shouldn't read to your child? Not at all.  There is a great need for students to hear fluent reading and be exposed to more challenging vocabulary.  Just be sure to provide a variety of books so that students have selections they can read (at level) and you can read (above level) to them.  Ask your child's teacher for help if you are struggling to find good fit books for your child.