What is Precision Reading?
Precision Reading is a new, inexpensive, short, daily, research-based reading activity that quickly improves students’ abilities in the following key areas.
Passage Comprehension
Over time, leads to much better retelling, summarization, prediction, interpretation, analysis, questioning and critical thinking.
Word Recognition and Comprehension
Expect improved word recognition and comprehension, for both high frequency sight words and curriculum-related content vocabulary.
Reading Automaticity
Expect dramatic increases in reading speed, accuracy, smoothness, retention and comprehension.
What is Precision Writing?
Precision Writing is a series of short, daily writing activities designed to help students become skilled writers. It provides the structure, practice, positive feedback and continuous improvement that reluctant and resistant writers, and students with learning and intellectual disabilities, need to become successful writers.
Productivity and Quality
A step-by-step, positive and progressive writing process that leads to greater productivity and a much higher quality of written work.
Content and Process Outcomes
Achieve content outcomes (subject area knowledge) and process outcomes (skills in thinking and written expression) at the same time. Students write on curricular topics drawn from instructional themes, projects, activities and assignments. It saves time and improves instructional efficiency in the classroom.
Scaffolds for Writing Skills
Scaffolds support multiple writing purposes, information gathering and organizing methods, and critical thinking as well as vocabulary acquisition, writing fluency, and improved composition in subject area formats.
Build Student Confidence
Makes writing less frustrating and more fun for students and less stressful and more enjoyable for teachers. Inspires greater confidence in students, leads to improvements in reading, and enhances their knowledge of subject area vocabulary, concepts and themes.
The Books
The Precision Reading program is comprised of the Instructors’ Handbook and Instructors’ Sourcebook, which are normally purchased as a set.
PRECISION READING
Instructors’ Handbook
The Handbook describes how to do Precision Reading and explains why it works.
PRECISION READING
Instructors’ Sourcebooks
There are three Sourcebooks. They contain useful resource materials for implementing Precision Reading in Grades One to Six, Grades Seven to Nine, and Grades Ten to Twelve.
The Precision Writing program is comprised of the Instructors’ Handbook and Instructors’ Sourcebook, which are normally purchased as a set.
PRECISION WRITING
Instructors’ Handbook
The Handbook describes how to do Precision Writing and explains why it works.
PRECISION WRITING
Instructors’ Sourcebook
The Sourcebook contains useful resource materials for implementing Precision Writing.
The Authors
Dr. Rick Freeze
Dr. Rick Freeze, B.A., B.Ed., M.A., Ph.D., is a professor of Inclusive Education in the Educational Administration, Foundations and Psychology Department of the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba. Over the years, Rick has worked as an elementary and secondary classroom teacher, inclusive (special) educator, school principal, educational psychologist, researcher and professor.
Today, Rick teaches inclusive education courses in the after degree (B.Ed.), graduate (M.Ed. & Ph.D.) and professional development (P.B.D.E.) programs of the Faculty of Education.
Rick has researched and written about a variety of inclusive and special education topics including: precision reading, precision writing, consultation and collaboration, resource teacher programs, inclusive schooling, promoting responsible behaviour, student self-determination, differentiating instruction and assessment, the transition from school to work and post-secondary education, and university education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
He has written books, book chapters, journal articles, research reports and curricula on these and related topics. He has presented at academic and professional conferences in the U.S.A., the U.K., Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and Canada. Rick has worked extensively with schools, communities and disability groups in the areas of research and professional development. He has presented papers and conducted workshops in all parts of Canada, in the U.S.A. and overseas on a wide variety of inclusive and special education topics including Precision Reading.
Dr. Trevi B. Freeze, B.A., P.B.D.E., M.Ed., Ph.D.
Dr. Trevi B. Freeze, B.A., P.B.D.E., M.Ed., Ph.D., is the Director of the award-winning Campus Life Program at the University of Manitoba. Through Campus Life, students with intellectual, developmental and multiple disabilities are included and supported as auditing students in undergraduate courses at the university. Trevi has published in professional and academic journals and books, and presented at professional and scholarly conferences on post-secondary inclusion in Canada and overseas. Through her work with Campus Life students, Trevi has developed, adapted and employed a wide variety of effective tutoring strategies to support students with learning, intellectual, developmental and multiple disabilities engaged in academic reading and writing at university. She also has experience in counselling students toward successful social and academic inclusion. Trevi adopts a client-centered, solution-focused approach to assist university students with intellectual disabilities to achieve positive academic, social and vocational outcomes.
Testimonials
Precision Reading was developed in real world research classrooms at the elementary and secondary levels. Students who use it have consistently demonstrated significant improvements in reading fluency, word knowledge and passage comprehension. Typically, students gain two grade levels in reading comprehension on a valid and reliable standardized test of reading in 90 to 130 short, daily sessions. It has a positive impact on the lives of the students who use it and often results in improved self-confidence and a more positive attitude towards school. Please check out the testimonials of teachers, administrators, parents and students.