[NIFL-LD:4012] Re: Readability

From: Art LaChance (arthur@ellijay.com)
Date: Mon Jul 22 2002 - 10:42:08 EDT


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From: Art LaChance <arthur@ellijay.com>
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Subject: [NIFL-LD:4012] Re: Readability
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Andrea and Mary,

Expansion on this idea.  If a new student only reads silently and answers
multiple choice questions on some evaluation 'test' a teacher will not get a
clear view of actual 'reading' skill.  One must listen to how the student
reads.  Newspapers are written at a low enough level that most adult lit
students can read them effortlessly, but the students who have difficulty with
larger unfamilar and/or multi-syllable vocabulary will stumble and the
problem(s) they have with processing the skills involved will just pop out.
After a teacher practices with this method a few times it's only necessary that
a student read a sentence or two before the teacher can place them in terms of
approximate grade level for remediation purposes.  Newspapers are generally
non-threatening and when approached without warning to the student as in "Here
read this sentence for me",  the student has not much opportunity to drag up
negative emotions, and poof the episode is over and the teacher knows what they
need in order to start.  "Testing" may come later, after the student achieves
some level of comfort with the overall situation.
Additionally, I use this very systematically to determine if the student is
reading horizontal word lists or is reading in context.

art


Art LaChance
Gilmer Learning Center
Ellijay, GA


AWilder106@aol.com wrote:

> Dear Mary,
>
> I like it!  Art, who is also on this list, just gives a newspaper to a new
> arrival and sees what the person can do with it.  But this doesn't exactly
> show up on the airwaves when "readability" is discussed.  Maybe just have a
> vareity of texts around?
>
> Thanks.



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