more on rapid naming
Another article on rapid naming deficits & reading problems.
An excerpt:
Letters naturally differ in frequency of occurrence. For example, typical readers encounter the letter a more than the letter w. However, the frequency of any letter is individually determined because some children read more that others, may be more familiar with particular letters such as those that appear in their name, or some teachers of primers may emphasize certain letters or letter combinations more than others. To overcome the variability in letter familiarity between students, the challenge for the reading teacher is to make all letters high-frequency for all of his or her students through intense exposure. In other words, exposure to each letter must be intense enough that all the letters become overlearned, because each letter counts in the cadence associated with efficient word reading.
....
But not all children learn about letters and words at the same rate. Berninger (2000) reported that at-risk children were found to need over 20 times the amount of literacy practice than children who were not at-risk. Therefore, teachers must individualize instruction to provide ample opportunity for all children to reach an automatic level of letter naming."
Which, of course, is where I come in. A kid who needs 20 times as much exposure as average in order to learn each component of reading is not going to get what she needs in a standard classroom, however devoted the teacher. It takes additional one-on-one attention and lots of practice at home.
Virginia Berninger, BTW, is my boss's mentor & model.
An excerpt:
Letters naturally differ in frequency of occurrence. For example, typical readers encounter the letter a more than the letter w. However, the frequency of any letter is individually determined because some children read more that others, may be more familiar with particular letters such as those that appear in their name, or some teachers of primers may emphasize certain letters or letter combinations more than others. To overcome the variability in letter familiarity between students, the challenge for the reading teacher is to make all letters high-frequency for all of his or her students through intense exposure. In other words, exposure to each letter must be intense enough that all the letters become overlearned, because each letter counts in the cadence associated with efficient word reading.
....
But not all children learn about letters and words at the same rate. Berninger (2000) reported that at-risk children were found to need over 20 times the amount of literacy practice than children who were not at-risk. Therefore, teachers must individualize instruction to provide ample opportunity for all children to reach an automatic level of letter naming."
Which, of course, is where I come in. A kid who needs 20 times as much exposure as average in order to learn each component of reading is not going to get what she needs in a standard classroom, however devoted the teacher. It takes additional one-on-one attention and lots of practice at home.
Virginia Berninger, BTW, is my boss's mentor & model.