Evening star., 1951-02-08

ing ways to know the doggone
words" He is working hard at
the clinic.
There is long waiting list for
improvement of reading in schools
here, both white and colored. In
fact, there are more than ITS
applications on file at the central
Reading Clinic for white children.
located in the Buchanan Elemen-
tary School. In addition to this
clinic, Mckinley High School has
a reading Improvement laboratory
where especially gifted pupils have
opportunity to speed up their
reading rate without loss Of COM
prehension. There also are reme-
dial reading classes in various
other schools.
Likewise. the colored schools in
the Nations Capital have valuable
programs Of remedial reading
work and are increasingly stress
ing its Importance In the lives of
the boys and girls.
Special reading classes have
been carried on here for some
years, but a new and greatly in
creased value was given this kind
of service last year when the CEN
trail Reading Clinic was estab-
lished in the Buchanan School,
Thirteenth and e streets Sc. The
Reading Improvement Laboratory
at Mckinley, Second and T streets
NE, was started this school year.
Hundreds Being Helped.
Testing programs throughout
the Nation long have pointed out
the need for special reading i'm
provement services to school chill
dren, but not enough has been
done to follow up the need by
bringing effective and continuing
tre a m e n t. Now undoubtedly
Washington schools can do more
about it than ever before. At least
a few hundred pupils are getting
results right now, and as soon as
one pupil successfully completes
his special reading training, an
other one is ready to move in from
the growing waiting list.
The Reading clinic serves some
$50 pupils from at least 65 ele-
mentary schools. It does both
diagonistic and corrective work,
but to the junior and senior high
schools. it gives diagnostic services
only. Most of the pupils get in
dividual attention.
Its heads down when they
can't read well," is an observa-
ton familiar to many a teacher
whose heart aches for the poor
readers in the class. Such chill
dren are often frustrated and dis
couraged, and their achievements
are lowered in practically every
subject. When they have sue
cessfully completed the special
training for the Improvement of
their reading, Illustration has BEEN
overcome by achievement. Conf
dence in their abilities to read
has been built. That is a founda-
ton for confidence to do other
things well, too.
Pupils needing clinical work are
referred to the reading clinic byI
the principal of the child's regu-
lar school. One parent, or often
both of them. comes with the
child on his first visit to the clinic.
Also teachers and principals come |
on practically every case, or the
clinics director goes to the par
tlcular school so there can be the
finest teamwork In the child's in
terest.
From Fifth Grade.
Most of the pupils are referred
from the fifth grade, as a general
survey of reading is conducted
annually in that grade throughout
the Districts schools. Also, with
very young children, the problem
OF travel to and from the clinic
Is not always an easy one to solve
Each child attends his regular
school for all Of his regular classes.
but he comes to the clinic for his
special reading problem. He goes
to the nearest clinic. There are
two such centers for white pupils
one at the Eaton Elementary
School, Thirty-fourth and Lowell
streets NV, and one at the West
Elementary School, Farragut
street between Thirteenth and
Fourteenth streets NV. Teachers
from the central clinic offices at
Buchanan go to these centers to
carry on classes. Corrective work
goes on every day, but all diagnos-
tic work Is centered on Fridays.
Pupils show great interest in
their special reading activity be-
cause It's different. For example !,
sand boxes evidently don't COM
pletely lose their interest even for
ADULTS, If you note the writing
drawings and other things one sees
on the sands Of the seashore. In the
reading clinic there's a little sand
box, where a problem word, is
written out again and again.
Then the pupil writes it with
chalk on the board. Nouns, of
course. can be shown by pictures.
Verbs can be acted out. But not
such words as "has" or "of" or
"for" or with" Yet these verv
words are high-frequency words.
They're everywhere on the printed
page. Do them in sand over
and over again. and although
they get washed away" they
IA