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"Irony is discovering that the most cost-effective way to diminish low student achievement in high school occurs between birth and age five."
Lynn Fielding (Annual Growth, Catch up Growth) |
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Up through third grade, children learn to read. After third grade, they read to learn. If they read poorly, they learn slowly. Academic failure by a student in high school (including dropping out) is almost always preceded by academic failure in middle school or junior high. In turn, academic failure in the mid-levels is generally preceded by failing to learn to read at or near grade level by third grade.
Getting your child ready to read is getting your child ready to succeed in school. Reading is the most fundamental skill your child will use during his or her 12-20 years as a student.
The ABC's of Getting Ready to Learn to Read
Α. Aloud. Read aloud 20 minutes a day with your child. From birth to age five, this enjoyable activity provides 600 hours of essential pre-literacy preparation before entering school. Once in school it's essential to continue the read-aloud habit through elementary school.
B. Basic knowledge before entering kindergarten. Ideally, at age five, your child may:
Listen to a book and retell the beginning, middle and end
Know 12-15 upper case letters (A, B, C)
Know 12-15 lower case letters (a, b, c)
Know sounds of 12-15 letters
Recite 6-10 nursery rhymes
Know some print concepts (e.g., reading moves left to right, meaning comes from words, pictures help meaning)
Speak in complete sentences
Print first name using upper and lower case letters
C. Conversations. Have frequent conversations with your child. Reading is about language. Immerse your child in it. Talk often, listen and ask your child questions that require more than a one or two word response.
Children entering school with these literacy skills are on track to read well by third grade
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You can visit http://www.readyforkindergarten.org/ for further information on kindergarten readiness skills for math and social-emotional development.
Stimulating Brain Development
Reading to your child from birth literally wires brain cells together in networks that later facilitate independent reading. Brain research shows that those linked brain cells enable a child to:
Detect the different sounds in words (phonemic awareness)
Recognize letters and develop strategies to figure out new words (decoding)
Develop real-world understanding of what the words refer to (create contexts for understanding meaning)
Build an oral and listening vocabulary (approximately 5,000 words by kindergarten)
References:
The Children's Reading Fundation.
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"Read with a child. It's the most important 20 minutes of your day" The Children's Reading Foundation
      
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