First-grade teachers' perception and implementation of a semi-scripted reading curriculum

Mary Taylor Ainsworth, Evan Ortlieb, Earl H Cheek, Jr., Roberta Simnacher Pate, Carol Fetters

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12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A teacherrole was dramatically changed from that of an educator to that of a facilitatorwith the adoption of semi-scripted curriculmns. lbis case study explores teachers per-ception and implementation of a stateEnglish Language Arts curriculum in first-grade classrooms. Four :first-grade teachers from a large urban school district were observed during the 90-minute literacy instroction block for four weeks each using SpradleyDe- velopmental Research Sequence.In addition, data were collected from multiple teacher interviews. Qualitative analyses yielded the following themes: (a) teachers were mini- mally supported in professional development for using the curriculum; (b) they often ventored beyond the scope of the curriculum in resource usage; and (c) their planning was eased with the adoption of a semi-scripted curriculum. Furthermore, this sampling of first-grade teachers implemented English Language Arts curriculum through imegrat- ing both phonics and reading instroction. Findings are relevant to classroom teachers, curriculum coaches and administrators alike.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)77 - 90
Number of pages14
JournalLanguage and Education
Volume26
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes

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