I think I will use it in developing "stories" as a kind of game in my 6th grade after school extended education classroom. jhd
|
11:45 PM (7 hours ago)
 |
|
||||
|
||||||
|
Posted: 08 Sep 2015 11:22 AM PDT Parents often ask how they can help their
children learn to read; and it’s no wonder that they’re interested in this
essential skill.
Reading plays an important role in
later school success. One study even
demonstrates that how well 7-year-olds read predicts their income 35 years
later! This article provides 11 practical recommendations for helping
preschoolers and school-age students learn to read.
1. Teaching reading
will only help.
Sometimes, parents are told early teaching
is harmful, but it isn’t true. You simply can’t introduce literacy too early.
I started reading to my own children on the days they were each born! The
“dangers of early teaching” has been a topic of study for more than 100
years, and no one has ever found any convincing evidence of harm. Moreover,
there are hundreds of studies showing the benefits of reading to your
children when they are young.
2. Teaching literacy
isn’t different than teaching other skills.
You don’t need a Ph.D. to raise a happy,
healthy, smart child. Parents have been doing it for thousands of years.
Mothers and fathers successfully teach their kids to eat with a spoon, use a
potty, keep their fingers out of their noses, and say “please.” These things
can be taught pleasantly, or they can be made into a painful chore. Being
unpleasant (e.g. yelling, punishing, pressuring) doesn’t work, and it can be
frustrating for everyone.
This notion applies to teaching literacy,
too. If you show your 18-month-old a book and she shows no interest, then put
it away and come back to it later. If your child tries to write her name and
ends up with a backwards “D,” no problem. No pressure. No hassle. You should
enjoy the journey, and so should your child.
3. Talk to your kids
(a lot).
Last year, I spent lots of time with our
brand new granddaughter, Emily. I drowned her in language. Although “just a
baby,” I talked — and sang — to her about everything. I talked about her
eyes, nose, ears, mouth, and fingers. I told her all about her family — her
mom, dad, and older brother. I talked to her about whatever she did (yawning,
sleeping, eating, burping). I talked to her so much that her parents thought
I was nuts; she couldn’t possibly understand me yet. But reading is a
language activity, and if you want to learn language, you’d better hear it,
and eventually, speak it. Too many moms and dads feel a bit dopey talking to
a baby or young child, but studies have shown that exposing your
child to a variety of words helps in her development of
literacy skills.
4. Read to your
kids.
I know everyone says this, but it really is
a good idea — at least with preschoolers. One of my colleagues refers to this
advice as the “chicken soup” of reading education. We prescribe it for
everything. (Does it help? It couldn’t hurt.) If a parent or caregiver can’t
read or can’t read English, there are alternatives, such as using audiobooks; but
for those who can, reading a book or story to a child is a great, easy way to
advance literacy skills. Research shows benefits for kids as young as
9-months-old, and it could be effective even earlier than that. Reading to
kids exposes them to richer vocabulary than they usually hear from the adults
who speak to them, and can have positive impacts on their language,
intelligence, and later literacy achievement.
What
should you read to them? There are so many wonderful children’s
books. Visit your local library, and you can get an armful of adventure.
You can find recommendations from kids at the Children’s Book Council website or
at the International Literacy
Association Children's Choices site, as well as free books
online at other websites like Search Lit or Unite for Literacy.
è5. Have them tell you a “story.”---I like this one…jhd J
One great way to introduce kids to literacy
is to take their dictation. Have them recount an experience or make up
a story. We’re not talking “Moby Dick” here. A typical first story may be
something like, “I like fish. I like my sister. I like grandpa.” Write it as
it is being told, and then read it aloud. Point at the words when you read
them, or point at them when your child is trying to read the story. Over
time, with lots of rereading, don’t be surprised if your child starts to
recognize words such as “I” or “like.” (As children learn some of the words,
you can write them on cards and keep them in a “word bank” for your child,
using them to review later.)
6. Teach phonemic
awareness.
Young children don’t hear the sounds within
words. Thus, they hear “dog,” but not the “duh”-“aw”- “guh.” To become
readers, they have to learn to hear these sounds (or phonemes). Play language
games with your child. For instance, say a word, perhaps her name, and then
change it by one phoneme: Jen-Pen, Jen-Hen, Jen-Men. Or, just break a word
apart: chair… ch-ch-ch-air.
Follow this link to learn more about language development milestones in children.
7. Teach phonics
(letter names and their sounds).
You can’t sound out words or write them
without knowing the letter sounds. Most kindergartens teach the letters, and
parents can teach them, too. I just checked a toy store website and found 282
products based on letter names and another 88 on letter sounds, including ABC
books, charts, cards, blocks, magnet letters, floor mats, puzzles,
lampshades, bed sheets, and programs for tablets and computers. You don’t need
all of that (a pencil and paper are sufficient), but there is lots of support
out there for parents to help kids learn these skills. Keep the lessons brief
and fun, no more than 5–10 minutes for young’uns.
Understanding the different developmental stages of reading and writing skills will
help to guide your lessons and expectations.
8. Listen to your
child read.
When your child starts bringing books home
from school, have her read to you. If it doesn’t sound good (mistakes, choppy
reading), have her read it again. Or read it to her, and then have her try to
read it herself. Studies show that this kind of repeated oral reading makes students
better readers, even when it is done at home.
9. Promote writing.
Literacy involves reading and writing.
Having books and magazines available for your child is a good idea, but it’s
also helpful to have pencils, crayons, markers, and paper. Encourage your
child to write. One way to do this is to write notes or short letters to her.
It won’t be long before she is trying to write back to you.
10. Ask questions.
When your child reads, get her to retell the
story or information. If it’s a story, ask who it was about and what
happened. If it’s an informational text, have your child explain what it was
about and how it worked, or what its parts were. Reading involves not just
sounding out words, but thinking about and remembering ideas and
events. Improving reading comprehension skills early will
prepare her for subsequent success in more difficult texts.
11. Make reading a
regular activity in your home.
Make reading a part of your daily life, and
kids will learn to love it. When I was nine years old, my mom made me stay in
for a half-hour after lunch to read. She took me to the library to get books
to kick off this new part of my life. It made me a lifelong reader. Set aside
some time when everyone turns off the TV and the web and does nothing but
read. Make it fun, too. When my children finished reading a book that had
been made into a film, we’d make popcorn and watch the movie together. The
point is to make reading a regular enjoyable part of your family routine. Happy reading. Sources: Ritchie,
S.J., & Bates, T.C. (2013). Enduring links from childhood mathematics and
reading achievement to adult socioeconomic status. Psychological
Science, 24, 1301-1308.Karass J., & Braungart-Rieker J. (2005).
Effects of shared parent-infant reading on early language acquisition. Journal
of Applied Developmental Psychology, 26, 133-148.
|
No comments:
Post a Comment