In this way, we were constantly taking the model, massaging it, until it became a more powerful teaching tool. The curriculum is based on a 90-minute daily cycle of activities. According to Calder n, comprehension and writing skills are learned through teacher-directed, cooperative, and individual activities. Students are assigned to four-member, heterogeneous learning teams and work collectively to help each other learn academic material. A book club component promotes student-generated activities, and parents are encouraged to read with their children each night.
Students learn English faster and more effectively.
Four schools in El Paso, along with nearby Hueco and Socorro campuses, are incorporating SFA techniques and join the 1,200 schools in the United States that have embraced the comprehensive schoolwide restructuring program. During site visits to the SFA schools, she sees that there are other ways students with limited vocabulary skills can express themselves and develop cognitively. Natera also appreciates the continuous monitoring of the reading process, which allows students to get the intervention they need before problems arise. But when used correctly, the teacher assumes the facilitator role and the percentage of student talk increases. He discovered that by putting parents in teams, they become more effective and dedicated in the home reading and discussion portion of the program.