In our work with school districts around the country, we are finding that the curriculum in many Kindergarten classes is not preparing all students for success in learning to read. Some students arrive in Kindergarten with fewer skills in place than the curriculum expects. Other students are not able to move at the pace of the curriculum. And some students are simply overwhelmed by the presentation of too much information at one time. To keep these students from becoming struggling readers in Kindergarten and Grade One, teachers need to clearly understand pre-reading skills that are necessary to be prepared to read, know which skills are weak or missing for students getting ready to learn to read, and have effective teaching strategies. In this session, we will present a comprehensive map of pre-reading skills that must be mastered prior to phonics instruction. The map presents a logical sequence of instruction, and it guides teachers to break skills instruction into manageable pieces. The session will include practicing some key strategies for instruction of these skills. We will provide a complimentary informal diagnostic assessment that teachers can use to determine if a student has mastered the needed pre-reading skills to become a successful reader. The assessment also targets skills a student still needs to master to be ready to learn to read.
