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Essay Subject: Compares three approaches: language-experience, individualized & basal reading. Purposes, techniques, word banks, strengths & weaknesses.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Compares three approaches: language-experience, individualized & basal reading. Purposes, techniques, word banks, strengths & weaknesses. Paper Introduction: This paper will compare and contrast three approaches to teaching reading vocabulary: the language-experience; the basal; and the individualized. The Language-Experience Approach In the language-experience approach the child's own language and his environment form the basis of the reading materials and the words to be taught (Jewell & Zintz, 1980). Typically, the teaching procedures in the language experience approach include a written record, which is planned cooperatively by the pupils and the teachers. This plan is kept on a chart known as the experience chart. For example, a record of an experience that the class might have had when finding leaves on a walk they took might read as follows: We went on a walk; we found some pretty leaves; some were red; some were brown; we found yellow leaves. Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. They also keep track of some of theacquired learning, such as vocabulary or generalizations related toreading. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Many teachers seriously doubt the young child's ability to selectreading material best-suited to his or her needs. 4) The vocabulary of the language-experience stories is moremeaningful to the children and is less stilted than that used in basalreaders. Word games canbe played with the cards or the children can classify them by category,such as color words, doing words, or words about eating. Development of concepts important tounderstanding the selection are also stressed during this stage. 9) The pupils receive further practice on the chart, at timesadditional work on the development of vocabulary, and of other skillsimportant in reading. (1987), Developing vocabulary. However, fewteachers use only one of the approaches exclusively. The controversy centers around onequestion. (1979). In a classroom of even 25 children the teacher would only have timefor two to five minute conferences with each child. Teaching K-8,17(3), 21-25. The problems with readability formulas.Teaching K-8, 17(4), 24-26. Language Arts, 58, 23-43. Learning to read naturally. The incomplete basal program. 4) The basal reader, interesting and worth-while though its contentmay be, is not the only source of such material. 2) Directed reading in parts of the selection, followed withdiscussion of the part assigned for silent reading, comprise the secondstage of the process. That is, children will use words whichare meaningful to them to describe their experience. This plan is kept on a chartknown as the experience chart. The Basal Reading Program Since reading is a complex cognitive and perceptual task, manyteachers favor a program of reading instruction which is highly controlledboth in vocabulary and in other phases of reading skills. The Language-Experience Approach In the language-experience approach the child's own language and hisenvironment form the basis of the reading materials and the words to betaught (Jewell & Zintz, 198 ). There is disagreement concerning the use of the language-experienceapproach to reading instruction. (1986). For practice on vocabulary, on a separate sheet theteacher may make a copy of the content of the chart for each student andleave the room beside each word that students can draw a picture that goeswith the word. To what extent should the approach be used in the early stagesof reading instruction? For example, newcategories could be names of objects in the room or names of the days ofthe week. (1981). Children can also learnto identify the words in the listing. (198 ). Frequently, workbooks are usedduring this activity phase (Hillerich, 1986). While there are many variations in the suggestions and ways inwhich teachers can use the readers, teacher's editions usually have threeparts: 1) Preparation for reading--during this step attention is given toengaging the learners in reading the selection, usually throughrelationship-to-student experiences. Rhodes, L. Theteacher provides help as needed and may guide, but not control, the child'sfuture reading. Language Arts, 56, 497-5 2. The contention is that the classroom teacher, in many instances,has neither the time nor the knowledge of reading instruction to teach theneeded skills effectively without the guidance given in a good basal readerprogram. The general steps tobe followed by the teacher are listed below: 1) After the children have participated in an interesting andsignificant experience they discuss it. Basal programs control vocabularyintroduction according to set levels. While in pre-basal booksthe aim of most writers is to select only words that are already in thelearner's speaking and listening vocabulary, one of the objectives invocabulary development with older students is to increase not only theirreading vocabulary but also their speaking, listening and writingcapacities. At times, flexible groups will be organizedtemporarily, in order to work on a common problem, often a skill problem.Vocabulary is often drilled with children writing difficult words insentences or on cards for later practice. These words can then bearranged alphabetically and filed in a box similar to a file for recipes.From time to time the class can review reading these words. During conferences the teacher may listen to the childread orally and ask questions about his silent reading in order todetermine the child's strengths, weaknesses and levels of achievement. The individualizedprogram emphasized the particular child's problems and interests in addingand dealing with difficult vocabulary. Teaching K-8,19(3), 21-25. Basal programs, however, are not based onindividual interests or abilities, but on standardized estimations of whatchildren at different stages of the reading process are able to understand. 2) If motivation for making a chart is not provided during thediscussion a pupil or the teacher suggests it. (1987). 2) Though there are many useful suggestions in teachers' manuals,they do not constitute the only source of helpful ideas as to teachingprocedures. Suchprocedures have been questioned regarding teachers' assessment abilities(Hillerich, 1987). The Reading Teacher, 34, 511-518.----------------------- 12 The language-experience approach can serve a variety of purposes(Dyson, 1981). Hillerich, R. Not just a picture book. The Individualized Reading Program There are common elements of individualized reading as practiced innumerous school: The use within a classroom of many books diversified asto subject, interest, and reading level; major emphasis of self-selectionof reading materials by the child; individual conferences between theteacher and the child; good record-keeping system; and pupil-reporting onbooks. The teachermay instruct the children to find various sentences that the teacher readsout of their natural order. Hillerich, R. This paper will compare and contrast three approaches to teachingreading vocabulary: the language-experience; the basal; and theindividualized. This type of activity can help children recallthe words more easily. 3) Follow up activities, either skill development activities orenrichment activities--may consist of procedures or helping students learnbetter to recognize words in written form. Most basal readers seriescontain several controls, one of the most important being vocabulary. However, arguments against this basal program are as follows: 1) Teachers with considerable knowledge about the teaching of readingcan devise an original outline or reading skills to be taught to students. Lamb, P., & Arnold, R. 8) One or more pupils read the chart alone. Some aspects of the instructional environmentand learning to read. They may name them as the teacher points to them or find them asthe teacher names the words. Word recognition is developed through the acquisition of sight-wordvocabulary. 3) The relation between reading and other facets of language arts ismade evident to the children. The studyof new words, and the establishment of the purpose for reading areincluded. For example, a record of an experience thatthe class might have had when finding leaves on a walk they took might readas follows: We went on a walk; we found some pretty leaves; some were red;some were brown; we found yellow leaves. For example, to illustrate the word "leaves," the pupil maydraw a picture of leaves. Thewords selected are determined in part by earlier studies of word listscompiled to show the frequency of use of words on various reading levels.The type and number of new words presented per page are regulated, as wellas the repetition of words on the pages on which they first occur and thenon later pages. I can read! A basal reader series is frequently designed through grade six butsome series are designed for junior high. Later these words may be written oncards to provide practice and to serve as a word bank for the children towhich they can refer when necessary. For example, if the word"walking" was used in an experience chart, the teacher would write thewords "walk" and "walking" on the board and have the class tell through theaddition of which letters "walk" is changed to "walking". The teacher may alsowrite the words to be given special attention in a list on the board, sothat pupils can find the same word in the story. 4) Basal reader series have a variety of interesting, worthwhilecontent, progressively more difficult and suited to the child who isprovided with the books on his or her level of reading performance. 2) Reading one's own report is not necessarily more interesting andin some cases the experiences of others in stories is much moreinteresting. The children could also make individual word banks, with eachchild having his or her own bank of words already learned or of words thechild wants to learn. The foundation for the structural analysis in the developmentof facility in word recognition is laid as the teacher draws attention towords with similar prefixes of suffixes. 7) The class reviews the words in the chart that they have previouslylearned. At other times, two or morechildren may work together to plan a presentation that they will give tothe entire class, possibly a play based on a book they have enjoyed. 3) The relation between reading and the other language arts can bemade evident without using language experience charts. However, critics of the language-experience approach note thefollowing points: 1) The valuables or interesting experiences that children have willbe important to them without experience charts. Language Arts,56, 489-496. 2) The teachers' manuals give helpful and varied aids to effectiveteaching. In order to achieve this, readers for fourth grade and beyondinclude a number of words whose meaning presumably has not previously beenknown to the learner (Hillerich, 1986). This experience chart would thenserve as a basis on which to add vocabulary words which had not beenpreviously learned or known. Theteacher proceeds according to the general rule that too much teacherdirection in any phase of the teaching can defeat the purpose of making thechildren's language-experience chart (Morris, 1979). Those who promote individualized reading claim that themethod is instrumental in developing love for reading and habits ofextensive independent reading. 4) Students are able through effective teaching to recognize thevalue of the reading vocabulary they acquire when reading well-graded andwell-written basal reading books (Gans, 1979; Lamb & Arnold, 198 ). Another criticism of theprogram is the limited time of the individual conferences a teacher canhold. 3) By means of the basal readers as a core program, inexperienced aswell as experienced teachers can teach with success. Most of the reading is in general books, although thechild may chose to read selections in basal readers, depending on theiravailability in the classroom. References Dyson, A. (1988). Gans, R. Hillerich, R. 4) First, the teacher alone reads the chart, then the pupils togetherwith the teacher, and finally the children alone read the chart. They state that it contributes to a happy,carefree climate in the classroom, builds self-confidence in children, andremoves insidious distinctions between slow and fast readers. The basal program assumes (although extensively surveyed) that children ofa particular age level have or should have certain abilities. (1979). Guiding children's reading through experience.New York: Teachers College Press. Jewell, M., & Zintz, M. As some words on an experiencechart are being studied, they can be written by the teacher on slips ofpaper, possibly about two inches by four inches. This is particularlytrue because each of the programs may be more appropriate for one gradelevel than another. Although most basal readers are alike in that they are based on alearning hierarchy of reading skills, there are major differences amongthem (Hillerich, 1986; 1987). Teacher's manuals provide teachers with suggestions for using basalreaders. (1981). However,individualized reading requires no rigid formula and the procedures differgreatly among teachers. Using the individualized reading program requires a classroom well-equipped with books on a large variety of subjects and on different levelsof difficulty. 3) Although it is undeniably true than an inexperienced teacher mayfind it very difficult to teach reading effectively without guidanceprovided in a basal reading series, there are teachers who teach readingeffectively without basal readers. Children could arrange these words alphabetically ifthey are recorded on cards. Insome individualized reading programs pupils may be encouraged to keep arecord of the books they have read. Summary Each of the techniques discussed above approach the teaching ofreading in general, and of vocabulary in particular, in slightly differentways. When students arewriting, they can refer to the word bank for assistance in spelling. Some of these variations are in vocabulary;as to choice of words, number of words per page, repetition of new words,and basis of selection; illustrations, as to type, frequency of use, andpurpose; content; style of writing; supplemental materials; and type ofapproach to skills development. Hillerich, R. Teaching reading: Foundations andstrategies. Inaddition to words from the experience charts other words could be addedthat the class had learned or would proceed to learn. Therefore, teachers often are encouraged by experts touse a variety of techniques and to adopt the basal programs, usingindividualized-reading experiences, and language-experience approaches. Hillerich, R. Typically, the teaching procedures in thelanguage experience approach include a written record, which is plannedcooperatively by the pupils and the teachers. 2) Reading about their own experiences is more interesting than usingbasal reading books. Among the strengths of the basal reader programs are the following: 1) The basal program provides an organizational plan in which skillsare presented in a carefully controlled sequence, with no important stepsomitted. In readers beyond the beginning stage, the control of the vocabularycontinues, through it becomes decreasingly rigid. The teachermight record additional root words which they were already able torecognize visually, writing them with suffixes, on the board (Hoskisson,1979). Therefore, it seemsimpossible that such a program could be actually implemented as planned.Many experts believe that the skills-development part of the program is notadequately or effectively promoted (Hillerich, 1987). Careful record-keeping by the teacher is an essential element toan effective individualized reading program. (1987). There are many ways inwhich the teacher can help the child select material on his or her readinglevel in sources other than basal readers. 3) The pupils with the help of the teacher, plan the title, thegeneral content, and the exact sentences as the teacher does the writing onthe chalkboard or on a large sheet of paper posted so all can see it. The children can make all these papers into abooklet and draw an appropriate picture on the cover (Hillerich, 1987). Making word banks is a class project. Two approaches place emphasis on theinterests of the children and on their own determination of what should beadded to their vocabulary. The language-experience approach emphasized the experiences ofstudents as a basis for addition of vocabulary words. Morris, R. (1986). Learning to read naturally.Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. In addition, the selection of books requires that teachers conductreadability testing to determine the reading level of the books. The basalprogram readers are such programs. Hoskisson, K. Oral language: The rooting system for learningto write. Important among these is that it provides the opportunityfor continuing experiences that are in harmony with the languagedevelopment trends of the children. (1979). Teaching K-8,17(7), 24-27. Successful basal adaptation. They attempt to present apsychologically sound sequence for the development of needed reading skills(Lamb & Arnold, 198 ; Hillerich, 1988). 6) The children learn to recognize a few words that are new to theirreading vocabulary. Teaching K-8, 17(6),25-29. Some arguments in favor of its use are: 1) The valuable or interesting experiences that children have can bemade more meaningful if the language experience charts are based on them. In general, the skills of reading are taught in connection withproblems the child actually encounters while reading. 5) The group practices on identification of sentences. Most of the children during the reading period will readbooks of their choice independently, while the teachers confers with onestudent at a time. As the teacher names one of the selected words, apupil may point to it on the chart then name it. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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