Students are selected by teacher rating, and by screening with the Observational Survey. Reading Recovery teachers work with four children per day, during thirty minute individual lessons. The majority of students are released from the program as successful readers after approximately 12 - 20 weeks. When this happens another qualified child is selected and begins to receive individual tutoring. The Reading Recovery Lesson Students read real books to build strategies and fluency.
Students write their own stories or messages each day.
The teacher observes the child precisely and records systematically what the child knows to support what has to be learned. The teacher provides opportunities for the child to make his own links between the reading and writing process. The teacher strives to make the child independent by never doing for the child what she can teach him to do for himself. During the school year, teachers meet three hours per week after school to learn the components of the lesson and the basic procedures. Service to children begins immediately.