READ II Grade 1-4 Teacher Training Packet

The project focuses on six target regions: Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, SNNPR, and Tigray. READ II is implemented by Creative Associates International and its partners, including Education Development Center (EDC), World Vision International (WVI), and Institute for Education Health and Development (InEHD). The project's overall objective is to contribute to the development of Ethiopia's economic, social, and political development by improving the reading proficiency and educational attainment of children. To achieve this goal, READ II provides teacher training programs, including the READ II Grades 1-4 Mother Tongue Teacher Training. The READ II Grades 1-4 Mother Tongue Teacher Training is a five-day training program designed to meet specific objectives. Participants will understand the concepts of instruction for phonemic awareness, graphophonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and writing. They will also learn how to use new strategies in each area of reading and writing instruction, understand the concepts of integrated continuous classroom assessment, and be able to gather formative evidence of student learning and respond through re-teaching, adapted instruction, and/or remediation. The training agenda includes modules on phonemic awareness, graphophonemic awareness, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and writing. Participants will also learn about continuous classroom assessment and how to use new instructional strategies in their classrooms. The training is designed to be effective with minimal supporting resources and to use any available student resources that are in the classroom. The READ II Reading & Writing approach is designed to be effective with minimal supporting resources. Phonemic awareness instruction is about oral language development and exploration of phonemes, and teachers should draw on stories and images they have in their existing classroom materials and environment to introduce sounds and words in a speaking and listening environment. Graphophonemic awareness is about developing an understanding of the relationship between letter forms and their sounds, and teachers need only basic materials to teach these strategies. Vocabulary development is about learning new words in the context of reading and writing, and it has common strategies regardless of language or program. Teachers should take new vocabulary from the daily lives of students, daily work in the classroom, existing text in the student books, and content curriculum. Comprehension instruction is the process by which teachers help students understand what they read, and comprehension skills are the same, no matter the language or text being used. Fluency instruction is about practicing how to read aloud, correctly, at an appropriate rate, and with expression that shows understanding. Because it is a process and a practice, fluency instruction can take place using any text that is available in the classroom, including textbooks and supplemental reading resources. Writing is the complementary partner of reading, supporting students to not only understand what they read, but be able to express themselves through writing. In the context of Ethiopia, many children now attend kindergarten, but some do not. This means that, when children enter grade 1, some of them have schooling experience and some do not. Therefore, it is essential to make room for readiness activities (for students who have not been in school), and revisiting readiness activities (for students who have been in school). A six-week readiness unit has been implemented, where students learn (or revisit) several sets of skills that help prepare them for formal reading and writing instruction. These skills include technical skills, such as handling a pencil, drawing lines and shapes, and exposure to books before reading to understand basic aspects of directionality and physical use. Conceptual skills, such as oral storytelling, read-aloud by the teacher (listening comprehension) with follow-up discussion, and minimal letter sound association work (when appropriate), are also essential. Behavioral skills, such as understanding classroom management procedures, working with others, and following directions, are also crucial for students to behave like learners in the classroom.