Fluency and Literacy in a Middle-School Math Classroom Eyes roll at the sight of dreaded word problems. "I hate word problems," says the student. A familiar scenario for a middle school math teacher. Initially, such a math teacher might assume that the complaining student has difficulty translating words into mathematical concepts -- in other words, that the student does not understand the concept behind the math, but merely how to manipulate

This needs to be role modeled by the peers and adults with whom the young child comes in contact. When children observe this strong positive interest in learning, be it through reading books, playing word games, telling stories or many other activities, they will surely follow suit. First, they have an innate desire to learn. Second, they want their actions to receive a positive reaction. Third, more than anything,

Reading is fundament skill necessary for our children to compete in a more globalized world. Evidence has shown strong correlations between education and income. These correlations have endured multiple generations and reflect the need for continual improvement on the part of students. The ability to read and comprehend passages therefore is the first of many building blocks needed to be help students within a more competitive and highly dynamic environment.

This particular program is designed for grades K-8 and is both a reading and a language arts program. This reading program has as a foundation "literacy instruction that stimulates, teaches, and extends the communication and thinking skills that will allow students to become effective readers, writers, communicators, and lifelong learners." The program also uses themes to instruct students. In addition to programs that addressed the needs of beginning students, there

Philadelphia The five components of a reading program -- phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary development, and comprehension -- build on one another to help students become readers. At a hypothetical all-African-American elementary school in Philadelphia's inner city, there would be similarities and differences in the way the five components would be taught in first grade, third grade, and fifth grade classrooms. Phonemic awareness is the first stage in a comprehensive reading

There is also the question of what approach should be used in a given setting. For instance, Lewis-Moreno points out that, "A great deal of energy is expended selecting and defending the model used: Should it be late- or early-exit bilingual, dual language, or English immersion?" (2007, p. 773). Although complex problems require complex solutions, a common theme that runs through the relevant literature concerns the need to use