IRA and ELA Common Core Standards Part Two

IRA and ELA Common Core Standards Part Two

The International Reading Association (IRA) has published a thoughtful and useful document called “Literacy Implementation Guidance for the ELA Common Core State Standards”.

For the moment we are still focused on the youngest readers – those in kindergarten, first, and second grade. After confirming that the best instructional process should still begin with phonics and basic decoding skills (you can find our earlier post here), the IRA paper goes on to recommend that the best way for early readers to interact with texts is to have them read aloud.

Even with early readers, not every student is at the same level of proficiency and personalized instruction can be difficult for one teacher with 30 students. To break this task into more manageable numbers, one of the easiest ways is to split the class into smaller differentiated groups. This can be readily done by using a playing recorded content for students in an open-air format or closed soundfield environment. The soundfield can be wireless or wired through using a jackox and connected headphones. With these systems, early learners can listen to texts read aloud as many times as necessary before moving onto more complex material.

Under the new Common Core standards, the achievement goals are clearly stated, but it is left to the teacher to determine the best way to help her students achieve those goals by the end of each grade. This means that for many teachers, their instruction practice will not significantly change and others will have greater choice in teaching methods.

As students grow in skill level, listening and reading along are proven activities for developing reading proficiency. These listening systems allow students to tackle texts at any level of reading difficulty while also developing other foundational skills as outlined by the Common Core standards such as writing, speaking and listening skills. The IRA document makes clear that no longer will basic reading skills be a prerequisite for other foundational skills but “during the K-2 years, teaching of all aspects of the English Language Arts should take place simultaneously and be coordinated.”