Important elements of reading

Question:

My preschooler loves books and wants me to read the same story over and over again. What are the important elements of reading that will help my child become a good reader?

Response:

During the first five years of life you have the awesome responsibility of nurturing a developing reader and writer ready to begin school with a love for learning. Your child’s teachers have the tools and strategies to develop specific skills in a logical progression for optimal development over time. I have listed some language skills that need to be introduced and practiced in the home environment before entering school and while in the early grades (kindergarten & first).

Understand basic skills:
• recognize the printed word in the environment (words on signs, menus, newspapers, mail, etc…)

• have knowledge of the alphabet (uppercase and lowercase, as well as the sound/s each letter makes)

• have knowledge of the relationship of letters to sounds at the beginning and ending of words (i.e. – “sss… for ‘sun’)

• be able to read own name and name of family members

• begin listening for words that rhyme (i.e. – cat, hat, fat, sat, rat)

It is not enough for children to simply be able to “sing” the alphabet when entering school today. They need to have had some experience with seeing, feeling and saying letters in isolation to begin to grasp other literacy concepts relative to learning to read and write fluently. It is important that he is able to use the letters to write his name. He may not be able to name all 26 letters but he should have experience with both the uppercase and lowercase letters through magnets, alphabet soup/cereal, etc…

Use a broad vocabulary which includes:
• knowing the meaning of single words that represent objects and groups of objects, actions, and qualities of space and time; example, he would know that an apple – has seeds, has a stem, is a fruit, grows on a tree and can be green, yellow or red.

Most young children when asked what an apple is would say, “You eat it.” This response is just not enough to be considered “ready” to read and comprehend when entering school. Teachers would consider this response below basic for a kindergartener. If you don’t understand what a word means when you are reading the word, how will you be able to comprehend it while in context of a story? Vocabulary is one of the weakest abilities of young children in our society today. Choose a word or more a day and share facts about that word. Talk about how that word relates to your child’s life to force the new knowledge into the long-term memory department of the brain.

Begin to use the four types of reading comprehension skills which include:

• Initial understanding (e.g., identifying the main point of a passage, understanding words in the context of simple passages) Parents do this naturally while reading and after reading stories to their children. This would look like you asking him what the story was about and who was a part of the story. You would be pointing out specific words in the story to discuss what each word means and what it tells us in the story.

• Interpretation (e.g., linking information across parts of the text as well as focusing on specific information) you would be showing your little one how the end of the book links to the middle or beginning or vice versa. You want to make sure to focus on specific actions, characters, setting description, etc… during this comprehension style. He will learn to be more observant and listen to the small details better.

• Personal reflection and response (e.g., connecting knowledge from the text with children’s own personal background knowledge) During this type of comprehension make sure to link the book to your child’s own experience with the topic, scenario, setting, characters, etc… This type of comprehension moves new knowledge to the long-term memory part of the brain because it connects what is read with actual experience. Imagine if your child has had no experiences in life outside of his own home, neighborhood or town – at what level could he make connections and understand what he is reading? Experience is invaluable!

• Demonstration of a critical stance (considering text objectively—e.g., what events in a passage of text are possible). Have discussions about real vs. make-believe. This type of comprehension will be most supportive of writing development in the future. Children love to write stories about things that could never happen in life. It makes writing more enjoyable. Your child should be hearing non-fiction books and fiction books over time.

Of course, you would not work on each one of these comprehension styles in every story you read. Sometimes you simply read books for the pleasure of reading with no comprehension questions attached. Remember, when developing comprehension abilities in your little one; make sure to balance the kinds of questions you ask to expose him to each type of comprehension over time.

Kindergarteners will be assessed on listening comprehension and their reading comprehension at a lower level than a first grader. However, it is expected that by the end of first grade, students have a strong grasp on the different types of comprehension skills. Beginning in second grade, students are expected to read more fluently and independently while also reading at a higher level.