Improving early language and literacy skills: differential effects of an oral language versus a phonology with reading intervention

Link to article: Improving early language and literacy skills: differential effects of an oral language versus a phonology with reading intervention - PubMed (nih.gov)

Background:  This study compares the efficacy of two school-based intervention programs (Phonology with Reading (P + R) and Oral Language (OL)) for children with poor oral language at school entry.  Both groups of children received 20 weeks of daily intervention alternating between small group and individual sessions, delivered by trained teaching assistants.

• Children in the P + R group received training in letter-sound knowledge, phonological awareness and book level reading skills. 
• The children's progress was monitored at four time points: pre-, mid- and post-intervention, and after a 5-month delay

Small Group session (30 minutes)
Step 1: Ice Breaker
 – Revision of letter
 – 4 minutes
Step 2: Sound of the day
 – Story and action
 – Writing letter
 – 8 minutes
Step 3: Book work
 – Book for the sound of the day
 – Teacher-led ‘shared’ reading
 – 8 minutes
Step 4: Phonological awareness
 – Segmenting or  blending activities
 – 5 minutes
Step 5: Plenary
 – Revise sound of the day
 – Word sticker
 – 5 minutes
Individual session (20 minutes)
Step 1: Revision
 – Revise/reinforce sounds learnt so far
 – 2 minutes
Step 2: Phonological awareness
 – Segmenting or blending activities
AND
Making sounds
 – sound production exercises if necessary
 – 3 minutes
Step 3: Sight word work
 – Work on sight word vocabulary
 – 5 minutes
Step 4: Reading books
 – Re-reading a book at the  instructional level
 – Reading a new book
 – 10 minutes
 Results: At the end of the 20-week intervention program, children in the P + R group showed an advantage over the OL group on literacy and phonological measures but not in vocabulary and grammar skills.
(Training using P + R fostered decoding ability)