Using children's literature to foster language development and to improve the reading ability of primary grade children in a remedial reading class

Boutcher, Sonia Wells (1980) Using children's literature to foster language development and to improve the reading ability of primary grade children in a remedial reading class. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This internship was concerned with developing and implementing a literature program to promote the language development and improve the reading ability of seven primary children in a remedial reading class. The program was carried out over a six-month period, during which time the intern met the students four times a week for thirty-minute sessions. -- The students in grades two and three were recommended for remedial help by their classroom teachers because they were experiencing considerable difficulty with reading and exhibiting little facility in the use of language. Most of the students were retarded by one year or more in reading achievement and were reluctant to read. They had difficulty in expressing their ideas orally, and their listening and writing skills were poor. -- The program consisted of read-aloud sessions, with the intern reading good books to the children and the children actively involved in a variety of language activities. Children's own language experiences were used in the language experience approach. The program also included the students' involvement in selection, sharing, and record keeping of the books they read. -- Changes in the students' reading achievement, listening, oral expression, writing, and attitude toward reading provided evidence that the internship had been effective. In reading comprehension the grade two students made an average gain of 0.9 years and the grade three students, 1.4 years. Observations by both the intern and the classroom teachers indicated that the students had improved in their listening, speaking, and writing ability in the regular and remedial classrooms. Attitudes towards reading became more positive.

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