Reading 101: What You Should Know
If there is one thing that these series of clips, and the various links on the Reading Rockets website shows, it is that learning to read is a long and complex journey for children beginning with print awareness, growing into phonemic awareness, phonics skills, vocabulary development, decoding, fluency, comprehension, writing and so much more. Knowing and understanding these stages, and many facets of literacy development, can help teachers provide students with the learning experience they need to grow, and also offer insights into possible areas of breakdown.
The video clips and related articles also highlight the fact that children come into our classrooms with a wide range of previous language and literacy experiences (both from home and other schools). Mira and Neil were examples of children who would come to school with a wealth of previous knowledge and experience with literacy building blocks. We know this is not representative of all children. This is where assessment becomes so important, so that we can truly know what our children know and do not know, and be the best teachers possible by making informed instructional decisions.
Another idea that these readings/videos made clear is that one of the greatest gifts we can give our students (and our own children) is the message that reading is a joyful and fun experience. The work that Mira's parents did with her around print awareness and reading for enjoyment, and the games that Neil's mother played with her, illustrate the importance and possibility of early (preschool) literacy experiences. It is easy to see how providing these experiences gives children a powerful head start when they enter classrooms and encounter formal reading instruction. Furthermore, when we see that children have not had these experiences, we know what we need to provide them with to help them reach important literacy understandings and milestones.
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