Consider:
Shared Book Experiences
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Classroom Shared Book Experiences
“Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.”
Emilie Buchwald
Research shows the greatest forecaster of a child’s reading success is whether or not the child has been read to at home (Durkin, 1966; Wells, 1986).
Classroom shared book experiences, replicate some of the profound advantages of home read aloud experiences (Durkin, 1966; Wells, 1986).
Through the use of large print books, poems, songs, chants, and projected books children are able to read along with the teacher and learn:
Directionality
Alphabetic Principle and Phonemic Awareness
Speech and Print
Print Carries a Message
Fluency and the Rhythm of Language
Comprehension & Vocabulary
Research Based Best Practices
· Reading and writing are strongly entwined. “Book Flooding” studies, with English Language Learners, demonstrated writing and reading abilities can be significantly improved through shared reading experiences, using high-interest books (Elley, 1991; Elley & Mangubhai, 1983).
· Figuring out new words (decoding), in context, can be very helpful to students as they are learning about alphabetic principle. This is an important reading strategy supported by shared reading experiences (Stahl, 2004)
· Shared reading experiences provide the multiple exposures to new vocabulary that children require in order to make new vocabulary his/her own (Kamil, 2004).
· Discussions in shared reading experiences allow children to use new vocabulary in creating oral language (Kamil, 2004).
· Children need support as they learn to read. Shared book experiences provide a non-threatening atmosphere in which children can take risks, enjoy their successes, and actively engage in learning (Guthrie & Humenick, 2004)
· Warm, friendly conversations and the freedom to ask questions, further allows a child to build understanding of vocabulary (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000).
· Shared reading experiences are one component of a balanced approach to reading.
Durkin, D. (1966). Children who read early: Two longitudinal studies. New York: Teachers College Press.
Elley, W. (1991). Acquiring literacy in a second language: The effects of book-based programs. Language Learning, 41(3), 375 - 411.
Elley, W., & Mangubhai, F. (1983). The impact of reading on second language learning. Reading Research Quarterly, 19, 53 - 67.
Guthrie, J. T., & Humenick, N. M. (2004). Motivating students to read: Evidence for classroom practices that increase reading motivation and achievement. In P. McCardel & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pp. 329 - 354). Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.
Kamil, M. (2004). Vocabulary and comprehension instruction: Summary and implications of the National Reading Panel findings. In P. McCardle & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pp. 213 - 234). Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). The report of the National Reading Panel: Report of the subgroups (comprehension). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Stahl, S. (2004). What do we know about fluency? Findings of the National Reading Panel. In P. McCardel & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pp. 187 - 211). Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.
Wells, G. (1986). The meaning makers: Children learning language and using language to learn. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
* Graphics: Copyright. Mardell von Solow. All rights reserved
Growing Up
Growing Up
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that little things can be the special things in life.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me good night, and I felt loved and safe.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.
When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."
-Source unknown-
Reading Aloud
Reading Aloud to Children - A True Gift
What can I do at home to help my child become a better reader?
This is a very caring and important question. Ultimately the answer is, Read to your child!
Research shows:
· The best forecaster of reading ability is the number of stories a child is read (Wells, 1986).
· Whether or not a child has been read to is the best forecaster of how early and easily a child will learn to read (Durkin, 1966).
What does reading to a child really do?
§ Invites children into a thousand new worlds.
§ Provides a warm, nurturing, low-stress learning environment.
§ Build a relationship between the reader and child, a gift you’ll enjoy for years.
§ Develops important language skills.
§ Develops concepts about print.
§ Increases knowledge base by providing experiences and background.
§ Increases vocabulary.
§ Increases comprehension.
§ Narrow the achievement gap.
§ Has a positive effect on brain development by Building Brain!
How does reading aloud to children improve reading?
· Children become more knowledgeable by gaining vocabulary and experiencing events beyond their world (Elley, 1989).
· Warm, friendly conversations and the freedom to ask questions, further allows a child to build understanding of vocabulary (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000).
· Gaining meaning from a story or conversation, rather than being given a word, is essential to help a child understand and then make vocabulary his/her own (Kamil, 2004)
· Plunging children into a world full of reading experiences, helps them attain high levels of literacy (Snow, 2000).
· In our very visual world, reading to children develops listening comprehension (Dickinson & Smith, 1994; Elley, 1989).
Read Aloud experiences are one component of a balanced approach to reading.
Dr. G. Reid Lyon is the former Chief of the Child Development and Behavior Branch within the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) at the National Institute of Health (NIH). In an interview Lyons stated,
“One of the things some of our studies do is look at the interactions that occur between moms and dads and kids. When you look at professors working with their kids from birth onward, they’re reading to those kids from day one, typically. They are not only reading, but as they read . . . they’re pointing out the letters and the sounds. They’re getting the kids to see the relationships between letters and sounds and vocabulary and concepts; they’re extending language . . . What they’re doing is building not only knowledge of language and print and how all of that goes together, but they’re building brain. We can see kids who don’t have these interactions, and they show us brain development substantially different from kids who do have these interactions . . . They are kids from disadvantaged families whose parents are working too hard to interact in the ways I just described, who may themselves not read, where there may not be books in the home” (Lyon, 2003).
References
Dickinson, D. K., & Smith, M. W. (1994). Long-term effects of preschool teachers' book readings on low-income children's vocabulary and story comprehension. Reading Research Quarterly, 29, 105 - 122.
Durkin, D. (1966). Children who read early: Two longitudinal studies. New York: Teachers College Press.
Elley, W. (1989). Vocabulary acquisition from listening to stories. Reading Research Quarterly, 24, 174 - 187.
Kamil, M. (2004). Vocabulary and comprehension instruction: Summary and implications of the National Reading Panel findings. In P. McCardle & V. Chhabra (Eds.), The voice of evidence in reading research (pp. 213 - 234). Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.
Lyon, G. R. (2003). Converging evidence, reading research: What it takes to read. Interview with David Boulton for Children of the Code, from www.childrenofthecode.org/interviews/lyon.htm#Personal
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. (2000). The report of the National Reading Panel: Report of the subgroups (comprehension). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Snow, C. E. (2000). Brookings papers on education policy: Comment by Catherine Snow on the federal bilingual education program. Washington, DC: Brookings Institute Press.
Wells, G. (1986). The meaning makers: Children learning language and using language to learn. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
* Graphics: Copyright. Mardell von Solow. All rights reserved