I read with great interest Shirley Barnes’ article “Making the grade/When it comes to reading, these children learn to perform” (WomaNews, May 31.
As a learning disabilities specialist in private practice, with particular interest in early intervention and the prevention of learning difficulties, I applaud the Whirlwind artists for their efforts.
It is not surprising that their Reading Comprehension Through Drama program, based on Nanci Bell’s research, is effective as a multisensory, kinesthetic means to improve 4th graders’ ability to visualize and understand a story in print. Research on Basic Reading Through Dance, the program that teaches 1st graders phonics by forming letters and words with their bodies, should also prove its value.
Over the years, kindergarten and 1st grade teachers, especially those who are teaching language-disordered, learning-disabled or at-risk young children, have taught sound-symbol correspondence by this means, as well as others, and have found it beneficial. Whirlwinds’ research should substantiate its value and reinforce the use of this technique by teachers of exceptional young children.
One would hope that the research will encourage more adults–teachers and parents–to utilize children’s kinesthetic abilities to build phonetic and reading comprehension skills and to minimize reading disabilities.
Please follow up this article with another documenting the findings of Whirlwind’s research.
