PRE-READING SKILLS
PARENT READ ALOUDs
READ
ALOUD TO YOUR CHILD FROM THE TIME THEY ENTER THIS WORLD. Many people begin even
sooner, knowing their fetus responds to the sound of their voice several months
before birth. Infants love the sound of your voice and want to listen to you
speak as often as possible. Set aside a minimum
of fifteen minutes per day to read from books. Using books introduces your
child to a wider range of vocabulary. In my own home, my husband and I tend to
have the same conversations over and over again. We talk about what we’re
having for dinner, what chores or errands need to be done, which politician
we’re disgusted with, what our cat is doing, and whether or not we have enough
soup and chocolate on hand. In other words, our conversation consists of the
same limited vocabulary. By reading stories on a wide range of topics, you will
introduce your child to a much larger pool of vocabulary. Students who
have been read to will develop a
much larger vocabulary, based on what they have heard. These students will be far more prepared for reading than
their peers who were rarely or never read to at home.
If
you are a parent who has a reading
disability such as dyslexia, this may sound like your child doesn’t stand a
chance. Don’t worry; I have some tips for you too. From birth to age three or
four, describe what you see in picture books. Do your best to tell it using a
story format, giving characters names, and describing the setting. Try to have
a beginning, middle and end to the story, and most importantly use the widest
range of descriptive words you can. I talk more about help for dyslexic parents and children in my book – check the Additional Information section.
Keep
reading to your child, well after they have learned to read on their own.
Picture dictionaries are useful when learning to speak and name things, but stories are best for reading aloud to
children. Stories give them a sense of how language works. They can hear the
rhythm and flow of how sentences sound. They begin to understand how to use
articles like “the;” how to use verbs like “is” and “are;” and how to use pronouns
like “he” and “she.” In other words, children learn to listen for what a
sentence sounds like. They begin to develop an understanding of the purpose of
stories. Is it teaching a lesson, or entertaining? Is it teaching rhyme or
alliteration? They won’t know as infants or toddlers, but they will begin to develop that foundation of understanding
just from hearing your voice.
Point to words, and let your finger run smoothly under the sentences
as you read. This helps your child develop print
awareness, the realization that there is a relationship between the words
on the page and the words you are speaking. In time, they will understand those
printed words have meaning, just as your spoken words do. Point to the pictures
and talk about what you each see. Does it relate to the words? Do the pictures
add information? Does it make you wonder what will happen next?
Choosing which books to read can feel overwhelming. There are so many to choose
from. In general you want stories to be entertaining enough to hold your
child’s interest. They should also be age
appropriate, relatable, and relevant. So, if your child is learning the
names of colors you may want a story that incorporates some color words. If
your family is planning a trip to a farm, read a story about farm animals. If
it is winter time, read a story about snow. Read stories that include
multicultural traditions, history, science, nature, animals, other kids, the
list goes on and on. Gradually, as your child matures into kindergarten and
early elementary school you will want the stories to become increasingly more realistic and relatable. Real world narratives will be of increasing
interest to your child as he gets into the elementary grades. In the meantime,
don’t be afraid to read and discuss challenging
material beyond their ability to decode. After all the purpose of reading aloud
isn’t for the child to read the book, the
purpose is to develop listening,
thinking and comprehension skills.
If your child struggles to understand, your job is to help them. Comprehension is about inferring what
has not been said in the book. You will need to help them draw on the background knowledge you have taught
them. When you come across unfamiliar words in your reading, take the time to
define the word right then. It’s more efficient than teaching the words before
or after reading. You may be wondering how many times you should read a book,
and whether you should stay on the same topic for a while or move on. The
answers vary a bit by age. Two and three year olds will want to hear the same
story over and over again. That’s fine just don’t limit reading to their favorite books. By four, stick to the same topic long enough for it
to become familiar, but use a wide variety of books on that topic. Children learn words faster when topics are
familiar.
One
of my favorite resources is www.GrowingBookbyBook.com.
Both parents and teachers will find this web site extremely useful when making
decisions about which book to read next. Founder Jodie Rodriguez does a
wonderful job of creating lists of books with a common theme. You’ll find lists
by category as well as by age. She also shares many tips for teaching your
student to read. Here are a few lists you won’t want to miss:
· 100 Books Every
Child Should Hear Before Kindergarten
·
Song Books For
Babies
·
Favorite Books
for 1-2 Year Olds
·
Favorite Books
for 2-3 Year Olds
·
Favorite Books
for 3-4 Year Olds
·
Multicultural
Books for Preschoolers
·
Science for
Preschoolers
·
Favorite Books
for 5-6 Year Olds
One
of my favorite childhood books was The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats. As a
child growing up in sunny southern California, snow was intriguing! I loved
hearing Peter “crunch, crunch, crunch,” as he walked through the snow, and
making snow angels! Wow!!! I wanted to do that! I had no way of understanding
at the time, that this book was breaking color barriers. Published in 1962, a
book featuring an African American boy as the main character in a mainstream
publication was virtually unheard of. Yet, here I was, a “little white girl,” identifying
with a “little black boy.” This is why I encourage you to read multicultural books to your students. Children don’t see color
or cultural barriers. They enjoy quality stories and illustrations. They
identify with characters, imagine themselves in places they’ve never been, and
learn that differences are insignificant when compared to how much we all have
in common.
Make
a point of looking for award winning
children’s literature. Awarded by the American Library Association, The
Caldecott Award is for illustrations, and the Newbury Award is for
distinguished children’s literature. These are the best of the best. Finding Caldecott and Newbury Award winning
books is easy @ www.bookworm4kids.com.
Your
child’s early reading years will consist mostly of fiction, but that doesn’t mean you can’t include some non-fiction
in your read alouds. Use non-fiction
for realistic photos, naming things, and building background knowledge. By
fourth grade, half of your child’s reading should be non-fiction, with the
other half being fiction. By ninth grade, 70% of his reading should be
non-fiction. So, your early non-fiction read alouds will serve as an
introduction to this genre.
The
last thing you’ll want to think about is where you read. Create a cozy spot. It can be anything: a pile of blankets and
pillows on the floor; a spot to curl up on the sofa; a bean bag chair; or a
special nook or reading tent. In the summer: spread out a blanket under a tree;
pull up a favorite lawn chair; or maybe a rocking chair on the front porch. The
point is for both of you to be comfortable. Make reading an enjoyable activity you will both look forward to every
day.
TEACH BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
START
BUILDING BACKGROUND FROM INFANCY, AND NEVER STOP. You don’t need to have a book
in your hands all the time. Talk to your
child. Explain everything. Talk about all those household chores you do,
why you do them, what tools and products you use, and why you use them. Name
all of the rooms and objects in your home. Talk about how you use those rooms
and why you have those objects. Look at family photos and talk about your
family. Go outside and name the trees, and plants. Talk about the weather and
how it affects the plants. Your child has entered the world with a blank slate.
Help them fill it up with any tidbit of information you can think of. As they
begin to grow, children have lots of
questions – answer them, even if you already have. They are trying to
understand the world around them. Help them understand. The more background
information they have the better. You see, books
don’t explain everything. Authors often assume readers know certain things
like: where our food comes from – plants and animals; what a mountain is vs. a
hill; which animals live in a jungle vs. a forest or a farm. So, it’s up to parents and teachers to
provide that background knowledge. Without it, reading comprehension will be
slow and frustrating. The more background knowledge your child has the easier
it will be for him to understand what is being read to him, as well as, what he
is reading independently. Remember the
ultimate goal is literacy, true literacy – not just decoding words on a
page. You want your child – or student, to comprehend and derive meaning from
those sentences he just read. So talk, answer questions, listen to what he has
to say, correct misinformation, and listen again.
See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon
The Pringle Plan is a series of educational guides.
©2018 Laura S. Pringle. All Rights Reserved.
