Reading Instruction in the Primary Grades
Instructional Materials
The Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) provides a variety of electronic and print resources to support literacy instruction in both Arabic and English. A curriculum map outlining how the resources could be incorporated into the thematic planning approach to learning outcomes also is provided. Learning experiences are designed to ensure that students spend the majority of their time learning by:10
- Engaging in hands-on experience and opportunities with a variety of age appropriate literacy resources
- Engaging in active learning experiences
- Being immersed in a print rich environment
- Participating in a wide range of literacy activities (e.g., reading aloud; independent, guided, and shared reading and writing)
- Taking part in conversations and classroom discussions
- Participating in contextualized experiences
Use of Technology
ADEC provides schools with subscriptions to several websites that support the teaching and development of English literacy skills, including:
- provides teachers with leveled readers, guided reading assessments, phonics support, and lesson plans.
- Raz-Kids provides students with access to leveled readers, reading quizzes, and online guided reading assessments. Teachers are able to use the online guided reading assessments to assign each student to a reading level that ensures students are reading suitable texts.
- BrainPOP Jr. is an online program that provides educational movies on a variety of topics. Each movie is accompanied by leveled quizzes, games, and activities that allow students to develop comprehension skills. All content is read aloud with mouse rollover, and movies are subtitled to reinforce the development of literacy skills.