<![CDATA[Early reading ability is a fundamental competency that elementary school students must master because it serves as the foundation for understanding learning materials across various subjects. Initial observations in Grade I of SDN 4 Dawuan indicated that many students experienced difficulties in recognizing letters, reading syllables, reading simple words, and comprehending simple texts. This condition highlights the need for an innovative instructional method to improve early reading skills. This study aimed to analyze the effect of the Cantol Roudhoh Method on the early reading ability of first-grade students at SDN 4 Dawuan. A quantitative approach with a Pre-Experimental One Group Pretest–Posttest Design was employed involving 41 first-grade students. Data were collected through early reading tests and observation sheets and analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk normality test, the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, and Normalized Gain (N-Gain) analysis. The results showed that the students' mean score increased from 45.14 in the pretest to 73.43 in the posttest. The Wilcoxon test yielded an Asymp. Sig. (2-tailed) value of 0.000 (p < 0.05), indicating a significant effect of the Cantol Roudhoh Method on students' early reading ability. The N-Gain analysis revealed that most students achieved a moderate level of improvement (51.43%), followed by high (28.57%) and low (20.00%) categories. Therefore, the Cantol Roudhoh Method is an effective alternative instructional approach to improve early reading ability, create a more active and enjoyable learning environment, and support literacy development among elementary school students. Keywords: early reading ability, Cantol Roudhoh Method, elementary school, literacy, reading instruction.]]>
