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A child's academic success depends greatly on their ability to read.
Up to 3rd grade, emphasis is on learning to read; after 3rd grade,
children are reading to learn.
Reading is the first skill children need to do well in other
subjects. Studies show as many as 4 out of 5 Southern California
fourth graders read below grade level.
This quiz is designed to generate discussion and ideas we can all
use to help children improve their reading skills. Click on the link
to find out the answer.
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Test Yourself: True or False...
- Whether or not a child succeeds in 1st grade depends upon
how much they've learned about reading before they get there.
- Children shouldn't waste their time reading magazines or
cereal boxes.
- Reading aloud to children is only recommended up to
pre-school.
- You can tell if a book is too hard for a child when they
stumble over several words in a paragraph.
- Dinner with the family improves school performance.
- Drawing pictures about what they have read helps children
improve reading comprehension.
- Reading to children as young as 6 months old is a good idea.
- Wait until children are in the mood to read. They will enjoy
it more.
- Reading the same book repeatedly is boring to young
children.
- Games such as "word finds" help build reading skills.
Check Your Answers….
Read these responses not as final answers, but as a foundation on
which to continue building new ideas. Every child is unique.
Experiment to tap into the special learning styles of each child.
- Whether a child succeeds in 1st grade or not depends upon
how much they've learned about reading before they get there.
TRUE.
Parents and caregivers are a child's first teacher. Whether a
child succeeds in first grade depends on how much they've
learned about reading before they get there, some experts say.
Reading aloud to children helps introduces letters and words,
shows how a book is read. It teaches that stories are enjoyable.
For more ideas on reading preparation, see the web-based
screening tool for four-year-olds to evaluate pre-reading skills
at Reading Rockets:
www.readingrockets.org/getready.
Top
- Children shouldn't waste their time reading magazines or
cereal boxes. FALSE.
Getting reluctant readers interested in reading anything is a
start. Use a child's special interests and help them find
materials on topics they like. Look for magazines and web-sites
that may get a child hooked on reading further about their
subjects. At the library or book store, have the librarian or
clerk help them browse in the right section for age and
interest. Top
- Reading aloud to children is only recommended up to
pre-school. FALSE.
Children benefit from hearing books or news at or beyond their
reading level. It increases their love of the written word. It
introduces vocabulary and ideas they couldn't read yet on their
own. Reading aloud lets children enjoy books without a struggle.
It can also be a great bonding time. Making reading enjoyable
helps develop a love of reading so kids will want to read
independently. The booming books-on-tape industry is one
indicator that all ages enjoy hearing books read aloud. National
Public Radio has a popular weekly show bringing short stories to
life for youth and adults (see
www.symphonyspace.org for literature shorts on radio).
Top
- You can tell if a book is too hard for a child when they
stumble over several words in a paragraph. TRUE.
When children stumble over five words in a paragraph, the book may
be too difficult. If they are spending all their time figuring
out the words, they probably won't understand the book, let
alone enjoy it. Find books that can be read with ease. This will
encourage more reading, which results in practice and ultimately
improves reading skills. As students improve reading, they will
be more inclined to select books at higher levels.
Top
- Dinner with the family improves school performance. TRUE.
Studies show family dinners improve children's grades. Families
are making a point to carve time out of busy schedules to ensure
three or more dinners together each week. Wanting to elevate the
mood from routine to special, some add special touches such as
lighting candles or using the good china. Looking for ways to
generate true dialogue, families take more creative approaches
than the age-old question: "What did you do in school today?"
Some try discussing current events topics. Others try more "out
of the box" approaches, such as taking turns imagining, "Who
would you be if you could be anyone from history?" Dinner
conversation can also be a great opportunity to enhance reading
comprehension. Share book summaries, identify main ideas,
discuss characters and motivations or even make up new endings.
Create a nurturing, bonding atmosphere to stimulate thought and
idea sharing in a non-threatening environment. Some set rules to
ensure mutual respect and positive attitudes. For more ideas,
check www.familytabletime.com. Reference the Wall Street
Journal "Family Matters" article November 11, 2004.
Top
- Drawing pictures about what they have read helps children
improve reading comprehension. TRUE.
Drawing pictures about what they've read encourages children
to recall the author's description, and to add their own
details. It helps them summarize the story and envision the
setting. These are basic reading comprehension skills. All
children learn in their own way at their own pace. Using
multiple senses helps find the way your child best assimilates
information. For more on multiple intelligences and learning
styles, see
www.howardgardner.com.
Top
- Reading to children as young as 6 months old is a good
idea. TRUE.
Reading 15 minutes a day to a child from the age of 6 months to
6 years provides more than 500 hours of reading. That's more
than they will receive in an entire school year. Think of the
vocabulary they will be introduced to before even beginning 1st
grade. In early elementary school, kids are advised to read at
least 20 minutes per day. In upper primary grades, the
recommendation increases to 30 minutes or more per day. Reading
to children introduces books beyond what they could read
independently. Exposure to language, vocabulary and ideas is
increased that much more. For more ideas on reading and
activities to help children read, see:
www.ed.gov/pubs/CompactforReading/
Top
- Wait until children are in the mood to read. They will
enjoy it more. FALSE.
Schedule a routine reading time. Elementary school kids should
read at least 20-30 minutes daily, or 2 to 4 hours weekly.
Waiting until the mood strikes encourages procrastination.
Setting a regular time helps develop good reading habits, and
creates a "mood" for reading with anticipation to enjoy set
"story times". For younger kids this may be before a nap or bed
time. For older kids, find a good "down time", such as following
an afternoon snack, after dinner or before bed. Make it a family
affair designating a half an hour quiet time to sit and read together.
Turn off the television, video games and computer. Each can read
independently - a book, the newspaper or magazines. Mix it up with
occasional family book reports to share stories. Create a family
book club once a month, or join a local book club. Discuss plot,
characters, how you would re-write the story if you were the
author. Sign up for local reading programs with book stores or
the library. See www.ocpl.org or the individual city site to find
library events, book recommendations and websites for kids. For
booklists by grade level see
www.hedgehogbooks.com and
www.cde.ca.gov/ci/rl/ll/ap/litsearch.asp.
Top
- Reading the same book repeatedly is boring to young
children. FALSE.
Children often ask for their favorite book to be read over and
over. This may be boring to the parent or caregiver, but kids
love it. Repetition is an important part of developing reading
skills, helping improve confidence and word recognition. Let
your child guide you to understanding their interests by
listening to what they like. Regardless of age, asking questions
about the story helps develop language and understanding. Teach
reading comprehension strategies such as prediction (what do you
think will happen?), compare and contrast (compare characters
and events to find similarities and differences), main idea
(what do you think the author was trying to say?), etc. See
www.reading-tutors.com for more ideas and links to reading
strategies. Top
- Games such as "word finds" help build reading skills.
TRUE.
Games such as "word finds" and crossword puzzles help children
with word recognition. It's a fun way to improve spelling and
vocabulary. Old fashioned games like "Concentration" improve
matching and memory skills, helping develop the ability to
recall story details. All these individual skills lead to
stronger reading. See
www.eduplace.com for samples and more game ideas.
Top
Additional References: The "Parent Reading Guide" published by
the Reading by 9 staff of the Public Affairs Department of the Lost
Angeles Times. See
www.latimes.com/readingby9 for additional information and
articles, or to obtain free copies of the annual publications.
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