BookWorms

1 Where it came from

Peabody is not connected to Open Up Resources, and nothing here is written or checked by the publisher. The program's pages name Open Up Resources as its maker and list the program as Bookworms K-5 Reading and Writing. The pages read give no date for when it was first released, so this page does not either.

2 The big ideas

• Whole-class reading of grade-level text. Shared Reading is described as teacher-supported grade-level text, with choral reading, paired reading, vocabulary, word study and written response.
• Small groups for what each child needs. Differentiated Instruction is small-group work, with scripts and progress-monitoring assessments.
• Read-alouds and writing share the program. The page describes roughly equal parts of Interactive Read Aloud and Genre-Based Writing.
• Foundational skills have their own block. The page calls it a multiple-entry foundational skills block informed by the Science of Reading.

3 What a lesson looks like

The program's page does not walk through a single lesson minute by minute, so this page does not invent one. What it does describe is the shape of the work: in Shared Reading, a class reads grade-level text with the teacher's support, reading chorally and in pairs, then works on vocabulary and word study and responds in writing. In Differentiated Instruction, the teacher works with a small group from a script and checks progress with assessments. Alongside, the page describes about equal parts of Interactive Read Aloud and Genre-Based Writing. The page links sample materials; read one before you decide, since a real lesson will show you the pace better than a description can.

4 The adult's job

From what the page says, the teacher leads Shared Reading with the whole class, then meets small groups using the scripts provided, and runs the progress-monitoring assessments that go with them. The pages read do not say how long each part takes or how much preparation the program needs, so ask for sample materials and plan to read them first.

5 How progress is checked

The page says Differentiated Instruction includes progress-monitoring assessments. The pages read do not say how often they are used or what they measure in detail.

6 Strengths and criticisms

7 What the research says

This page can report very little evidence, and that is the honest answer. The program's page shows no independent review, and no study of children's results was found in the pages read. The page's own claim is that its foundational skills block is informed by the Science of Reading, which is a statement about design, not a finding. EdReports was not checked for this page. If a review matters to you, search for one yourself and read how it was done before you rely on it.

8 How to try it

1. Open the sample materials the publisher links and read one Shared Reading lesson and one small-group script.
2. Check the foundational skills block closely: look for the order in which sounds are taught and how children practice them.
3. If you use the program, keep the small-group scripts for the children who need them, and give other children the whole-class lessons.
4. Add decodable reading for any child who is still sounding words out, so they have text they can read on their own.
5. Keep a simple list of which children are in which small group, and check it against the progress-monitoring results.

9 Using Peabody with it

• DecodablesHand a child a decodable text that practices the sound pattern from the foundational skills block, so they read on their own beside the program.
• CVC worksheetsUse a short word-building sheet for children still learning to blend three-sound words, alongside the program's word study.
• Beginning reader booksGive early readers a free book to read after Shared Reading, so they get more practice at their own level.

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10 Programs that follow it

Programs and materials often named with this approach: Bookworms K-5 Reading and Writing.