How Covid-19 Makes Teaching Reading Harder
At P.S. 105 in the Bronx, teachers tackle literacy instruction in new ways amid coronavirus restrictions.
Students and teachers wear masks in class for safety, but the masks can get in the way as teachers try to help young students learn words.
First-graders practiced reading words with the short “o” sound on a recent morning at P.S. 105 in the Bronx, where words like “mop” and “pop” were displayed on an interactive board.
Their teacher, Noelle Nikci, asked a squirmy little boy to sound out the circled word, “top.”
“Tee,” he said.
“Look at me,” she said, pointing to her face as she enunciated tuh - ah - puh. But her mask blocked him from seeing her mouth’s movements. She tried several times to get him to connect the sounds. That didn’t work, so she said it herself.