Much
of what you know as an adult comes from reading ―
everything from novels and web pages to cereal boxes and
street signs. Yet what do you remember about how you
learned to use this powerful tool?
Similar to learning to ride a bike or singing a new
song, becoming a competent reader requires lots of
practice with a set of specific skills. Most of these
skills are acquired through direct instruction in the
early elementary years.
Reading instruction in schools today is quite different
today than it likely was when you were taught to read.
Following is a breakdown by grade level of some typical
activities that schools now use to help build your
child’s reading skills.
Kindergarten ― In the kindergarten classroom, you
will not be at a loss where to find things. This is
because everything, from the soap dish to the fish tank,
has likely been labeled with its name. This is not mere
coincidence. It is one of the first ways that very young
children learn that written language can help them
understand their world.
At the kindergarten level, the main emphasis is on
helping children learn about the larger world that they
have entered and what schooling is all about. Much of
the kindergarten day is focused on helping children see
that reading and writing will play a significant role in
their learning during school.
A major goal of kindergarten is to help children begin
to believe in themselves as readers and writers. To this
end, children are given lots of opportunity to "read"
from a vast assortment of books filled with colorful
pictures or illustrations and to be read to by their
teacher. Through this, children begin to understand the
parts of a book (title, the name of the author and
illustrator, the connection between the pictures and
words), and their functions. They also learn how formal
reading works (for pleasure, to inform) and to recognize
some simple words by sight (I, the, you, me).
Through socializing and playing, children learn that
language (both spoken and written) can be used not only
to communicate with their friends, but can help them
work through problems.
Grades one and two ― At this point, children
begin the more formal instruction of reading. Teachers
build on what children may already know about the basics
of reading (that reading is done from left to right,
from the front to the back of a book, that individual
letters are made from single letters). A large part of
reading instruction at this level centers on phonemic
awareness, which is the ability to recognize that our
speech can be broken down into small sounds. Teachers
use activities with such tools as nursery rhymes, poetry
and songs to help students identify the sounds that
different letters and combinations of letters make.
However, this is not done in isolation. At each of the
elementary grade levels, students are provided access to
a wide variety of books, magazines, multimedia software,
newspapers and other types of literature. These are used
for group work (i.e., The Very Hungry Caterpillar by
Eric Carle might be used as a basis for a unit on
caterpillars), for independent work and pleasure
reading.
Grades three, four and five ― Although most
children are considered competent readers by third
grade, the process of learning to read doesn’t stop
here. In these upper elementary years, the focus tends
to shift from learning to read to reading to learn.
Students are given the opportunity to use their reading
skills to conduct research (with such reference books as
encyclopedias and textbooks, in literature and on the
Internet), to tackle more challenging books (in subject
areas and for pleasure) and to read other forms of
written material with an eye toward expanding their
vocabularies and giving them greater confidence in their
skills as readers.
The home/school connection
Tips on what you can do at home to support family
literacy
Although most of your child’s formal reading skills will
be learned during school hours, the work that you do at
home to help support these skills is as important.
Following are some easy ways to make reading a family
affair and to instill a lifelong love of reading in your
child.
-
Use the library often. Encourage your children to
ask the librarian for help finding stories they’ll
like. Make suggestions, but let them check out what
they want to read.
-
Let your children see both mom and dad reading and
using the library. Encourage children to think of
the library as a resource for fun and learning
throughout life.
-
If available, enroll your child in a library reading
club.
-
As their reading skills improve, have them read to
you, a sibling, visitors, even a favorite stuffed
animal. Some stories that interest them may still be
too hard for them to read on their own. They’ll let
you know if they would rather read with you or by
themselves.
-
Look for ways your children can use their new
reading skills. Ask them to read signs, menus,
cereal boxes. Have them read to you while you do the
dishes or fix the pipes. Ask relatives to write
postcards to your children. Put notes in their lunch
boxes ("I hope you have a great day today! Love,
Mom.").
-
Set aside a special read-aloud time for the whole
family. There are many books that all of the members
of your family will enjoy. Ask your librarian for
suggestions and remember that many classics like
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol were intended to
be read aloud. Have family members read different
parts. Make a bowl of popcorn, turn off the TV and
enjoy!
-
Show your children that you support their efforts.
The National Association for the Education of Young
Children suggests that you become the "Great
Appreciator," not the "Great Corrector." If your
child makes a mistake while reading aloud to you,
don’t interrupt. If the mistake doesn’t change the
meaning, let it go.
-
Make sure that you read some of the books your
children enjoy, even when they can read well on
their own. This is a great way of ensuring that
reading remains a pleasurable activity that you
share with your children.
(Source: The American Library Association and the
National Association for the Education of Young
Children)
Reading Resources for Parents
On the Net
Reference Books
-
Choosing Books for Children: A Commonsense Guide
by Betsy Hearne
-
The New York Times Parent’s Guide to the Best
Books for Children by Eden Ross Lipson
-
The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
-
Hey! Listen to This: Stories to Read Aloud by
Jim Trelease
For permission to reprint this article, please contact the Capital Region BOCES Communications Service at (518) 786-3263 or email us at
dbushsuf@gw.neric.org.
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