Reading: Understanding the Printed Page

To read is to get meaning from print. Children learn to read in different ways. For example, some children look at a word, immediately recognize it, and say it out loud. Others sound out the letters in words; still others may guess a word based on a picture clue. You can easily understand why children need to learn several ways to decode words and to make sense of their meaning. Some important reading strategies include:

• looking for pictures that help explain the story;
• recognizing words that children have seen elsewhere;
• thinking about what word makes sense (or sounds correct) in the sentence;
• sounding out individual letters or groups of letters in a word.

No one needs to tell you how important it is that your child have many opportunities to read--every day, at home and at school. When you visit your child's classroom, look for a balanced approach to teaching reading--one that involves children in exciting reading experiences and in learning and practicing reading skills as well.

Reading is a process

Clues to look for in your child's classroom

Phonics versus whole language

Questions to ask your child's teacher

Reading is a Process

Children begin "reading" long before they enter elementary school. As infants and toddlers, they enjoy looking through books with adults. Eventually they learn to connect pictures in a book with the words on the page. You may remember how your child asked you to read the same books over and over again. Children enjoy repetition--they love to anticipate what happens next and delight in knowing the answer. Once they have discovered that the words on the page say the same thing every time, children will correct an adult who omits or substitutes a word in a familiar book. They will pretend to read a well-loved book on their own. They may retell the story, pause as they turn the pages, and even change their tone of voice for different characters. These actions are key reading behaviors. When children view themselves as readers, they are motivated to develop the skills they need. Reading experiences in school should use this natural enthusiasm to propel children to become lifelong readers.

However, a note of caution: children learn to read at different rates. This is completely normal and natural. Some children learn to read in preschool and kindergarten. Others may not read fluently until well into second or third grade. When children learn to read is not as important in the long term as how they feel about reading. Enjoyment of and interest in reading inspire children to learn the skills needed to be good readers.

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Clues to look for in your child's classroom

Children's reading experiences in school should build on what they already know and add on new skills and strategies from there. When you visit your child's classroom, you can look for clues to help you understand how this is accomplished. Here are some activities you should see.

• Reading books aloud. Enough said. Your child should be read to in school every day.
• Reading big books together. Big books have enlarged print so that a group of children can see the writing and illustrations and thus "read" the book at the same time. Big books are effective for teaching specific skills and pointing out patterns, rhymes, or the repetition of sounds.
• Reading in small groups or book clubs. When children meet in a small group with the teacher several times a week, they can receive specific instruction based on their individual needs. In small groups, children also can share ideas about a book that everyone has read. However, groups should be fluid and change, based on the teacher's assessment of what individual children are ready to learn.
• Reading independently. During independent ("free") reading times, children choose whatever they wish to read--magazines, joke books, adventure tales, sports stories, and so forth--and just relax with the book of their choice. It's a time to reinforce the idea that reading can be fun.
• Reading all around the room. Look for posters and pictures with captions, cartoons, calendars with special events noted, signs, directions, labels on boxes of materials and supplies, schedules, and other evidence of print throughout the classroom.
• Reading in the content areas. Learning to read is a means, not an end. Because reading to learn is equally important, instruction should take place throughout the day--not just during specific reading periods.

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The Great "Phonics Versus Whole Language" Debate

You've probably heard or read about the debate over the benefits of phonics versus whole language as the method for learning to read. This debate has even entered the political arena at local, state, and national levels. Unfortunately, as so often happens, discussion on this subject has become oversimplified, polarizing those involved into an "I'm right, you're wrong" position.

As in any debate, it's important to understand the terms. Phonics is one of the strategies readers use to figure out unfamiliar words. It involves thinking about the sounds attached to individual letters or groups of letters and using that information to "read" the word. When parents and teachers encourage children to "sound out" a word, they are asking them to use phonics. To use phonics as a reading strategy, children must know about the sounds letters make. For this reason, the direct teaching of phonics skills should be part of a program of reading instruction; that is, children should learn phonics as part of many different reading and writing activities based on their individual needs.

Whole language, on the other hand, refers to a set of beliefs about how children acquire language skills. Drawing on a knowledge of child development, advocates of a whole language approach believe that children learn to listen, speak, read, and write by extensive practical use and by trial and error. Embedded in this approach is the belief that a child's internal motivation plays a major role in the successful acquisition of skills. As a result, in "whole language classrooms," there is considerable emphasis on practical use of language skills in all subjects, on direct instruction of these skills throughout the day, and on building children's motivation and enthusiasm.

A Balanced Approach

Don't be misled by the "whole language" label or the "phonics" label. As a parent, you want to be sure that there is a balance in your child's classroom. If all you see and hear about is skills instruction--worksheets on letter sounds, letter of the week, short vowel-long vowel exercises, and the like--you should indeed be concerned. Such evidence may mean that little time is devoted to reading books, applying language skills, and promoting a love for good literature.

On the other hand, if your child is reading and writing throughout the day but you don't see any improvement in the use of reading/writing strategies, you should also be concerned. Most children do not learn skills magically; they need to be taught these skills--including, but not limited to, phonics--directly.

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Questions to Ask Your Child's Teacher

• Could you show me a book my child reads easily?
• What type of book is my child working on now?
• What kinds of activities related to reading does my child like to do--drawing, writing, acting...?
• What are your goals for my child in reading? How will you help him achieve these goals? What can I do to help?
• Which reading strategies does my child use most confidently?
• Does my child choose to read during free time?
• Does my child participate in discussions about what she reads in school?
• What have been her favorite read-aloud books?
• Are there popular poems or songs that my child likes?

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