Reading Support
Oakland's highly acclaimed early literacy learning strategies support non-readers or students reading significantly behind grade level. The curriculum focuses on decoding and word recognition so children learn basic skills and gain confidence in reading. This system, developed in the early days of the school, still relies heavily upon proven multisensory approaches. Over the past nearly 75 years since the first Oakland School summer camp began in 1950, Oakland's teaching methods, informed by data driven cognitive neuroscience, continually evolves.
Offered only during summer camp, this intensive support includes three 55-minute periods of reading daily.
The main objectives are to systematically:
Improve the child’s reading level by up to one year, as measured by achievement level and;
Raise the student’s self-esteem and openness to learning by providing a successful experience and measurable growth.
reading fundamentals
Despite having reading difficulties, most students have average to above average intelligence and come to Oakland with solid comprehension skills. However, these children still need to learn the process of reading to develop comfort and fluency. Oakland’s reading support focuses on making gains in decoding and word recognition, teaching students how to read the words and sentences before working on advanced comprehension skills.
Daily Program
Each school day includes a group phonics period where students learn phonics rules, decoding skills, and the structural analysis of words in a telescoped version of a full year’s course. We focus on the vowel sounds in each word, making word division and blending more fluid for the child. Then, using multisensory modalities, students practice hearing and repeating words as well as writing words at chalkboards designed especially for the program.
For the second and third daily reading periods, students receive one or more one-to-one sessions that include a review of phonics lessons, a preview of a reading passage, then practice reading aloud with the teacher. The students also work independently using materials chosen specifically for each child to build, strengthen, and reinforce skills.
The Results
Our reading support strategies produce dramatic results, often increasing reading levels up to a full year in just a matter of weeks. More important than test scores, though, is that students realize they can learn, gaining confidence and motivation to work towards the next academic milestone.