Posted in Literacy Tips
See why having prior knowledge of the world is critical to reading comprehension.
Check out this 10 minute YouTube
video by Professor Dan Willingham of the University of Virginia.
Posted in Literacy Tips
"Don't teach many different ways. Do teach the one best way."
Many parents I've talked to have taught their children to read on a trial and error basis. They start with one program, end up with another, and sometimes with a few other programs in between as their children struggle to learn to read.
We must start with the fact that English is an alphabetic language. This essentially means that there are arbitrary written symbols that represent the sounds of speech in each word. Therefore, it is important to avoid teaching reading any word in a wholistic manner based on the visual physical configuration of the entire word, but rather consistently teaching reading any word by parts beginning with the letters or combination of letters that represent the elemental sounds constituting the word.
In addition, we must teach a complete foundational cadre or framework of letters and letter combinations that represent the elemental sounds of English before words are formed from this essential parts.
This is just the beginning; but it is a good start that must be consistently followed for all our children to become successful readers (and spellers)!
Posted in Literacy Tips
"Don't avoid reading to your children. Do limit video & computer usage."
"Read books aloud to your children" seems to be pretty ubiquitous advice heard in all the literacy circles, but how often is it really heeded? Even with our literature-loving family, we too often choose to pop in a DVD, watch a TV show, or use the computer. We need to remember that to raise literature-loving children, we have to set the example. Regularly reading quality books aloud to our children and discussing them will help build their vocabulary, increase their general knowledge of the world, and develop their moral character. Isn't that worth the price of a little less entertainment?
Posted in Literacy Tips
"Don't begin with the letter names. Do begin with the letter sounds."
Letter names really serve no purpose in reading words because your child uses the letter sounds
not letter names. In fact, you are probably placing an obstacle in the way of your child's learning to read because the letter name provides an extra choice in his mental process of deciding how to sound the letter in a word. Except for the five vowels, this extra choice is always a wrong choice for your child that can confuse him. Some children are able to easily overcome this obstacle, others are not. Why take the chance?
