Chall's Stages of Reading Development

[lgidharry]

It is critical that the content area teacher is mindful of which stage his or her students are operating at for a varying number of reasons. First of all, by knowing which stage the students are operating at the teacher is able to make mindful choices as to the type of text which is most appropriate for students at their specific level. That is, whether expository or narrative texts should be used. The teacher also needs to aid the students from transitioning from one stage to the other and ensure that he or she caters to the students varying literacy demands. Furthermore by knowing which of Chall’s stages the students are at, the teacher is able to choose appropriate activites and resources for students.

[cfrancis]

It is all about planning. A teacher who does not plan to address the various reading levels of his/ her students is planning to fail themselves and even the students. It is a stress in itself planning age appropriate material. When the desired results are not attained the teacher feels robbed. To save themselves a double embarrassment, teachers should also assess the student's level of reading development to aid the planning process.

[iernest]

Content area teachers should be aware of the different stages of
Chall's Stages of Reading Development in order for her to establish the level of reading of each student in her classroom. This knowledge will guide her when choosing reading materials for her class and also planning lessons which will be better understood by all students.

[qvidal]

Content area literacy teachers' understanding of Chall's stages of reading development is highly important. It allows teachers to determine the reading level or stage their students should be and develop appropriate strategies to accommodate the students' development at the level. The teachers can make more conscious decisions as to what text they choose and what appropriate techniques are needed for better understanding of text.

[mbutcher]

Content area literacy teachers need to have thorough understanding of the Chall's stages of reading development because it helps teachers to provide students with differentiated instruction. Teachers who are aware of their students reading abilities are better able to provide students with reading materials at varying levels of difficulties. This in turn will cater to the learning needs of students, increase their motivation and increase their chances of understanding the concept you want them to learn.

[kstange]

Chall's stages of reading development have thoroughly identified the level of reading that is expected from students of various age groups. A knowledge of these reading levels will assist teachers in selecting material that is appropriate to each student's level. If the content area literacy teacher is not aware of these stages, he/she may make the mistake of giving students reading material that is above or below their level. This can work against students as they need to be appropriately challenged at their level so progress can take place.

According to Chall's Stages, students at the secondary level are between stages 3 and 4 with stage 3 being the one at which they begin to read to learn as opposed to learn to read only. Teachers in every subject area should therefore expose students to multiple forms of text where they can acquire information about the specific area of study. This will help bring them to the level they need to be at, so learning will increase.

[cglasgow]

An awareness of Jeanne Chall's (1983) Stages of Reading Development serves as an essential means of selecting texts for instruction on the part of the educator, as well as the general instructional objectives for reading at each grade level.

Chall's proposition also serves as a guide for teachers in evaluating student's reading competency level and whether the prerequisite stages have been met to allow progress to the next stage.

The stages also distinguish the purposes of reading, whether it is "learning to read" or "reading to learn."

[cglasgow]

After browsing through this discussion I must comment on jchiquotlouisy's response which captured all what we said (or thought of) in simple points. Additionally, the point made by cfrancis and vfrank, which emphasize planning is the main reason for having a clear understanding of the stages.

Being knowledgeable of the stages serves as a means of planning instruction to meet the reading needs of students presently and in the future and that point was well brought across by my peers.

[gonz12]

Chall's stages of reading development has given me a perspective on reading and books that I had never realized before. Teachers need to understand how students think and what they will naturally be attracted to as readers. Children that are learning to read will most likely gravitate to books with pictures and large prints and rhymes. Therefore, in the selection of reading material for the students, they should know their students ability and level of maturity well enough to know what textbook will be most appropriate and beneficial to them. It is important for textbooks to be selected properly in order to help improve the reading capacity of students and to birth a continuous passion for reading.

On another perspective, authors and writers should fashion the textbooks with the students, teachers, parents and curriculum in mind. Most authors' main objective is to sell the book and most times it is not the most appropriate book for the students and that creates a problem.

[Admin]

Mathurin, what are some of these other factors that you alluded to? What then can the teacher do with knowledge of these other factors and the literacy demands of the students?

[kmesmin]

An understanding of Challs stages of reading developing would assist content area teachers tremendously, this would assist teachers in selecting materials and resources for the students at hand, in the manner in which teachers present content to students, streaming students and also planning activities for the students.

[ljnpaul]

Chall's stages of Reading Development is beneficial as it gives teachers the opportunity to gain a grater understanding and appreciation for the stages which their students are in. this therefore arms teachers with the necessary to choose appropriate text and materials for students in the language classroom, diagnose any problems which students may possess and help students reach the desired literacy level appropriate to their age range.

[tessaimable]

Chall's stages of reading development is critical to understanding the stages at which students go through in content area literacy as well as developmental literacy. As a teacher we need to acknowledge that all students are not at the stage or level that they should be and we need to accommodate such students.

[canthony]

Chall's stages of content area literacy enables teachers to note where students are at in the reading stage and it also allows teachers to take note of the needs of the child at that level. The teacher will engage students in activities and reading materials at their level. In a classroom there are students with different needs and reading abilities, Chall's stages of reading development will assist the teacher in identifying the needs of each child and assist them according to their needs

[juecher]

It is important for teachers to know the stage of reading that their students are at because it helps them to plan instructional activities that can be modified to cater to the needs of students who can read at their cognitive stage of development and those who cannot. Also, it helps teachers to select texts that are appropriate to students' stage of reading development to facilitate better levels of understanding of key concepts and ideas.