Hi All!
This was posted on another list I belong to. I thought it would be of interest to you.
Early start may encourage literacy for children with and without disabilities By Jodi Legge
Literacy, the ability to read and write, is crucial to every child's success in education, as well as to most other areas of life.
Experts define literacy as the ability to read, write, speak, and solve problems at levels necessary to function at school, in society, and on the job. Reading is part of literacy and includes both word recognition and comprehension.
Children with cognitive, learning, and other disabilities often struggle with reading. Some will need the help of trained professionals. However, many children, with and without disabilities, benefit from early exposure to literacy.
"Starting early is the key to childhood literacy," said Trish Mengel, from the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC). "It really
makes the difference in a child's ability to communicate through oral and written approaches."
Mengel said parents can begin to teach children early literacy skills at home by sharing books and other items that have printed words on them, such as food items, toys, puzzles, etc. "Expose young children to the print around them and talk to them about what they see. Make shopping lists, tell them you are looking up a neighbor's number in the telephone directory, explain what items are on a menu-the opportunities are endless. This is how young children begin to develop concepts of print."
Mengel noted that researchers have changed the way they feel about early literacy and how important it is to support the process at home. Recent research has suggested that by simply reading to your youngster, their awareness of the written language will be stimulated, encouraging them to learn,
A recent study commissioned by the National Research Council selected several child care centers in Northeast Louisiana to find out what literacy strategies were used at the homes of children ages 3 through 5 years. The study did not consider gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic status.
Parents in the study were asked eight questions, all dealing with literacy strategies used in the home, Findings indicated that reading books and pointing out letters of the alphabet in books and the environment, together, were the favorite ways for parents to encourage reading. Books, blocks and teaching nursery rhymes were other common methods the parents used. The parents reported that they also used mass media as a source to teach literacy skills, including reading from magazines and watching television programs with their children.
From this study, researchers were able to determine that children respond well and appear to benefit from reading books, combined with other literacy strategies, such as using nursery rhymes, flashcards, and blocks to teach words, Preschool children who were encouraged to experiment in writing their names and scribbling words also reinforced the concepts needed for successful reading skills.
"Book reading is a shared event in which children should be active participants. Ask questions such as, 'What do you think will happen next?' 'Which animal do you think will run the fastest?' 'How can you tell that the little boy is sad?' have children retell a favorite story, use assistive technology when appropriate to ensure that nonverbal children can be actively involved. You might program a Big Mac [a technology device] with a repeated line from the story so that the child can 'read' that page," said Mengel.
Several PACER projects, including the Early Childhood project, are active in promoting early literacy skills as part of childhood development. One project developed a fact sheet for parents to teach early literacy skills. Some early literacy tips from the fact sheet include:
Teach reading basics
To be a good reader, your child must be able to do two things at the same time: decode the words on the page and understand what the words mean.
Encourage your child to do more reading
The best way to become a better reader is to spend more time reading. Reading aloud to your child while he or she looks at the page, turning on the closed caption screen while watching television, or writing simple notes to your child can help.
Read aloud to your child and with your child
Read out loud together with your child. Let your child pick the material. Point to words as you pronounce them. Read clearly and with expression. Read at a pace that is comfortable for your child. While not always as effective as reading with your child, some children can benefit from reading out loud with a recorded book-on-tape or with software on a computer. Books-on-tape are available at most neighborhood libraries.
Good fluency instruction includes learning about the rhythm and expression of our language.
You, or the voice of the speaker on a book-on-tape, are role models for reading with expression. By listening to an expressive reader, your child is learning how to group words into meaningful phrases.
Use mnemonic techniques for older children with specific learning disabilities.
Mnemonic strategies are ways to help your child do a better job of encoding information. This will allow him or her to do a better job of retrieving the information on demand.
Keyword method: this method pairs a new word with a key word. The keyword sounds like the new word and can be easily pictured (i.e., a barrister is another
word for lawyer, so tell your child to picture a bear in a courtroom to help him or her remember the new word).
Pegword method: This method is used when numbered and ordered information must be remembered. Peg words are words that rhyme with numbers (i.e., use the pegword “sticks” to be the number six in your example—picture insects walking on sticks to remind your child that insects have six legs.)
Letter strategies: Use an acronym made up of the first letters of the item to remember (ie., the acronym HOMES can be used to help students remember all the names of the Great Lakes—Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior)
Research shows that children with disabilities can be taught to use these mnemonic techniques, resulting in better test scores and easier learning at school.
“Whatever the choice, keep reading to your child,” said Mengel. “Let your child know that you feel reading and literacy are important.”
For more information on early literacy skills and techniques visit: www.ablenetinc.com www.pacer.org
This was posted on another list I belong to. I thought it would be of interest to you.
Early start may encourage literacy for children with and without disabilities By Jodi Legge
Literacy, the ability to read and write, is crucial to every child's success in education, as well as to most other areas of life.
Experts define literacy as the ability to read, write, speak, and solve problems at levels necessary to function at school, in society, and on the job. Reading is part of literacy and includes both word recognition and comprehension.
Children with cognitive, learning, and other disabilities often struggle with reading. Some will need the help of trained professionals. However, many children, with and without disabilities, benefit from early exposure to literacy.
"Starting early is the key to childhood literacy," said Trish Mengel, from the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC). "It really
makes the difference in a child's ability to communicate through oral and written approaches."
Mengel said parents can begin to teach children early literacy skills at home by sharing books and other items that have printed words on them, such as food items, toys, puzzles, etc. "Expose young children to the print around them and talk to them about what they see. Make shopping lists, tell them you are looking up a neighbor's number in the telephone directory, explain what items are on a menu-the opportunities are endless. This is how young children begin to develop concepts of print."
Mengel noted that researchers have changed the way they feel about early literacy and how important it is to support the process at home. Recent research has suggested that by simply reading to your youngster, their awareness of the written language will be stimulated, encouraging them to learn,
A recent study commissioned by the National Research Council selected several child care centers in Northeast Louisiana to find out what literacy strategies were used at the homes of children ages 3 through 5 years. The study did not consider gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic status.
Parents in the study were asked eight questions, all dealing with literacy strategies used in the home, Findings indicated that reading books and pointing out letters of the alphabet in books and the environment, together, were the favorite ways for parents to encourage reading. Books, blocks and teaching nursery rhymes were other common methods the parents used. The parents reported that they also used mass media as a source to teach literacy skills, including reading from magazines and watching television programs with their children.
From this study, researchers were able to determine that children respond well and appear to benefit from reading books, combined with other literacy strategies, such as using nursery rhymes, flashcards, and blocks to teach words, Preschool children who were encouraged to experiment in writing their names and scribbling words also reinforced the concepts needed for successful reading skills.
"Book reading is a shared event in which children should be active participants. Ask questions such as, 'What do you think will happen next?' 'Which animal do you think will run the fastest?' 'How can you tell that the little boy is sad?' have children retell a favorite story, use assistive technology when appropriate to ensure that nonverbal children can be actively involved. You might program a Big Mac [a technology device] with a repeated line from the story so that the child can 'read' that page," said Mengel.
Several PACER projects, including the Early Childhood project, are active in promoting early literacy skills as part of childhood development. One project developed a fact sheet for parents to teach early literacy skills. Some early literacy tips from the fact sheet include:
Teach reading basics
To be a good reader, your child must be able to do two things at the same time: decode the words on the page and understand what the words mean.
Encourage your child to do more reading
The best way to become a better reader is to spend more time reading. Reading aloud to your child while he or she looks at the page, turning on the closed caption screen while watching television, or writing simple notes to your child can help.
Read aloud to your child and with your child
Read out loud together with your child. Let your child pick the material. Point to words as you pronounce them. Read clearly and with expression. Read at a pace that is comfortable for your child. While not always as effective as reading with your child, some children can benefit from reading out loud with a recorded book-on-tape or with software on a computer. Books-on-tape are available at most neighborhood libraries.
Good fluency instruction includes learning about the rhythm and expression of our language.
You, or the voice of the speaker on a book-on-tape, are role models for reading with expression. By listening to an expressive reader, your child is learning how to group words into meaningful phrases.
Use mnemonic techniques for older children with specific learning disabilities.
Mnemonic strategies are ways to help your child do a better job of encoding information. This will allow him or her to do a better job of retrieving the information on demand.
Keyword method: this method pairs a new word with a key word. The keyword sounds like the new word and can be easily pictured (i.e., a barrister is another
word for lawyer, so tell your child to picture a bear in a courtroom to help him or her remember the new word).
Pegword method: This method is used when numbered and ordered information must be remembered. Peg words are words that rhyme with numbers (i.e., use the pegword “sticks” to be the number six in your example—picture insects walking on sticks to remind your child that insects have six legs.)
Letter strategies: Use an acronym made up of the first letters of the item to remember (ie., the acronym HOMES can be used to help students remember all the names of the Great Lakes—Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior)
Research shows that children with disabilities can be taught to use these mnemonic techniques, resulting in better test scores and easier learning at school.
“Whatever the choice, keep reading to your child,” said Mengel. “Let your child know that you feel reading and literacy are important.”
For more information on early literacy skills and techniques visit: www.ablenetinc.com www.pacer.org
