"THE ECLECTIC APPROACH TO READING INSTRUCTION"
Russell Stauffer's take on the language experience approach centers around the idea that we should take advantage of the linguistic, intellectual, social, and cultural wealth a student brings to school so that the transfer from oral language to written language can be made.
Stauffer provided many suggestions that are essential for this approach.
Stauffer provided many suggestions that are essential for this approach.
- Reading, writing, speaking, and listening occur within the context of purposeful communication.
- The interests, curiosities, creativity, culture, capacity, precepts, and concepts of each individual are used.
- The use of word recognition and word identification is developed in a meaningful context ensuring the use of meaning clues.
- Reading skills which are taught are assimilated and used.
- Individual interests and understandings are extended and refined.
- An appreciation of the value and uses of reading is afforded.
The Language Experience Approach relies on three specific aspects:
dictated stories, word banks, and creating writing.
dictated stories, word banks, and creating writing.
DICTATED EXPERIENCE STORIES
The students "learn to read as much as they talk" through dictated experience stories. The teacher finds an event, idea, or concrete object the student(s) can associate with. The teacher then asks the student to tell about the stimulus while recording what the student says. The teacher proceeds to reading the story, followed by the student(s). Activities such as depictions of stories, identification of words, choral reading, and matching words take place thereafter.
WORD BANKS
Word banks are "a personalized record of words a pupil has learned to read or recognize at sight." The words come from the dictated stories; words the student(s) identified across successive days. The teacher has the students identify these words to check student recognition of said words. Window cards are suggested for such practices.
CREATIVE WRITING
The student(s) lay out sentences and/or stories using their word cards.
The students "learn to read as much as they talk" through dictated experience stories. The teacher finds an event, idea, or concrete object the student(s) can associate with. The teacher then asks the student to tell about the stimulus while recording what the student says. The teacher proceeds to reading the story, followed by the student(s). Activities such as depictions of stories, identification of words, choral reading, and matching words take place thereafter.
WORD BANKS
Word banks are "a personalized record of words a pupil has learned to read or recognize at sight." The words come from the dictated stories; words the student(s) identified across successive days. The teacher has the students identify these words to check student recognition of said words. Window cards are suggested for such practices.
CREATIVE WRITING
The student(s) lay out sentences and/or stories using their word cards.