Classroom Implications

A teacher's task is to find out what students do understand, what they need to learn, and what needs to be provided in the classroom.

Significant time must be protected for and dedicated to reading and language arts instruction. Some children need additional assistance and are provided instruction that is based on their specific needs.

Teachers organize flexible and purposeful groups that are based on instructional needs. Membership in these groups changes as the children progress or as they experience difficulty.

Children read at an appropriate level in their programs of instruction, and teachers adjust their instructional practices according to how well and how quickly the children progress.

Due to both biological and background factors, the difficulty of learning to read varies significantly across children. However, the major contributor to reading failure is instruction that is inadequate to the child's needs or the demands of the reading situation.

Different children may need different amounts and forms of phonemic awareness instruction and experiences.