Students in a class come from diverse backgrounds and may have different levels of literacy. While some children naturally understand the teacher's content, others require special attention regarding their reading skills. The first years of kindergarten, children are usually learning to read. Therefore, they need formal reading assessment lessons. However, as they progress, they need to read to learn. If a child shows that they are lagging behind, informal reading assessment sessions will be essential to help them move forward ( Klingner, Vaughn, & Boardman, 2015). Just listen to a child read out text, the teacher will have the ability to know whether they comprehend the text or not. Furthermore, they help the teacher know if the entire class is at per with the material being taught. For instance, if only one child understands, then the text may be too complex. However, if five out of twenty children do not understand, then there is a need for intervention for the five only.
There are two approaches to the informal reading process. The first is to have a paper and tick out every word the child gets correct ( Rowntree, 2015). In doing so, the teacher will know what areas to place emphasis. The second approach is to use a four-digit scale, where one stands for very slow reading and four is for fluent. The results give the same findings as the first approach. The benefits of an informal reading session include monitoring the reading skills of the children. The teacher will be able to know whether to cover more content or hold back for the sake of the slow learners. Secondly, the teacher can tailor make instructions for each student, depending on their literacy skills. Informal reading assessments enable the entire class to move forward at the same pace.
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References
Klingner, J. K., Vaughn, S., & Boardman, A. (2015). Teaching reading comprehension to students with learning difficulties, 2/E . Guilford Publications.
Rowntree, D. (2015). Assessing students: How shall we know them? Routledge.
