Reading Instruction in the Primary Grades

Instructional Materials

Instructional materials in Israel are produced and published by not for profit organizations, universities, and commercial agencies and publishers. With the exception of those used in ultra‑Orthodox schools, all instructional materials for the Hebrew and Arabic curricula must be approved by the Ministry of Education according to curriculum‑based criteria published and updated by the Ministry of Education.⁵ The approval process involves a review by anonymous experts of prepublished versions of instructional materials to evaluate the compatibility of the content with the applicable discipline, the pedagogy and didacticism, the syllabus, and the curriculum policy. A variety of materials are approved, and teachers can choose the textbooks they use in their classes. To help teachers and principals make suitable choices in accordance with specific student populations and teaching styles, the Ministry of Education conducts workshops for in-service teachers throughout the country at professional development centers. Beginning in 2012, the reading instruction materials for the primary grades have been gradually replaced by new materials, including texts from a variety of genres and supplementary tasks and activities.

In addition to textbooks, the Ministry of Education has developed instructional units that have been sent to elementary schools throughout the country and published on the Internet. Organized around theme contexts, these units include texts from a variety of genres and different worlds of discourse, and are accompanied by activities that promote acquisition of language skills, vocabulary, and knowledge of literature. Each unit is accompanied by a teacher’s guide.

Instructional digital reading units have recently been developed with the aim of promoting reading strategies in digital reading environments, as well as providing teachers with suggested reading activities that align with the prospective curriculum and promote the development of effective teaching strategies for digital reading. Teachers are encouraged to develop their own learning materials for digital environments for publication on an online educational portal.

Use of Technology

Although many schools have computer labs and computer stations in the classroom, the systematic use of computers in classrooms still is not common, and typical lessons in elementary schools are not supported by computers. Typically, teachers use computers with projectors and SMART Boards (interactive whiteboards) as an assistive tool for delivering visual and textual information to students. Nevertheless, most students are computer literate due to the wide use of personal computers at home. Students are expected to use their personal computers to communicate with their teachers and peers and to print assignments. Using computers as part of routine instruction has become a priority as a result of instructional reforms, and many print books for Hebrew speakers are being digitized.

As part of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) professional development, teachers participate in a variety of courses to acquire computer technology skills. Teacher education workshops focused on enhancing teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge aim to help teachers create computer‑based learning environments, implement instructional materials effectively, and generate a learning continuum for students between school and home. In 2011, a national program called Adapting the Educational System to the 21^st Century was initiated to help create learning environments in which technology serves to instill innovative pedagogy, and to promote teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge.⁶

Role of Reading Specialists

Reading specialists affiliated with various Israeli universities are active on curriculum committees that develop and define educational standards and benchmarks. These specialists also act as consultants for the development of new policies and programs on areas such as learning progression, student assessment, instructional materials development, and qualification of teachers.

The Ministry of Education employs experienced teachers to serve as Hebrew and Arabic reading instructors who provide professional development support to primary school teachers throughout the country. Most schools participate in the program, which provides them with at least seven hours of guidance each month. Among other roles, the reading instructors help teachers stay up to date with the latest innovations in reading and writing instruction.

Second Language Instruction

Hebrew as a second language plays an important role in the Israeli education system, usually being taught in Arabic speaking schools starting in Grade 3 or 4. The curriculum for Hebrew as a second language for Arabic speaking students was published in 2006. With a similar approach to literacy as that of the linguistic education curriculum for Hebrew speaking students, the underlying goal of this curriculum is to facilitate oral and written communication in a foreign language. English is taught as a foreign language in all schools starting in Grade 3 or 4, and Arabic is taught as a foreign language in lower secondary Jewish sector schools. In most cases, foreign language instruction uses a combination of the students’ primary language and the language being learned.

New immigrant students receive instruction in Hebrew as a second language for approximately four years. Depending on their individual needs, students may receive further assistance using the linguistic education curriculum for Hebrew speakers. A new curriculum for Hebrew as a second language for immigrants in Grades 1 to 12 was published in 2009, emphasizing the goal of integrating these students into regular classrooms. Taking a similar approach to literacy as that of the regular curriculum for Hebrew speaking students, the new curriculum calls for carefully planned interactions between students’ first and second languages.

Arabic is taught as a foreign language in Hebrew speaking schools beginning in the seventh grade. The curriculum for Arabic as a foreign language for Hebrew speakers was introduced in 1995 and ratified in 2009.⁷ Its main objectives are to:

Promote students’ interest in the Arabic language
Nurture students’ communication skills, including comprehension (i.e., listening and reading) and production (i.e., speaking and writing)
Allow students to become familiar with the Arab world
Develop students’ sensitivity to people from different cultural backgrounds

The curriculum includes acquisition of words, vowels, signs, numbers, vocabulary, use of a dictionary, grammar, interpersonal discourse, and knowledge of religion and culture.

Accommodation Policies for Instruction and Testing

Students with diagnosed learning disabilities or reading difficulties have the right to special accommodations in the learning process. The goal of this policy is to retain these students in regular classes, internal school assessments, and national matriculation examinations in particular. Testing accommodations may include oral examination and/or a time extension. All students with learning disabilities or reading difficulties in Grades 5 and 8 are allowed a time extension of 15 minutes in each of the core subject areas of the national standardized achievement test (Meitzav): mathematics, native language (Hebrew or Arabic), English, and science and technology. Students with diagnosed learning disabilities may be tested in a special classroom with a limited number of other students in which the tests are read aloud by a teacher as needed.