Trends
in the Reading Curriculum
by Carl B. Smith
Indiana
University
Like Mr. Whipple who is back in the Charmin commercial, reading is
back in the elementary school curriculum. The term reading, after being
subsumed under the term “literacy” for the past 15 years, has come roaring
back to prominence in the public eye and in the school curriculum.
The reason for the reemergence of reading can be found in the
dramatically falling test scores of high-profile states, such as California,
Texas, and Florida. After a decade of total commitment to an instructional
philosophy known as constructivism or whole language, California saw its
reading scores drop precipitously, placing the state last among the 50 states.
At the same time as falling reading scores worried school systems
across the country, schools noticed a frightening increase in the percentage
of fourth graders who could not read well enough to succeed. A national study
sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education determined that the major cause
of these failures stemmed from an inadequate preparation in basic skills,
especially decoding skills and comprehension skills.
Balanced
Reading Instruction
As a result of these failing performance indicators, numerous states
recently passed regulations that require an emphasis on reading through
balanced instruction. The theory behind the balanced approach means more than
simply adding phonics to the curriculum. The theory holds that children become
proficient readers through a combination of motivating literature, student
engagement, and explicit, systematic skills instruction (Stoicheva, 1999).
Balanced Reading Instruction reflects the need to instill a love of
reading through high-interest books and multiple responses to stories while
deliberately teaching needed skills. This is analogous to the baseball player
who is coached daily in batting practice to improve his hitting skills while
he plays a daily game which gives meaning and energy for his need to improve.
Reading
in the Middle School
As emerging state performance standards indicate, students need to be
able to find, organize, and summarize information as well as to use it for
personal and public purposes. Using reading for real-life purposes involves
critical thinking/reading and the writing of summaries and reports.
Consequently, current standards show a renewed interest in reading in the
middle school curriculum.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress reports that eighth
grade students perform poorly on the reading and writing tasks that are
required for high school courses, college courses, and responsibilities in the
workplace. In order to move
students towards workplace skills, educators see the need to expand
and practice these life skills throughout the middle grades.
Important
Questions
The changes that are taking place nationally should prompt educators to
ask these questions
about their local schools:
1.
Do we have adequate libraries that can supply high-interest books?
2.
Do we provide clear instruction in the skills that we expect children
to perform?
3.
Do we have a middle school curriculum that actually teaches students
the reading and writing competencies that will serve them in the years ahead?
For
further information visit the ERIC Web site to read the recent research digest
on “Balanced Reading Instruction” by Mila Stoicheva.
http://www.indiana.edu/~eric_rec/
If
you have specific questions, send those questions to
AskERIC@ERIC.syr.edu
or
call 1-800-759-4723 and ask for User Services.
"To get the best out of books...You must begin to love these perennial friends very early in life. There is a glamour which you never see if you begin to read with a serious intention late in life, when questions of technique and grammar and mere words begin to seem too important."