What Is the Fourth Grade Reading Slump?

 

It is no coincidence that at the age of 10 or so, many students seem to experience new challenges with reading.  Even kids who previously held high marks in reading may see a decline in grades and begin to feel more challenged by their lessons. This phenomenon, known as the “fourth grade reading slump” is a common occurrence with students at this grade level.

 

The fourth grade reading slump can be addressed using online reading programs for schools, but before tackling the issues, it is important to understand the cause of the problem. In the typical elementary school curriculum, students at the fourth grade are transitioning from “learning to read”, to “reading to learn”.  In other words, up until now the majority of literacy instruction was focused on helping students to develop their decoding and word recognition abilities (ie: letters represent sounds, different letter combinations make different sounds, different sound combinations create words).  But after the third grade, the focus moves to comprehension of texts and critical thinking about those texts. In other subjects, a greater weight is placed on using print text as learning materials. Therefore, it is understood that the benefits of using elementary reading programs online can extend to other subjects as well.

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Instill a Love of Reading in Students

There are many reasons to instill a lifelong love of reading in our kids. It builds their vocabulary of course and helps with areas such as language fluency. Students who love to read are likely to have a more expansive background knowledge on the subject at hand. But academics aside, a love of reading can open the doorway to unbridled imagination and virtually limitless potential. 

Teachers and parents can act as positive role models to reinforce a student’s enjoyment of reading during class, and outside school hours. Additionally, introducing compelling and interactive reading programs for schools can go a long way in promoting and encouraging independent reading in elementary students.  Here are some ways that elementary reading programs can be integrated into a routine that encourages a child’s love of reading: 

 

Make Reading Materials Interesting and Readily Available

Elementary classrooms are stocked with wonderful books, word walls, printed lessons, and interesting, interactive workbooks. Today, teachers are adding elementary reading programs online to their list of valuable literary resources. Using this type of comprehensive electronic reading material, students from pre-kindergarten to middle school will discover exciting lessons in phonics, spelling, reading, writing and so much more. The benefits of digital reading lessons are far-reaching: Students who utilize well-designed reading software are likely to spend more time reading independently and show higher levels of reading achievement. 

Essential Skills reading programs for schools are designed by teachers to support and foster the development of reading skills. They incorporate systematic and comprehensive activities that provide learners with the opportunity for extensive independent learning. Essential Skills activities are aligned with current research and utilize engaging rewards and interactive activities to encourage and motivate students.

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Essential Components Of Elementary Reading Programs

Teaching a child to read involves much more than simply recognizing words on a page. Proper literacy instruction is comprised of five essential and individual learning components which collectively contribute to the ability to read: phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. When choosing elementary reading programs online, take time to carefully research the content to ensure that each of these five integral elements are addressed:

Phonemic Awareness

Phonemes are the sounds that are combined to make up words. The study of phonemes is often a child’s first step in the process of learning to read. The ability to identify and manipulate these sounds is known as phonemic awareness. Online reading programs for elementary schools can be an excellent resource for teaching and reinforcing phoneme sounds and building phonemic awareness. 

Phonics

Where phonemic awareness is focused solely on the sounds making up a word, phonics involves the combination of those sounds with letters. Phonics is the connection between sounds and letters, and it is the study of how sound and letter combinations create words. At this stage in the learning process, a student is able to identify sounds and recognize letters of the alphabet. This is when students begin to “see” sound combinations and then “sound out” words. The best elementary reading programs for schools use a variety of phonics exercises that incorporate both aural and visual elements. This makes online phonics programs highly effective with young learners.

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Helping Students with Autism Learn Through Technology

Students on the autism spectrum face unique learning challenges and possess extraordinary skills. Each child with Autism is different from the next, and there is no single reading program that will be the right fit for every student. Using technology for online and in-class lessons can be a great option for instructors, but only if they are able to identify and access the best quality reading instruction software. The most effective type of online reading program, Autism educators agree, is made up of carefully researched lesson plans and activities that are flexible enough to meet the individual needs of the greatest number of students.

Individualized Learning

The opportunity for targeted instruction and individualized curricula is so important in choosing the Special Ed reading programs that are best suited for teaching students with Autism. Choose software that incorporates an integrated assessment feature. This tool helps teachers develop programs that are tailored to meet each student’s specific needs and target any learning gaps.

Minimal Distraction

Instructional materials for Autism should be developed with very little animation or unnecessary distractions. The repetitive animations that are prevalent on many tech-based reading programs tend to consume instructional time and can easily over-stimulate a student with Autism. Educational software should provide engaging, focused instruction with minimal distraction.

Adaptable to Varied Abilities

Reading software that uses a blend of activities will benefit a greater number of students. The combination of auditory, visual, and tactile activities should be appealing to students of varying learning styles and levels of ability, without overwhelming them. Further, tech-based Special Ed reading programs should present skill activities in a graduated and sequential pattern that allows students to build on what was learned previously. This pattern of learning helps to guarantee success for students of all abilities.

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Educational Software in the 21st Century Classroom

Learning in an “age of technology” presents students and teachers with educational advantages that previous generations could only imagine. By using technology as a learning tool, students have access to a virtually unlimited universe of people, places, music, art, science and more, all at their fingertips. 

There are a number of ways that implementing educational software for schools can enhance the learning experience. By nature, children are eager to learn and many if not most kids are already adept at using electronic devices by the time they reach school age. With this level of comfort and familiarity already in place, offering students access to electronics and educational software solutions for schools in the classroom can create a familiar and comfortable learning environment for students.

Classroom Tech for K-8 Students

• The use of laptops and handheld devices as regular classroom tools can help students become interested and remain engaged in learning activities. Children as young as toddlers use smartphones and tablets to play games and watch videos, so they will find some familiarity and a level of comfort in using these products in the classroom setting as well.


• Students of all abilities can use educational software for schools with great success. The lesson plans available on leading education software are designed to allow students to learn at their individual pace and achieve their full potential while helping teachers identify areas that require additional support.   

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How Can Teachers Make Learning More Interesting and Goal-oriented?

When it comes to making learning goal-oriented and interesting, there are many options available. Using a computer with good software offers many benefits, including helping children engage more with the learning material. The right educational software solutions for schools can make a huge difference for some children.

Why Choose Educational Software for Elementary Students?

There are many reasons that educational software solutions for schools can benefit students. For example, this type of software can help students to become more independent learners. Educational software allows students to work and learn independently at their own level and pace. This means that every student can feel successful, regardless of learning style or ability level.

Another benefit of educational software for elementary students is that, it is ideal for teaching and practicing basic, rote early reading and math skills. This can save a lot of time for teachers to focus on other tasks such as lesson planning and grading. Using educational software also allows educators to individualize instruction in a way that is not otherwise possible given limited time and resources. It can also be a more engaging way for students to learn. This is especially true for reluctant learners, or students with special needs.

One way that schools can use educational software for elementary students is by setting aside 20-30 minutes a day, 2-3 times per week. Teachers can have their students focus on only a few skills at a time so that students can go more in-depth into this topic. Allowing children to have time to explore the software on their own is a good way to maximize the learning potential of the program for the students. Software and technology are an excellent way to maximize instructional time for your students.

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