Building Reading Proficiency at the Secondary Level: A Guide to Resources

What is it? How does it work?

Background:
Students dictate stories, responses, or experiences to a teacher or peer, who writes or word processes the account using the student's words verbatim. Students then practice reading aloud the transcription, possibly to a partner.

Overview:
Dictated stories, also called the Language Experience Approach, has been effective in developing the skills of new readers ranging from young children to adults. Students dictate stories, responses, or experiences to a teacher or peer, who writes or word-processes the account using the student's words verbatim. Students then practice reading aloud the transcription, possibly to a partner. In reading their own words, students maintain a personal connection to reading while building sight word knowledge and fluency. The dictated stories can be collected into a personal anthology, to be shared with other students or family.

Perez (2000) presented an adaptation of the approach for supporting reading of second language learners in the content area classroom. The three steps are as follows:
Step 1 - Discussion activities. The teacher initiates a discussion around the major ideas of a text (usually expository) to be read. The teacher guides the class and the struggling readers in particular to share their experiences and knowledge. The teacher (or a peer) reads a text segment aloud, then stops to ask questions for further discussion.
Step 2 - Recording. Student discussion is recorded by the teacher or by a designated student. With a tape recorder, it is possible for discussion of the whole class to be documented without disruption. Later, the class discussion, including the words of struggling readers, can be transcribed.
Step 3 - Follow-up activities. Students review or reflect on the text that was read. Second language learners may draw a sketch of their understanding, which they explain to a group. They may practice reading aloud portions of the transcription of the discussion.

Other variations of the strategy are possible. It is one of the few that helps students make the connection between spoken print and decoding the written word.