For teachers: Have you had experience with SRA Reading Laboratory? Is it good or bad?
603405
My goodness!  The SRA reading kits!  I loved them as a student - but that wasn't yesterday.  I have retired from a teaching career.  I remember how disappointed I would be if our teacher skipped SRA time!!  And at the end of the year I had progressed to the second last color - I think it was blue - I had really hoped to get to the top!! \n\nI did use a more updated version many years ago with third and fourth graders and some of them thought they were ok, while others detested them.  However,  I think they will be a good resource for students who are independent learners, and who like that sort of thing.  Many kids get a kick out of using the kinds of things their parents might have used.  Many kids enjoy the fact that they are self-directed, and that they can progress at their own rate.  For kids who don't like to do a lot of reading at one sitting, the stories are fairly short.  The speed with which kids can progress can be very enhancing to their self esteem and self confidence.  Students score their own work, which many like to do. \n\nThey can be a very good support to you in designing individualized materials as you need them, and possibly in setting up centers in your class if you use centers.  As others have indicated, they are sequential, so you can easily use them for ideas for activities and topics. Use them to design cloze precedures for example.  Write your own more indepth exercises if you need them.  Use the stories as a jumping off place for students to do more in depth research of a topic.\n\nYou can sign up for a free on-line monthly newsletter about the SRA labs at the link I've included.  New, much more colorful editions of the labs are available.\n\nBest of luck with it.  Pretty much anything kids will read is a good resource.
822602
Good for you for trying to learn outside the classroom.  I'll be honest, though.  You can't blame this one on the companies.  Many teachers don't want the answers available for their students to copy, so the companies have to keep them private.  Check the publishers' websites, and contact them to see if they will help you.  If not, see if you can get a teacher at the appropriate level to help you with this, or at least to check your answers.
158343
I think that it a good idea in theory since it encourages reading by aiming to make all children reading literate by 2014. However, I do think that this puts alot of pressure on the school systems. Some children (even if they receive special education) may not be able to successfully pass the exams for reading since many do not grade on an improvement basis but rather a pass/fail. To have every child reading is noteworthy and admirable but this Act might face a great deal of difficulty in actually being accomplished although I hope that this Act will at least achieve the purpose of helping many more children be able to read. Good question and I hope that my opinion helps.
322113
I think they you need to balanced in your approach. Phonics are the absolutely necessary when learning to read and write. But that doesn't mean that it's all you teach. Students need an opportunity to read and interact with high quality literature. Reading interesting and relevant material motivates students to want to read more and learn more (at least that's what I think).
281812
Many of the major curriculum publishers have webpages. You can often find scope and sequences, sample pages, web-based enrichment activities, etc for every grade level there. Here are some publishers to look up - \nGlencoe (is the most common one used around here)\nScott, Foresman\nHarcourt, Brace\nHouton Mifflin\nSilver Burdett and Ginn\nSaxon (math text publisher)\nAbeka (used in Christian schools)\nBob Jones Press (used in Christian schools)\nhttp://www.K12.com (internet based curriculum)\n\nTypically, 2nd and 3rd grader curriculum are focused on the development of reading and basic math skills. Not that they do not also cover science, music, and art. It is just the reading and math are built concept on concept and are essential to school success in later years. \n\nIn reading the student has typically gotten a fair grasp of all the phonograms by this age. However, reading fluency is still under development and reading comprehension is being pursued with more vigor than in previous grades.\n\nIn math, addition and subtraction fact mastery is being worked on. Multiplication and division is being pursude a bit but mastery will not be expected for a few years yet. How to look at a drawing or handle manipulatives and get a written fraction is taught, but adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing fractions will not be covered until closer to 5th grade.\n\nScience varies a good bit. Some curriculum is very hands-on the other is very much book, workbook, and worksheet based. The basic philosphies behind the opposite extremes are based on what each sees as more valuable. In one view, having hands on learning (process oriented) means that kids are more interesting and are developing good observation and science sckills. On the other extreme, the curriculum designers see science as containing information (content oriented) that needs to be learned and reading skills that need to be practiced. \n\nI was surprised to discover many years ago that it was not the teacher who picked out the curriculum most of the time. Personally, I think it would be better if the teacher made the selection every time. I guess since teachers may change more often than curriculum teachers  would still bve coming into classromms with investments into past publisher's material.\n\nAnother avenue that you can try is to see if any of the universities in your state has a curriculum center. We used to live near one that did. I signed up for a lending card. I was able to check out any text used in the state from there. It gave me an in depth look into what was being used. I found it very discouraging. I felt that most of the material was very dull and some was downright awful in matching what students are able to do at a particular age - way too easy or way too hard. Some of the science textbooks for junior and senior high were the worst. They had several errors ranging from mere mislabelling of captions all the way to including scientific theories and 'facts' that have since been proven incorrect. With all this in mind, remember that a good teacher will not rely too heavily on the 'canned curriculum'. You will need to check facts, develop more interesting approaches, build up a supply of teaching aids, go to seminars and talk to master teachers to improve your teaching techniques, etc.
773623
Go to the "Index" and high-light what you think are the most important articles. Did you take good notes during the lecture periods? If so, then you can pinpoint the things that the Professor (Teacher) may have dwelled upon during the lectures. Its very important that you pay attention during the classroom sessions because the Prof. is laying out the program for you and knows there are 3000 pages to glean and that its impossible to read all of them thoroughly. Therefore, he (she) has given you the necessary guide lines to follow for study.\n\nConsequently, the testing  will be on what was given during the lectures and subsequent information from the material in the book that you have studied as a result of the good notes taken during the lectures.
92202
Do you mean that you need materials to teach students? If so, AGS is a good company. I use many of their books to teach my special ed students daily living skills.
1152902
I would tell it like a story.  What did the teacher do at different times, what did the students do, talk about what the room looked like (were there behavior charts posted, rules, learning centers, etc), how did the teacher handle difficult students, what was their routine, what grade level and type of class was it.  Just make sure that everything is written clearly, use paragraphs and check spelling.  You are reporting on what you saw, so it can't be wrong!  Hope this helps!
216667
Yup.  It's new this year.  There isnt an example test available just yet.  [my wife is a special ed asst in 3rd grade NYstate]
403066
I am a teacher teaching the subject Commecial Studies in Xth Standard ICSE and 11-12th ICS school. \nThere are so many model questions papers books available in the market from different publishers. For Std. 10, we use OSWAL publishers for most of the subjects. \n\nNot only that, we receive the Student Analysis Report from ICSE Board for the paper of the previous year which is very useful in getting to know what Board expect in an answer.\n\nShe can consult teachers from her school or even my school if she has any doubts. \n\nAll the best for the exams.\nBest wishes\nBijal Damani
581491
Most students who experience reading difficulties is due to "instructional miscues". People learn 1 of 3 ways...visually, auditorily, or tactily. In other words, the best way for a visual learner to absorb information would be through books, chalkboard, flashcards, etc. Auditory learners absorb information through hearing...lectures, tapes, etc. Tactile learners learn by doing or copying...demonstrations, modeling, building, manipulating materials work the best.\n\nMany teachers are comfortable using a couple of teaching techniques predominantly. For example, a teacher lecturing would work well for auditory learners but visual or tactile learners might miss it. It is not the student's fault!!!\n\nThe most successful teachers use a wide variety of teaching techniques and always have each student demonstrate what they have learned. That way, they can "catch" a miscue immediately. Unfortunately, they have to teach so much material in so little time.\n\nAdditionally, the most common time for instructional miscues to occur is in 2nd or 3rd grade. That is the time when a transition happens where a student goes from  "sounding out" to using "context clues" to discovering the meaning of the unknown word. Extending phonics instruction can create even more problems.\n\nRemedial readers can ususally work with a tutor (one-on-one) and experience success once their miscue is identified. They can move forward at a rapid rate after that. \n\nSo, be patient with your fellow students. They are probably embarrassed and self-conscious about their reading. But I bet they are very good at other things...mechanical, etc.
908227
Try the International Reading Association (IRA)\n\nThe National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)\n\nJournal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy
40205
There is a wonderful Educational resource website known as Tapped In. (http://www.tappedin.org) It is free for all to use, and you may be able to locate teachers from SC.  They offer quite a number of free workshops aimed at Educators and Librarians.
165915
Try these:\n\nhttp://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonplans/graphicorg/duringreading.htm\n\nhttp://teacher.scholastic.com/lessonplans/graphicorg/afterreading.htm\n\nhttp://www.reading.org/resources/issues/focus_assessment.html
901435
There are lots of graded readers out there.  OUP has a good collection and they offer information on how to use them effectively.  This allows you to teach the classics and other important literary works while still working at their English level.
1099565
Good book.  \n\n"At the same time, she takes white paper and glues it over the inside cover of the children's books, hiding the table that showed that the books used to be used by white students and were now issued to "nigras."\n\n They were so excited because they had an opportunity to read books only allowed for whites.
282634
Record the student as he/she reads over time.  Every time you record the student have them listen and let them list what they noticed first.  The offer some advice.  Maybe you can tape about once a week and then go back and see how he or she is progressing in reading.  \nA lot of times I read very slow to model slow fluency then ask the students what I did when I was reading.  A lot of the times they will catch on that I wasn't reading fast enough.  Before reading let them know that today you are going to look at how they are reading.  Are they reading word for word or are they reading like if they are having a conversation with someone.