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Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Fourth-grade slump
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
DeKalb County school leaders are discussing putting fourth- and fifth-graders from three different elementary schools together in just one school. School officials say the change will relieve overcrowding.
But the design may have some academic benefits. It might fix the “fourth-grade slump.”
Researchers and teachers use the phrase to describe the struggles many older elementary students have with reading. Starting in fourth-grade, kids go from learning to read to reading to learn. Textbooks become more difficult. Students must be able to explain what they read and make inferences about what the author is trying to say.
Many children struggle with this. Check out the reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress for proof.
Some say this happens because teachers spend so much time teaching children how to read; they spend little time emphasizing reading comprehension skills.
Others say elementary schools focus too much on the needs of younger children at the expense of older students. They might argue that could be avoided in a school with just fourth- and fifth-graders.
And then there are people who blame outside distractions - like videogames, sports and other activities - that lessen the amount of time students have to read outside of school.
Have you come across the fourth-grade slump with your children or students? What do you think can be done to reverse it?
