Japari School is a unique independent educational institution that specialises in remediating and developing fundamental skills necessary for the growth and development of its learners.
Among the various strategies employed at Japari School, the RAVE-O reading program stands out as an innovative and comprehensive approach to building reading fluency.
RAVE-O stands for Retrieval, Automaticity, Vocabulary, Engagement – Orthography and is evidence-based instruction to build fluency and comprehension skills among struggling readers including those with dyslexia.
This blog will explore the RAVE-O curriculum in detail and shed light on how it benefits pupils at Japari School and others struggling with reading challenges.
RAVE-O Curriculum: Building Reading Fluency
RAVE-O, which stands for “Reading, Automaticity, Vocabulary, Engagement with Language and Orthography,” is not just another fluency program. It is the first comprehensive research and evidence-based approach to building reading fluency for struggling 2nd – 5th graders.
The program goes beyond repeated reading to help pupils develop their reading in all aspects of word knowledge, integrating phonics, vocabulary, parts of speech, and morphology.
This unique small-group intervention program is designed to tackle reading challenges head-on, leveraging the latest fluency research.
Through interactive, multisensory activities, it empowers pupils to decode text, read fluently, comprehend deeply, retain information, and enjoy their reading experiences.
Beyond improving reading skills, RAVE-O is a program that sparks renewed self-confidence in learners and fosters a newfound love for language.
The curriculum comprises a series of lessons that target key components of reading skills, including:
Phonics
RAVE-O focuses on the sound structure of words, helping students understand the relationships between letters and their corresponding sounds.
Read more about Phonics in our blog: Exceptional English Home Language Grade 3 Milestones: Reading and Phonics.
Orthographic Knowledge
Pupils learn to recognise common letter patterns and how they contribute to word recognition.
Vocabulary Development
Vocabulary knowledge is crucial for reading comprehension. RAVE-O helps pupils expand their word knowledge.
Grammar and Syntax
The program delves into the understanding of parts of speech, sentence structure, and the roles words play in sentences.
Morphology
Students explore roots and suffixes, enhancing their understanding of word formation.
Passage Reading
Finally, RAVE-O connects all these skills to passage reading, enabling students to read and comprehend text fluently and deeply.
If you’re finding it difficult for your child to read at home. Read our blog on: Struggling to Read: How to Help Kids Develop Stronger Reading Skills.
How Does RAVE-O Work?
RAVE-O is made up of 16 parts, each with 3 to 6 lessons.
In every RAVE-O session, you’ll find fun activities and quick stories that help struggling readers focus and remember things better.
As pupils go through the course, they do multisensory activities and stories to strengthen the attention and memory skills.
Each activity’s main goal is to teach a bunch of important words called Core Words. These words are like building blocks for understanding how English words are put together. Core Words have common letter patterns. This means that they can mean different things, and do different jobs in sentences.
The more pupils know about a word, the easier it is to read, remember, and understand. That’s how RAVE-O helps pupils become better readers!
At Japari School, we integrate RAVE-O in our assessments and during class time. Pupils have to complete activities and assessments to indicate that they are progressing with regards to acquiring accuracy, fluency and comprehension.
The results and assessments are then recorded and discussed with parents with a way forward.
Empowering Students for Deep Reading
RAVE-O’s approach empowers pupils to read text deeply, enabling them to build new knowledge, develop new ideas, and achieve higher levels of reading proficiency.
By integrating various aspects of word knowledge, such as phonics, spelling, vocabulary, grammar, and morphology, RAVE-O enhances pupils’ ability to read fluently and comprehend text deeply.
This is a great foundation module to ensure that pupils develop deep knowledge of comprehension and vocabulary, allowing pupils to succeed in the future.
What Sets RAVE-O Apart?
RAVE-O differentiates itself from other fluency programs, particularly the common approach of repeated reading.
While repeated reading is beneficial for practice, it falls short in explicitly developing understanding across the diverse linguistic processes that contribute to word recognition.
RAVE-O recognises that pupils need to become quick in retrieving not only letter patterns and sounds but also word meanings, roots, affixes, and sentence structures.
By addressing all these aspects simultaneously, RAVE-O cultivates true reading fluency. Once fluency is achieved, pupils can allocate their attention to higher-order reading tasks such as analysis and critical thinking.
What do RAVE-O pupils achieve?
When pupils finish the RAVE-O course, they will receive an overall expanded knowledge in language and thinking about grammatical functions, spelling, morphemes, vocabulary meanings and phonemic awareness.
This will lead to an overall increase in confidence, self-esteem and increased motivation to learn and succeed, leading to a much more fulfilled enjoyment with reading and grammar.
Who Benefits from RAVE-O?
RAVE-O is primarily designed for pupils in grade two and five. They are reading below grade level or struggling with fluency or processing words. These can be pupils who struggle with dyslexia.
RAVE-O also benefits pupils who struggle with understanding phonemes. Those that struggle to spell and have a lack of understanding in grammar and comprehension.
Proven Efficacy
The effectiveness of the RAVE-O program is backed by extensive research and evidence.
Multiple large-scale studies havd been proven. These include those funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development and the Institute for Educational Studies, have demonstrated its positive impact.
In these studies, RAVE-O outperformed other programs in areas such as vocabulary development, oral reading fluency, and comprehension.
Conclusion
At Japari School, the RAVE-O reading program plays a vital role in equipping pupils with the essential reading skills. They can use these skills for academic success and personal growth.
By addressing all facets of word knowledge and increasing fluency. RAVE-O is transforming the reading abilities of pupils, including those with dyslexia.
This evidence-based approach ensures that pupils at Japari School and beyond receive the support they need to become confident and proficient readers, paving the way for a brighter future.
We are excited to tell you more about the different programs we offer at Japari school. Please feel free to contact us for more information.
