“For English students, reading is a steep mountain that must be climbed to achieve literacy. It is the same mountain for each English student, but students vary greatly in the equipment they have for making the climb (the strength of the necessary phonological processes and in their behavioral ‘style’ of handling the conflict inherent in learning to read English). For most, the summit is grade-level reading with fluency and comprehension. For all, it is useful reading skill. For many, the climb is difficult.
“Explicit instruction carves a winding staircase around the mountain. Some students will take three or four steps at a time and learn to read in any reading curriculum (including whole language). Others will have to stop and catch their breath after a single step. If the steps are small enough for each student to handle, it should also be possible to support a parent or aide in staying one step ahead of the student. Progress should be steady. With each step, the view of the valley below improves and increases the motivation to reach the summit.”
—Dr. Eldo Bergman, Program Creator & Director