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Many young
children take to reading with eagerness, devouring each new tale of Junie B.
Jones or those in Lemony Snickett's Series of Unfortunate Events. However, some
children - for a variety of reasons - are simply reluctant to pick up a book
unless it's required for school.
In this issue of Elementary Edition, we will look at some of the ways families
can help spark a love of reading in their young children - setting them on the
path to better learning in all of their subjects. These home-based ideas come
from reading teachers and parents, just like you, who are working diligently to
raise enthusiastic readers!
Read aloud,
even when your children are able to read to themselves.
In The Read Aloud Handbook, author Jim Trelease says reading with children is
one of the most important activities families can do together. When reading
aloud to your children, you introduce them to new vocabulary words and
ideas - all while having fun. Many times, hearing a story will encourage
children to read independently as a way of learning more about the subject. With
more independent readers, you can take turns reading portions aloud to one
another. Let everyone in the family take turns choosing the books to read
together. This guarantees a good variety of stories and everyone will learn more
about each other's interests.
Create a home library with many different types of written materials.
Some children love curling up with a chapter book, while others (even more
experienced readers) want their stories full of colorful pictures or
illustrations. Regular trips to the local library can keep your home library
stocked with a fresh (and free) source of each. Look for interesting children's
magazines while at the library or bookstore. Classroom book orders are also a
great resource for quality, low-cost books. Instruction books for games and
crafts, magazines, newspapers and age-appropriate graphic novels (link to http://www.ala.org/ala/booklinksbucket/graphicnovelsforyounger.htm
for a good list) are a few ways to add variety to your home-based library.
Practice what you
preach.
When you and the rest of your family read regularly - for enjoyment, for
information or to perform a task (e.g., following a recipe or programming the
DVD player from instructions) - you are a positive role model for your children
and are showing them how reading relates to all areas of life.
Tap into your child's
interests.
One mother credits the
Captain Underpants series, with its comic-book format and irreverent (e.g.,
bathroom) humor, with turning her third grader into an eager reader. Librarians
and other parents and children are wonderful sources for suggestions on books
your own child might like. Though many of the books children read are fiction,
non-fiction books can also be a terrific way for them to learn what is
meaningful to them. Books by Capstone Press, at http://www.capstonepress.com
and at local bookstores and libraries, include titles like BMX Freestyle,
Crafts from Papier-Mch and Forming a Band. Not only do these tap into what
interests children most, but many of these books are also written for beginning
readers - a plus when younger children want to learn but have yet to develop
independent reading skills.
Informal book talks can be a great way to stay connected with older,
independent readers.
Though they may not want to read with you, try reading the same book
independently and discussing it as you go. Local libraries also offer book
discussion groups geared toward young teens and their parents. Check with the
local library for information about such offerings - or think about organizing
one of your own!
Try movies, plays and
books-on-tape.
Many books for children
have been turned into movies (think Harry Potter) or recorded as books-on-tape -
available at school and local libraries. Likewise, check out performances by
high school or community theater groups. (Family event listings in the local
paper often include information about these types of performances.) With
reluctant readers, stories in these forms may be just what they need to spark an
interest in picking up the book (or tackling the next in a series). This can
also be a fun way for children who have already read the book to experience the
story from a different perspective.
Fun ways to encourage
reading:
Name their world.
Help early readers build their vocabulary by creating signs/index cards together
that identify toys or furniture like "bed," "radio"
"hamster," etc.
Play cards and board games together. Kid-versions of Scrabble and Boggle
are two that are particularly good at encouraging vocabulary and spelling.
Write messages for your children and ask them to write to you, too.
Notes in lunchboxes, lists of responsibilities and posting important activities
and events encourage your children to read for meaning. Writing back to you or
other family and friends gives them real-life ways to use all the new words they
are learning.
Learn a new craft or hobby. Encourage kids to learn more about their
passions by reading instructions in do-it-yourself kits, from the Web or in
related books.
Get cooking. Some kid-friendly cookbooks to look to for inspiration
include the Magic Spoon Cookbook by Suzanne Gooding and Honest Pretzels: And 64
Other Amazing Recipes for Cooks Ages 8 & Up by Mollie Katzen.
How reading is taught
during the elementary years: the school link
Most of children's
formal reading education takes place during the primary elementary
years-kindergarten through second grade. Here children are taught to recognize
many of the sight or frequency words ("and," "but,"
"school," "mom," "dad") that they'll need to
become independent readers. They are also taught phonics skills, such as
sounding words out, breaking words down into recognizable chunks (as with
compound words like carwash and daytime) and using clues from pictures to help
them figure out what a story is all about. Students in grades K-2 will have lots
of exposure to different types of writing, like poetry and non-fiction
(real-life or true accounts) and fiction books in both the picture and chapter
forms.
They'll also learn about the many reasons people learn to read - for pleasure
("I can't wait for the next Spiderwick book!"), to help understand
what needs to be done (most homework directions are written), how to stay safe
(exit and street crossing signs) and to learn new and personally important
things ("Yea! The Yankees won last night's game!")
By the time they reach third grade, most children have become competent readers.
However, this doesn't mean the process of learning to read stops here. Instead,
the focus during the upper elementary grades tends to shift from learning to
read to reading to learn. Students use their reading skills to conduct research,
to tackle longer and more challenging books (to support learning and also for
pleasure) and to read other types of written materials to help expand their
vocabularies and hone their grammar skills.
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For
permission to reprint this article, please contact the
Capital Region BOCES Communications Service at (518)
464-3960.
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