Basal Reading Programs

After learning a bit about Basal reading programs, my feelings about them are not all too positive. I believe that the intention of creating an organized program to help children with their reading is a good idea, but the limitations outweigh the positives in my opinion.

My biggest problem with the Basal reading programs is it does not allow for different-level readers in the classroom. It is extremely rare that all of your students will be on the same exact reading level as one another, which is what the Basal reading programs are designed for. I like the idea that is talked about in the Tompkins book about teachers trading with other grade-level teachers to accommodate their different-level readers, but this might not always be possible to do in the school. It is extremely important that teachers are able to accommodate their different-level learners, and the Basal reading programs do not allow this in all circumstances.

Other problems that I have with these scripted reading programs is the over-usage of worksheets and the fact that the students do not have a change to practice their reading orally. Too many worksheets seem to hinder the students' motivation and progress in the classroom. Worksheets may become boring for the students, which is what I see all the time in my field placement. Also, not being able to orally practice their reading will not help the students improve their skills whatsoever.

If I had to use one of these scripted reading programs in my own classroom, I would try my hardest to trade books with teachers of different grade levels to accommodate my students. If this was not possible, I would do all that I could to improve my students' reading skills while using the scripted program.