After watching the Reading 101
clips, I realized that a good reader must have a solid foundation that can
begin early in one’s life. Children who are read to as toddlers will be able to
recognize that print is connected with language, rather than just some squiggly
lines on paper. Next, is sound recognition. Babies are born with the ability to
recognize even the slightest of differences in sounds; however, by 12 months most
children have become so in tune with their native language that they only
recognize the sounds associated with that language. Recognizing different
sounds is fundamental to being able to understand and create language.
When children begin reading, one of the
goals is fluency. The importance of fluency lies in its connection to
comprehension. A child who stumbles over words will often times forget what the
book they are reading is about because they are so focused on decoding the
words. Spelling and vocabulary are two factors that go a long way towards improving
fluency. With spelling comes recognizing the patterns of our language. While
English has exceptions, the majority of the language falls into a rule set as
far as spelling. Students subconsciously lay the groundwork for spelling when
they are exposed to rhyming words when they read or listen to music. A strong vocabulary
also contributes to fluency as it is much easier to read when you are familiar
with most of the words at the onset. A strong vocabulary can begin long before
a student ever enters a school. One of the clips showed a mother reading her
grocery list to her child as they shopped. When you combine the words on the grocery
list to the words in the books that are read to the child, there is a strong
set of everyday vocabulary words that the child is exposed to at a very young
age. At the core of the videos, I believe the message was that the foundations
for reading begin at a young age and without a strong foundation including an understanding
of print, sounds, vocabulary, and spelling, a child may struggle when they
begin to learn how to read.
Hey Damien,
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your point that " the foundations for reading begins at a young age and without a strong foundation including an understanding of print, sounds, vocabulary, and spelling, a child may struggle when they begin to learn how to read". The reading process is a collaboration of skills that needs to work together in order for a child to be successful in reading. I enjoyed the clip you mentioned of the mother reading the grocery list to her child and showing her vegetable signs while they go through the aisles. Vocabulary building and phonemic awareness is a clear recognition from young to determine if your child is having difficulties or a larger academic problem.