ERIC ED413588: Learning To Read, Reading To Learn.

10 Pages·1997·0.15 MB·English

by  ERIC

DOCUMENT RESUME
CS 012 977
ED 413 588
Carroll, Vickie
AUTHOR
Learning To Read, Reading To Learn.
TITLE
PUB DATE 1997-00-00
NOTE
8p.
Opinion Papers (120)
PUB TYPE
MF01/PC01 Plus Postage.
EDRS PRICE
*Beginning Reading; Elementary Education; *Phonics; *Reading
DESCRIPTORS
Instruction; Reading Material Selection; Reading Strategies;
*Whole Language Approach
*Balanced Literacy
IDENTIFIERS
ABSTRACT
Recent research confirms that children learn to read best by
using a balanced literacy program incorporating a combination of explicit
phonics, whole language, and good literature. Long before children are able
to engage in reading themselves, they must feel that reading is something
they want to do. Comfortable and early familiarity with letters is critical
for learning to read. Essential to children's growing desire to read is the
appeal of being able to decode the exact sounds and words of texts even in
the midst of a curriculum that stresses approximation and large meanings of
narratives. Before children are taught specific skills and strategies for
reading, they need to learn the first strategy of all--read to make sense of
texts. Self-selection of reading materials can support children's literacy
development. Students develop reading strategies and skills in the context of
reading and writing text. In this process, they become literate individuals
(Contains five references.)
who not only can read, but who want to.
(RS)
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1
LEARNING TO READ, READING TO LEARN
By Vickie Carroll
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LEARNING TO READ, READING TO LEARN
Introduction.
I.
Learning to read is a tremendous event in a child's life. This paper explores
characteristics of emerging readers and various techniques used by educators to teach
reading. Recent research confers that children learn to read most effectively through a
"balanced literacy program."
The question of how best teach children to read has been an ongoing
controversy for many years. There have been numerous research articles that have
examined the merits of phonics instruction versus an integrated approach to teaching
reading skills. In 1995, the California Legislature, Gov. Pete Wilson and the State Board
of Education took steps to replace this State's experiment of a whole-language
technique of teaching reading with a balanced approach that includes explicit,
systematic phonics and literature. Many school districts are currently making a
transition to include a balanced literacy approach to teaching reading.
Principles before children begin to read.
IL
Long before children are able to engage in reading themselves, they must feel
that reading is something they want to do. They must develop an appreciation for
written language and for the many ways language is useful. They need to develop a
basic sense of what print looks like and how it works. They must learn how to handle a
book, which way to turn the pages, and that the printed words - not the pictures, tells
the story when you read.
Another factor to consider is not only how children begin to read but also when.
According to research conducted by Gould (1998) the average achievement of
preschool readers, over a six-year period, remains significantly higher than the average
achievement of equally bright schoolmates who did not begin to read until after they
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3
of
started the first grade. Significantly, this head start gives the first grader a sense
being competent and successful from the very minute they start school.
Beginning to Read
III.
Comfortable and early familiarity with letters is critical for learning to read.
Children should learn the names of letters and recognize their corresponding shapes.
The ability to think about words as a sequence of phonemes is an essential key to
learning how to read an alphabetic language. Children need to become aware of the
building blocks of spoken language. They need to understand that sentences are made
with letters and an awareness of the
up as strings of separate words. Given familiarity
sound of phonemes, children are ready to learn about letter sound correspondence.
Most children will find it easier to develop phonemic awareness in the process of
learning to read and write. Phonemic awareness is simply what we have learned to
think of as separate sounds in words. For example, the word "first" has five sounds:
f,i,r,s, and t. Young children have difficulty analyzing words into separate sounds, but
they can easily reread familiar and simple texts, which in turn helps them develop
and learning to
awareness of letter/sound patterns. Therefore, phonemic awareness
read facilitate one another.
MacGilliray (1997) observed first graders learning to read. She states that
essential to the children's growing desire to read, is the appeal of being able to decode
the exact sounds and words of texts (parts or phonemes) even in the midst of
curriculum that stresses approximation and large meaning in narratives (whole.) In
this classroom setting, certain ways of reading seemed to be valued more than others.
Parts seemed to have an appeal that led students to attend to individual words as much
progressively attended more to
as possible without breaking down meaning. Children
the parts of language as their abilities increased.
4
IV
Phonics or Whole Language?
Beginning in the primary grades, typically the first, students begin to learn
printed equivalents for the spoken words they know. Children read stories and
selections containing common words already familiar from speech. With practice,
most children read with increasing fluency and understanding. Some schools and
reading textbooks teach students to recognize whole words and stress the meaning of
the text. Other first emphasize the study of phonics - that is, the sounds represented by
individual letters - and the development of independent word-recognition skills. Only
phonics and the
more recently have researchers suggested that some combination of
student.
use of literature should be counterparts for the ultimate advantage of the
Reading needs to be Engaging and Meaningful and include
V
Student Selection.
I have observed that students that can read, like to read. The students who find
reading a struggle, resist reading. Therefore, it is important to make reading
meaningful and engaging. Reading is basically a meaning making process, that is,
proficient readers and even proficient first grade readers, read to make sense of texts.
Before children are taught specific skills and strategies for reading, they need to learn
the first strategy of all, read to make sense of texts. Students need to absorb the idea
that reading is supposed to make sense, and that text is not just a bunch of unconnected
words to be pronounced.
Harris (1996) observed an elementary school making the shift from a structured
basal-reader program that included phonics to a balanced program that focused
around the use of good literature. This particular school had successfully used a basal
reader approach in that students scored high on standardized tests and were quick to
learn how to read. However, by the time the students reached the 3rd grade, parents
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5
and teachers recognized that students lacked development of critical thinking skills.
Thus, the school has shifted to incorporate a balanced reading program in hopes of
correcting this problem. They will not exclude phonics instruction, rather when a
phonics skill is taught, it will be in a meaningful context. For example, rather than
using a worksheet on the letter "t ", the teacher might use poetry that focuses on the
letter fit."
Fresch (1995) argues that self-selection of reading materials supports a 6-year
olds literacy development. Students in literature based classrooms take more time in
making selections of books to read. Fresch conducted a study of 23 first graders in a
whole language classroom. The reading program consisted of three parts: Small group
instruction, shared big book reading, and reading self-selected books. Harris concludes
that self-selection prompts students to reach for more challenging books and further,
they reread them out of interest. Thus, the students consistently make decisions that
extend practice in developing literacy. The more time children spend reading, the
better readers they become. Indeed, one can become a highly competent reader
through extensive reading, even while continuing to have problems with word
recognition and decoding.
Conclusion.
V.
Recent research confers that children learn to read best by a balanced literacy
program incorporating a combination of explicit phonics, whole language with good
literature. The texts must engage students and the students need to be a part of the
decision making process on what texts are most meaningful to them. This coupled with
phonics instruction and whole language techniques seems to be key to best enable
students to learn to read. Students develop reading strategies and skills in the context of
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6
.
reading and writing text. In this process, they become literate individuals whom not
only can read, but who want to.
7
REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
Au, Kathryn H., (Nov. 1991) "Literacy for all students: Ten steps toward making
a difference" The Reading Teacher, Vol. 51, No. 3, 186-193.
Fresch, Mary Jo, (Nov. 1995) "Self-selection of early literacy learners,
The Reading Teacher, Vol. 49, No. 3, 220-227.
Gould, Toni S., (1988) Get Ready to Read, "Discovering letters and sounds"
Walker & Co., NY, 81-99.
Harris, Sandra, (May 1996) "Bringing about change in reading instruction"
The Reading Teacher, Vol. 49, No. 8, 612-618.
MacGilliray, Laura, (Spring 1997) "I've seen you read: Reading strategies in a
first grade class" Journal of Research in Childhood Education, Vol. 11, No. 2, 49-54.
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