CAR 10

Improving Reading in the Primary Grades
BY Nell K. Duke and Meghan K. Block

This journal by Nell Duke and Meghan Block first examines whether specific key recommendations from the report have been implemented in U.S. classrooms. They find that recommendations regarding increased access to kindergarten and greater attention to and improvement of students’ word-reading skills have been widely adopted. Others have not. Vocabulary and comprehension, long neglected in the primary grades, still appear to be neglected. Contrary to the report’s recommendations, attention to building conceptual and content knowledge in science and social studies has actually decreased in the past fifteen years. In other words, the easier-to-master skills are being attended to, but the broader domains of accomplishment that constitute preparation for comprehension and learning in the later grade vocabulary knowledge, comprehension strategy use, and conceptual and content knowledge are being neglected. Overall this journal really interesting to me because it has many experts that I like and relatable with the situation in Indonesia.