What Makes A Good Reading Program

Welcome to Reading Program Junkie, the place where I can discuss the minutiae of reading instruction to my hearts content, and still keep my marriage.  My journey to RP Junkie started simply enough:  I tried to teach my oldest daughter to read.  I had assumed she would learn to read on her own or with minimal help just as her parents had (because, of course, reading is a genetic trait).  

I started with an inexpensive, off the shelf, all-in-one-book program.  Everything went beautifully until a few word families were introduced.  She was a bit confused by this but trusted her mother to know what was best.  Then the temple to Easy Reading Instruction came crashing down around me when the "silent-e" (aka "magic-e") rule was introduced.  I read the word 'live' as /l-i-v/ and then I started thinking-and saying-all the words that didn't follow the "silent-e" rule.  My daughter then refused to continue with a rule as erratic as this one.  I started on  a search to find a program that didn't teach word families and didn't teach the silent-e rule and would teach my daughter to read.  Twelve programs later, I found Diane McGuinness' Why Our Children Can't Read and What We Can Do About It.  The pedagogy fit exactly what I needed, but after trying two more programs, I knew I just had to make it up myself.  

Perhaps my habit started to justify my large outlay of cash.  Perhaps I just can't believe that there isn't a program written that would do all the things I wanted in the way I wanted. Whatever the reason, and though my daughter now reads well, I still LOVE to analyze reading programs.  Necessity has become obsession.

A good reading program is one that effectively teaches someone to read anything they want or need.  Four main areas interest me in the structure of reading programs:  

1.  Content of Instruction - All the skills and knowledge necessary to read words in context.  I do not include here all the knowledge necessary to understand words in context.  That is an issue of vocabulary and background knowledge, not reading.  

    

2.  Presentation of Instruction - The layout of the content and the activities used to teach the content.  This encompasses add on components as well as page design.  

3.  Sequence of Instruction - The logic used to progress through the content.  

4.  Instructor interface  - The ability of the instructor to use the program effectively, flexibly, and happily.