Learning to Read?

[Leslie]

Our son just turned 5 in early September. He is learning to read so I have a few questions. The process of watching a child learning sight words, phonics and then start to sound out words is an amazing process to me. So I have a few questions I was hoping someone could answer.
Is it best, when I am reading books to him that are a challenge but he can still recognize some of the simple words to point to each word as I read them? It seems to really help him hear the words and be able to internally read them?

We read all kinds if books, especially the ones in the picture book club each month.
But should I be reading books that are just a little above his reading level so he it can help him gain the feeling of confidence? So he can follow and get more exposure to the words?

I have no experience in having a kid learn how to read.
We are reading the we both read books and the I can read books. I can nt believe Amazon listed 659 I can read level 1 books. I had no idea that many were out there.

Any other pointers???
Thanks for any advice.

[Deborah]

It IS an amazing process, isnt' it? Very exciting. But I'm glad that you aren't leaving picture books behind! They are a terrific way to read "above his level", as the vocab in many picture books is more sophisticated than that of early readers - children can often learn these words by their context and with help from the art.

Have you looked at any of Mary Ann Hoberman's YOU READ TO ME, I'LL READ TO YOU books?Mary Ann Hoberman

I wouldn't worry about the level; just read lots and keep reading aloud, as you are, and he will be a happy reader. Enjoy!

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Leslie, I don't know much about teaching elementary reading skills to children, but when teaching a foreign language to novices, to beginners, a general consensus is to make the reading just a tiny bit above the skill level of the students, in order to challenge, encourage and stimulate the learning process. Too low a level, or even a level just at the skill level of the students (the learners) has been shown to stagnate learning and to even bore the learners, while a level that is too high becomes frustrating and stress-producing. It's sometimes a bit of a challenge figuring out the "right" reading level, but the way you are going about it, using books very slightly above his reading and comprehension level is (in my opinion) the absolutely correct way to proceed. Good luck and happy reading!! Sounds like fun for both of you ...

And as Deborah already has stated, picture books, especially slightly advanced picture books are an excellent idea, because in many ways, they (as she has already mentioned) eliminate the need for detailed vocabulary lists and long verbal explanations. I have recently used German picture books in my novice German language classes (even some wordless picture books to stimulate writing and storytelling), and they are a great addition ot language learning, all language learning.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

You might be beyond this already, but one thing to do is find the books that have rhymes and repition. For example, in We're Going on a Bear Hunt, the words in the title are repeated over and over. Your child will soon learn to know those words.

Whatever you do don't turn books or learning into a chore. As you know, children are naturally inquisitive, and generally only need support and enthusiasm, very little if any encouragement.

If he's truly wanting more, use words in the real world. Label his drawings. Label the items around the house that he wants to know the word for (lamp, closet, etc.) Let him show you he can read STOP when you're out for a walk, or CHEESE at snack time.

[Gaynor]

What a lot of good ideas. I was just thinking too, rhyme, rhythm and repetition. Young children should have the opportunity to read a favorite book over and over - perhaps they will memorize the text and then "read" the story to a toy or pet. Reading is about getting meaning from text and so as long as you keep that in mind and don't spend too much time sounding words out, you should be fine.
Reading is also meant to be fun and there are so many lovely picture books out there. Of course, you should never, ever cover up the pictures - some parents do!!
Once he gets going and can read simple texts, he will still come across new words. Encourage him to read on and then come back and consider what words would make sense there. Using grapho-phonic cues (what sounds the first letter makes, for example) and considering what would make sense in the sentence, are good word attack skills.
Others were absolutely correct in saying that the text should be just slightly above his current skill level for learning.(95-98%of the words should be known).
You have had some excellent advice.It is a satisfying and gratifying job teaching young children to read, and they all do it eventually - some easier than others.
All the best.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Gaynor wrote: "What a lot of good ideas. I was just thinking too, rhyme, rhythm and repetition. Young children should have the opportunity to read a favorite book over and over - perhaps they will memorize the te..."

What are the reasons why some parents cover up the illustrations in picture books? Sounds really silly counter-productive to me.

[Joanne]

Learning to read was dramatic for me. I was in the first grade, the teacher asked us to bring a book from home to work on. I brought "The Way Of A Dog." The teacher was bending over my desk, explaining something, when I suddenly GOT the concept of reading. I was so excited, I leapt up, and my head hit the teacher's chin. She bit her tongue, and a few drops of blood fell on "Lad, A Dog." I still have the book.

[Gaynor]

Gundula wrote: "Gaynor wrote: "What a lot of good ideas. I was just thinking too, rhyme, rhythm and repetition. Young children should have the opportunity to read a favorite book over and over - perhaps they will ..."
Yes it is quite strange. They feel that their child is not really reading unless they can read the words stand-alone. They forget the basic reason we read - to get meaning! We do this using all the clues we can, and parents just need reminding of that.
This sounds a bit smug I guess, but what seems obvious to us, others don't seem to realise.
I always say, just relax, enjoy the book together, and talk about the pictures. We even do a couple of lessons each year with wordless books during reading time (for all ages) and encourage students to "read" the pictures. In other words, form a story, try to guess what's happening from the pictures alone.This is to emphasize the importance of illustrations to the whole experience of early reading.
If the book is brand new to the reader, we usually spend some time establishing the context, talking about the cover and the title, predicting what will happen etc. It is important to stop every now and then and adjust our predictions. Once the book is well known and the reading has been enjoyable, children will ask for the same book over and over. They love the repetition and it helps them learn.

[Gaynor]

Joanne wrote: "Learning to read was dramatic for me. I was in the first grade, the teacher asked us to bring a book from home to work on. I brought "The Way Of A Dog." The teacher was bending over my desk, explai..."
I am sure that your teacher remembers you Joanne. That is a great memory to have. I cant remember when I first "learnt" to read, but because my parents read a lot, I probably took it for granted that writing meant something and had a message. That was your epiphany when you understood how to read."Print has a message and I can decipher it. Hooray!!"
This is far and away the most exciting part of my job.Don't you think it is truer to say that "students learn to read", rather than "students are taught to read"?

[Joanne]

Gaynor, what age do you teach ? I think there has to be a good balance of learning and teaching, to instill a love for reading. I'm betting you do it with grace and skill. Lucky kids.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

I asked my son, who is now 15 and an excellent (though not overly avid) reader, about this. He didn't start reading until almost a year after we all knew he should have/could have.

'Well,' he says, 'Mom, you know me, I'm, what's the word, stubborn; I just didn't want to learn to read.' 'Do you actually mean obstinate?' I asked him. 'Yes,' he said.

'Well, when you were ready what helped you?' 'Reading stuff that was just a little beyond my level.'

So, there you have it, in a child's own uncued words. 'A little above my level.'

[Leslie]

Thanks everyone for discussing this issue with me.

It is funny someone talked about covering up the pictures. My son always looks at the pictures and answers when I ask him to read the word. So I know he is using the pictures to help him gain context in reading.

But the funny thing is we read and have read a lot of wordless books, some of these are his favoriate. I enjoy these because we are not tied to what the author is thinking, he/we can create words of our own.

Thanks everyone, reading is so important to us, I couldn't imagine life without snuggles and a few good books.

[Manybooks, Fiction Club host]

Leslie wrote: "Thanks everyone for discussing this issue with me.

It is funny someone talked about covering up the pictures. My son always looks at the pictures and answers when I ask him to read the word. So..."

Leslie,

Glad we were able to help. Another suggestion (one that I have used with adult language learners) is to make a "vocabulary list" for each of the books you've read. With my German language students, I of course use either the English translations (like a glossary), or for easier words and expressions, a sentence where the word or words can be easily figured out from the context of the sentence. With your son, you might also consider simple sentences with the vocabulary words used in context, or pictures/small illustrations (like the picture of an apple for example). I know this looks and feels like a lot of work, but with these vocabulary lists, you can engage in further learning activities (like flash-cards, scrambled sentences, vocabulary memory games etc.), while of course also continuously reviewing essential vocabulary words, making them second nature, set in memory (I would suggest making a different vocabulary list for each of the books, otherwise, it could get a bit confusing).

[Gaynor]

Joanne wrote: "Gaynor, what age do you teach ? I think there has to be a good balance of learning and teaching, to instill a love for reading. I'm betting you do it with grace and skill. Lucky kids."
Thanks for the kind words Joanne. I teach 5-6 year olds to read, and I do it by reading to them - a lot. They read along, they point to the pictures, they sound out the first letters and they love the rhythm and repetition. Some are off on their own in only 2 weeks, others take slightly longer, but the gratifying thing is - they all learn to read. Such is the power of story.

[Gaynor]

Leslie wrote: "Thanks everyone for discussing this issue with me.

It is funny someone talked about covering up the pictures. My son always looks at the pictures and answers when I ask him to read the word. So..."
It is always heartening to hear of another young mother who understands the importance of reading.
My daughter uses stories to calm my grandson sometimes. If she invites him to sit down and read with her, he is always too busy. So, she just starts reading a book out loud and he can't help himself, before long he has joined her on the couch, snuggling up.
I mentioned people covering pictures. Have you heard of "tiger" mums? They are very ambitious for their children and expect them to read words only, without the support of pictures. Sad!! I have 2 -3 mums like that, and that's why I mentioned it. In retrospect, I didn't need to say anything to book-loving Goodreads members.

[Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs]

My youngest behaved like that little grandson. I should have tried just starting to read to see if he'd join me despite (in my son's case) his desire to be contrary.

[Michele]

I think that the way kids learn to read varies. With both my children we read to them all the time, picture books and beginning readers, and yes, we pointed out the words, at least part of the time while reading. We'd ask the kids to sound out some of the letters now and again. With my daughter, she just began reading from there. She was four when she read her first Thomas the Tank Engine book completely independently and I hardly remember doing anything particular. My son, however, would lose his place reading even in 2nd grade. It was Captain Underpants and Super Diaper Baby that sucked him in...he could read before that, but it was always a chore.