PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia

PIRLS 2006 Encyclopediaof different ethnic groups of Russia, and modern children’s literature. All sets have acommon core of classical literature as well as authors.Reading Instruction in the Primary GradesIn primary schools, there is no specialized reading teacher. The classroom teacher usuallyteaches all subjects except music and an experienced teacher, such as the deputy principal,is responsible for providing instructional help to other teachers in all subjects includingliterary reading. By order of the Ministry, the average class size is 25 students. The averageclass size for the primary school is 24 but some schools, particularly the rural schools,have very small classes with less than 5 students.Teachers typically work with the whole class during reading instruction. Studentsor the teacher read aloud to the class and the teacher organizes class discussion aboutwhat was read. In grade 1, when not all students can read, instruction may focus onindividual or group activities. Sometimes students who can read when they begin grade1 are grouped for advanced learning.Instructional TimeThe school year begins the first of September, and has 170 or 240 instructional days,depending on whether the school has a 5- or 6-day week. Typically, most schools operateon a 6-day schedule. During the school year, students have three holidays, including1 week in the beginning of November, 2 weeks at the end of December through thebeginning of January, and 1 week at the end of March.In 1998, the Ministry of Education established by special order the maximuminstructional load for different grades. For grade 1, the maximum instructional time is20 hours for a 5-day week. For grades 2 to 4, the corresponding hours are equal to 22 fora 5-day week and 25 for a 6-day week. Each instructional period lasts 40 or 45 minutes,except in the beginning of grade 1 when the lessons are somewhat shorter (35 minutes).Half the total instructional time in grade 1 is devoted to language instruction. Ingrades 2 to 4, 42% of total instructional time is devoted to language instruction, and 30%is devoted to reading instruction.Russian FederationMaterials for Reading InstructionTeachers choose instructional materials according to professional preference, children’scharacteristics and interests, and parental opinion. To help them to select the programof study and accompanying instructional materials, the Ministry prepared descriptionsof the different programs of study and their content requirements. Descriptions of theinstructional materials discuss how the materials differ in teaching approach, level oftheoretical knowledge, the works of literature and lesson structure, and the teacher’s rolein the classroom. A tendency towards increasing variability in educational programs isillustrated by the growing number of available textbooks for school subjects written bydifferent authors.336