| Reading is a highly complex, integrated activity | | | | difficult for them to decode. This level of |
| that daunts as many as 33 percent of the | | | | difficulty is referred to as the "independent |
| population. | | | | reading level." Frequent reading of material at a |
| Many children become proficient readers | | | | child's independent reading level builds automatic |
| regardless of how they are taught. However, for | | | | word recognition and frees up a child's mental |
| children who experience difficulty learning to gain | | | | abilities for comprehension. |
| meaning from print, reading must be | | | | Background Knowledge |
| systematically and carefully taught. Mastering the | | | | Comprehension depends heavily on a student's |
| following components of the reading process is | | | | knowledge of the world. Therefore, the skill of |
| essential if students are to become proficient | | | | reading comprehension begins to develop long |
| readers. | | | | before children enter school. Children who have |
| Appreciation and enthusiasm for reading | | | | more experiences of all types, have more |
| It comes as no surprise that children who are | | | | background knowledge upon which to base their |
| passionate about reading are more skillful | | | | understanding of written material. Parents help |
| readers. Reading is more exciting to students | | | | their child develop reading skills when they visit |
| when students are: | | | | the museum, the park and even the store. |
| * Read to frequently | | | | Parents and teachers should also read to students |
| * Allowed to choose their reading material | | | | in order to help them create a stockpile of |
| * Exposed to a wide variety of interesting reading | | | | information that will facilitate reading |
| materials | | | | comprehension. The best reading instruction |
| Phonemic awareness | | | | teaches a student to access background |
| Successful reading depends upon understanding | | | | knowledge while reading. |
| that words are composed of individual sounds. | | | | Vocabulary |
| Children need direct teaching in the skills of | | | | Comprehension depends on having a large |
| breaking words into their component sounds and | | | | vocabulary. Children who read widely learn word |
| in blending individual sounds together into words. | | | | meanings at a faster rate than children whose |
| Phonemic awareness is one of the most | | | | reading is more limited either in scope or |
| important skills upon which early reading | | | | quantity. During their school years, children |
| depends. Children who have poorly developed | | | | should be learning several thousand new words |
| phonemic awareness skills are at great risk for | | | | per year. Most of these words are learned by |
| becoming poor readers. | | | | reading. |
| Phonics and Decoding | | | | Written Expression |
| Letters of the alphabet are a code representing | | | | Reading and writing are two sides of the same |
| the sounds in words. Reading involves "decoding" | | | | coin. Effective reading instruction must include |
| or translating written words into their spoken | | | | training in expressing one's thoughts in writing. |
| equivalents. The early stage of decoding | | | | Children should be given daily practice in organizing |
| instruction emphasizes the correspondence | | | | and expressing their knowledge through writing. |
| between individual letters or pairs of letters (such | | | | This builds their ability to decode and comprehend |
| as "oa") and the sounds they represent. Later | | | | the thoughts of other writers. |
| reading instruction stresses rapid identification of | | | | The key to helping students who experience |
| larger units such as syllables. Identifying larger | | | | difficulty in learning to read is to identify a |
| phonetic elements is termed structural analysis. | | | | student's specific reading problems and to devise |
| Once a student learns the correspondence | | | | programs which capitalize upon a student's unique |
| between sounds and print, he or she has become | | | | learning strengths. A curriculum that focuses on |
| a proficient decoder. | | | | specific, appropriate, and practical learning |
| Fluent, Automatic Reading of Text | | | | strategies will best help students become |
| However, in order to become an efficient reader, | | | | proficient, efficient and independent readers. |
| the decoding process must become fast and | | | | An appropriate literacy goal for all students should |
| accurate. When decoding is efficient, attention | | | | be that each student is fully able to use reading |
| and memory processes are available for | | | | as a springboard for independent, critical thought |
| comprehending what is being read. Reading | | | | and expression. Reading fuels the highest levels |
| fluency training is vital for strengthening a | | | | of the thinking process. Good readers are |
| student's comprehension skills. Children should | | | | armed with tools to become strong thinkers. |
| have ample practice reading material that is not | | | | |