Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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Reflections by preservice teachers learning to teach beginning reading.
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About Me
- Dave Koppenhaver
- Co-founder and former director of the Center for Literacy and Disability Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. Currently professor in Language, Reading, and Exceptionalities Dept. at Appalachian State University.
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Emergent literacy is the stage of development, between birth and use of conventional reading and writing, during which children are making their fledgling attempts at reading and writing. Many concepts of using print are picked up by children when they simply watch adults read and write. For example, children know that we read from left to right and from front to back because they observe adults doing this when they are reading. Emergent literacy develops in stages, starting with developing concepts of print and ending with developing the enthusiasm to want to learn how to read and write. What are some of the best ways for teachers to help students develop the enthusiasm to want to read and write? Also, when students are enthusiastic, what are the best teaching strategies to keep them interested and involved in reading?
ReplyDeleteHeather Johnson
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ReplyDeleteI would suggest that emergent literacy is when children first begin to recognize reading and writing and want to learn how. Like Heather said, it is also during this period that they will make their initial attempts at both reading and writing. The attempts reveal that children recognize reading and writing as important and understand why people read and write. In the earliest years of a child's life the parents or caretakers can spark a child's interest and introduce them to literacy by being an example. By allowing children to help them make a grocery list or write a letter to someone they can show children the functions of reading and writing and why they are important. Children can also begin to develop literacy by being read to frequently. The book mentions "lap style" reading which is when children can see the words/illustrations and the eyes of the reader moving across the page. This is how I was read to when I was a child and I feel like it really helped me accelerate in reading when I started school. I am wondering what are more specific ways to help children who have not had much experience with reading and writing catch up to those that have? How can you conduct a reading classroom activity (other than independent work) that would benefit different levels of readers?
ReplyDeleteKatie Stover
Emergent literacy development begins in the first three years of life and is closely linked to a child's earliest experiences with books and stories. The interactions that young children have with literacy materials such as books, paper and crayons, and with the adults in their lives are the building blocks for language, reading, and writing development. Emergent literacy develops from real life situations through positive interactions with literacy materials and other adults. Children's understanding and use of print is directly correlated to print-rich environments. For instance, when parents finger read with their child they point to each printed word as it's being spoken. The child follows along with his/her eyes and begins to understand that we read from left to right, top to bottom, from front to back. Children learn directionality, book concept, concept of words, and the difference between print and pictures. Early writing is a precursor to early reading because children will begin to develop alphabet knowledge and the sounds of individual letters. Print-rich environments exist outside the school, as well including road signs and commonplace things like cereal boxes. Parents and early childhood educators should read aloud and read often to their children and students, and try to link literacy with play. Reading big books like Mrs. Wishy Washy and then acting it out is a great way to keep students interested in books.
ReplyDeleteAmanda Jackson
Emergent literacy development begins in the first three years of life and is closely linked to a child's earliest experiences with books and stories. The interactions that young children have with literacy materials such as books, paper and crayons, and with the adults in their lives are the building blocks for language, reading, and writing development. Emergent literacy develops from real life situations through positive interactions with literacy materials and other adults. Children's understanding and use of print is directly correlated to print-rich environments. For instance, when parents finger read with their child they point to each printed word as it's being spoken. The child follows along with his/her eyes and begins to understand that we read from left to right, top to bottom, from front to back. Children learn directionality, book concept, concept of words, and the difference between print and pictures. Early writing is a precursor to early reading because children will begin to develop alphabet knowledge and the sounds of individual letters. Print-rich environments exist outside the school, including road signs and commonplace things like cereal boxes. Parents and early childhood educators should read aloud and read often to their children and students, and try to link literacy with play. Reading big books like Mrs. Wishy Washy and then acting it out is a great way to keep students interested in books. What are ways to keep lessons more child-centered rather than teacher directed? What are some ideas that teachers can provide parents to link school literacy with home literacy experiences?
ReplyDeleteAmanda Jackson
To me, emergent literacy is the stage in which a child begins to experience the power of reading and writing. At this stage, they may be compared to students who don't really realize they are learning how to read and write. Students become familiar with what reading and writing is used for on the most basic terms, such as signs, notes menus, grocery lists, etc. The information students learn at this stage are a result of their every day experiences. They learn from hearing and seeing the adults around them. The pace emergent literacy grows, however, is related to the amount of involvement parents or other adults have in a child's life. For instance, a child who has family members that read to them frequently and invite their questions about words and sounds grow more quickly than other children whose adult role models do not emphasize reading and writing. How do teachers help bridge the gap between the students who have had fostering environments that emphasize literacy and those who did not have opportunities to develop literacy? How do teachers help encourage parents, particularly those who do not emphasize literacy, aid the growth of emergent literacy in their home?
ReplyDeleteKayla Rash
To me Emergent Literacy is when children are first starting to experiment with reading and writing. It is the stages where they attempt to read and write on their own going by what they have seen other people do. For example when they pretend to read books, or scribbling on paper while trying to write a letter. Theses examples are learned behaviors. For the most part they watch their parents or other adults in their lives and try to mimic them. To me it reveals that children pick up a lot of information on their own. Emergent literacy develops through exposure to words and books. The more children get read to and exposed to more things the more likely the are to be better readers and writers. My questions are like most of the others, how do we promote literacy in all homes of our children? And how do we catch the students up that have not been exposed to literacy in their homes compared to the other students?
ReplyDeleteEmergent literacy is the stage of development between birth and the point where a person can independently read and write. Emergent literacy is vitally important to children's understanding and use of print because is helps them to understand the purpose of language as well as the purpose of many parts of language. Emergent literacy develops by a child's exposure to literature and writing. For example, a child gains a great deal of knowledge from seeing his/her parents read and write at home. Children also learn to enjoy reading and writing when they are read to at home. How do teachers make up for a lack of literacy development in a child's home?
ReplyDeleteShelby Johnson
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ReplyDeleteEmergent literacy is the stage during a child's life when they are beginning to take an interest in reading and writing. It is the period before the child actually learns but it is the time where they pretend to know how to read and write. Children will make up their own stories to the pictures. This stage usually develops in the home when they children are being exposed to such activities by family members. At this age children began to get curious about what is going on around them and they often imitate others. They are like sponges wanting to soak up anything they can. As teachers we will see many children come in at different levels of reading. Some may not have even encountered the emergent literacy yet. How do teachers maintain a classroom full of children at different reading levels? How do teachers get the children involved at home when there is no support?
ReplyDeletejoni little
Emergent literacy is the stage during a child's life when they are learning from positive influences about reading and writing. Children start to mimic sounds at early ages, and that is a sign that they are receiving interaction in the home. If a child has a good level of emergent literacy then they will exhibit a desire to read and write. They will be able to have their own list of concrete words and will be able to associate words that start with the same letters. Also, they will know how to read or write in their culture (left to right, top to bottom, etc.). Children with high linguistic and phonemic awareness will develop and progress faster in school than other students. It is up to the parents or the caretaker of the child to promote early reading and writing. Parents should read to the child, and provide paper of some other form of scribble area for the child to write or doodle. Allowing children to read with you or write with you will make them want to learn to read and write and will show them that reading and writing are an important part of life. Teachers see several levels enter the same classroom. It if their job to take what the children have learned at home and develop it to a higher level. Teachers need to provide several opportunities for writing and reading in the classroom, even before Kindergarten. Which leads to my questions, how can teachers develop different activities when the student are all at different levels? Also, is there a way to encourage more positive home involvement when the parents haven't previously given the support?
ReplyDelete-Heather Heath
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ReplyDeleteEmergent literacy is the beginning stage of a child's interest in learning to read and write. Children pretend to read and write like their parents do. They mimic and often memorize the stories that their parents read to them. Having this urgency and want to read at an early stage in life will foster their urgency to learn other things. Taking the time to be patient with younger children and giving them an outlet to practice literacy with will be helpful in the long run. As a young child I remember being read to and sung to constantly. I loved learning new songs and being read new books. At this early age children will also begin to scribble and try to practice writing like their parents. They often will be able to recognize a few letters or words that they are familiar with. This understanding and use of print is a step into learning even more about literacy. Having the chance to be exposed to reading and writing at an early age will give children a head start to learning een more. This leads to my question of how would you approach an older child who is an early reader? What strategies would you use with an older child that you may not use with a younger learner?
ReplyDeleteKatie West
Emergent literacy is the stage between birth and the use of conventional reading and writing.A child's understanding and use of print vary for each child.The seven steps that are listed in the book show the progression of the child's understanding of print. First is knowing why we read and write,second is the building of background knowledge which can help the understanding of what he or she is reading, and their enviroment surrounding them. Next is concepts of print, and phonemic awarness. These focus on jargon, words and letters, and the ability to recognize that words are made up of a discrete set of sounds.Then concrete words(words that are important to the child), and letter names proceed next.The final prgression is that child's expression of the "can't wait" factor which shows the excitement the child has for learning to read and write.Two questions I have:Why are there not workshops to help teachers understand these steps and provide activities for the teachers so they will be able to help their students progess from one step to the other? If a teacher has a child who has a first language that is not English, how does that teacher encourage the child to keep their first language, but guide and teach them English which will be their second language?
ReplyDeleteJoy Cooper
Emergent literacy is the stage between when the child is born and when the child develops an interest in reading and writing. Children will begin to make sounds at an early age and try to reproduce the sounds that they are hearing. When the child is ready to read and write he or she will pretend that they know how. They will try to mimic what their parents are doing and make up stories to read to the stuffed animals, etc. As teachers we must realize that every child will come into school in a different stage of emergent literacy. Some children will come into school with a great background of literacy from their parents while others will not. Some will even come into our schools with no knowledge of the english language. My two questions are what kind of teaching stragies should we use when our children are at different levels? and how should we teach english as a second language learners when they haven't yet mastered their first language?
ReplyDeleteKala White
Emergent literacy is the stage of development between birth and the point where a person can independently read and write. Children start to mimic sounds at early ages, and that is a sign that they are receiving interaction in the home. If a child has a good level of emergent literacy then they will exhibit a desire to read and write. They will be able to have their own list of concrete words and will be able to associate words that start with the same letters. Also, they will know how to read or write in their culture. They are like sponges, soaking up as much as they can. My two questions are what can we do as teachers to help those kids whose parents arent as involved? How do we make sure they get the same opportunities as those students with involved parents? And i like Kala's question as well about ESL students.
ReplyDeleteEmergent literacy is the stage of development, between birth and use of conventional reading and writing, during which children are making their fledgling attempts at reading and writing. It reveals that most children have a good idea of reading and writing knowledge before they come to school. A lot of students get experience at home from parents or other parental figures. It is developed through; being read to, asking how to spell favorite words, writing thank you notes and reading birthday cards. My question is how can we as future educators have a classroom that can help and be compatible with students who have had little experience with reading and with those who have had a lot of experience? Also like Molly M asked, in what ways can we motivate and inspire parents to get involved and have multiple ways for their child to be exposed to reading and writing.
ReplyDeleteHannah Hobson
Emergent Literacy is the stage where children are exposed to reading and writing but before they are able to use language in an everyday sense. It is during this time that students develop key components to them being successful at reading and writing and becoming lifelong readers and writers. By looking at emerging readers and writers, a teacher is able to see how much a child understands and is able to use print. The book describes seven crucial understandings that emerging students gain about print. Most emerging readers and writers know why we read and write, understand background knowledge and concepts, develop concepts about print, develop phonemic awareness, learn concrete words, know some letter names and sounds, and want to learn to read and write. Most of these students have spent countless hours being exposed to print in their homes and have been talked to about reading and writing with family members. They begin by being exposed to language through conversations or having their parents read to them. Through this exposure, children learn key concepts such as how you read from left to write, how to write their name, or what sounds certain letters make. Through conversation and time spent pretend-reading and writing, children are able to begin to develop these components. My questions would be: 1. I was also wondering how to help second-language learners since research says that it is easier for them to learn if they have mastered their first language? 2. How can we give students who don’t have these 1000 + hours experience reading with their parents the same opportunity to succeed at learning to read and write?
ReplyDeleteLeslie Sheppard
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ReplyDeleteEmergent literacy is the stage of learning to read and write from birth to kindergarten or when they can read and write independently. Emergent literacy is important to a child's development of reading and writing because the child knows why we read and write, the build background knowledge and concepts, develop concepts about print, develop phonemic awareness, learn some concrete words, know some letter names an sounds, and they also want to learn to read and write. These are basic concepts that strongly support the willingness and ability to read and write. Emergent literacy is developed at home or in preschool. For a child to become an emergent reader and writer it is important for them to be surrounded by print visually and orally. My two questions are: 1. How do you support those students who are not emergent readers and writers when they enter your classroom? and 2. How do you challenge the students who already have a strong emergent literacy background while helping those who do not have a strong emergent literacy background progress?
ReplyDeleteMegan Cockrum
Emergent literacy is when a child shows an interest in wanting to read and write and is excited about learning. It is important for parents to help with this process by showing an interest in their child’s learning. A parent needs to make sure their children know why it is important to read and write. Children mimic their parents and they pretend to read and write. It is awesome when a child can't wait to learn to read and write. How do you help students become better readers and writers if they are at a different level then a lot of the other students in the class? Also what are some ways to get the parents more involved with their children’s learning at home?
ReplyDelete-Sarah Purrell
I found chapter 2 to be exceedingly informative and opened my eyes to a new form of literacy, Emergent Literacy. From my gatherings Emergent Literacy is the stage of development from the time a child is born and the use of conventional reading and writing. During this time children are progressing and trying out the concept of reading and writing. When the textbook outlined the seven different understandings emergent readers and writers develop about print, I began to be enthralled with all the information given. One idea I can reveal about children’s understanding and use of print is knowing first why we read and write and making that evident to children. I found it interesting when they asked children from strong literacy backgrounds why people need to read and write and they gave answers such as, “You read books and signs and cereal boxes and birthday cards that come in the mail.” In my opinion, if students learn why reading and writing is so important and that they will use it for the rest of their lives, they will become excited about learning how to. I found the sections in the chapter when they talked about how to build background knowledge and develop phonemic awareness to be very beneficial. For example when they described Jargon and conventions, I feel knowing this knowledge is valuable for a teacher to know so they can pass it on to their students. Finally the chapter reveals how children are able to develop knowledge and use about print. They are able to develop these habits through having a parent read to them, having conversation with their parents and the people around them, watching an adult write a grocery list or sit in an adults lap and follow along while reading a book. One question that I thought about while reading chapter 2 was what can we do as teachers if we are presented with a child that has little or no experience with the concepts reading and writing? Also how can ESL students be helped with their English reading and writing abilities if they have little or no exposure to these subjects at home?
ReplyDelete-Christin Jones
I would say that emergent literacy is the time in an individual's life when they are beginning to see and experience reading and writing for themselves, whether it be when they are young children or as older individuals. I believe that is really important for educators to remember that not all children are able to experience reading in the same light. Many parents read to their children and emerce their children in books and writing, but many do not get to experience these type of activities at home due to finical reasons, parents who cannot read or write, and a variety of many other reasons. So, emergent literacy is when a child begins to see the possibilities of reading and writing. Now, with that said how do educators balance this huge gap in exposure and possibly interest. Secondly, how can we ensure that all of our students are receiving the same chance at mastering the English language, especially those students who are learning English as a second language?
ReplyDeleteI think emerging literacy is the time in a child's development when they are first introduced to reading and writing. Parents or other family members need to make reading to their children a priority while they are still young. By observation, children become aware that you read from left to right on a page and try to "pretend" to read. Emerging literacy is a time when children can explore what it means to read and write. Some concerns about emerging literacy are that some parents are illiterate and some are ESL. Even if a student is ESL, it would still benefit them to be read to. What are some things we can do to help students with little experience with reading and writing when they come to school? How can we help motivate parents to be involved with their children's literacy?
ReplyDeleteEmergent Literacy is the period between birth and when a child develops real experiences and knowledge of reading and writing. The more and more I read this book, the more and more I am finding helpful with my future teaching. Homes where parents provide a positive learning and reading environment for their children, helps with the child's first fundamentals of reading and writing. The book said that over 1,000 hours of one-on-one reading and writing activities are brought into a home with this rich environment. Children who are experiencing reading at an early age will start at least scribbling words on pages and making up words. Print is what your read and write. Their are extreme benefits in the early stage of print with parents who immerse their children in reading. Their concepts and attitudes that are formed about print, letter names and sounds are formed, which all lead to the child more eager to learn about writing. Children who read early will also have a better understanding of word identification because they will relate to the topic knowledge itself. Children who are not from a rich literacy background will have confusion with jargons. Jargons are words, letters, sentences, and sounds. These children will have no understanding of words. It is important to read to your child because then they can develop a better phonemic awareness. They can relate small things such as: two thing rhyming and hearing same sounds and words. These children are the children who will want to read and learn more versus the children who are going to have a hard time reading. My two questions are: I agree with Joy, are there workshops where teachers can learn the steps of reading and print? Since parents are so busy, as teachers, how can we encourage our students' parents to develop with them fundamentally with reading and writing at home?
ReplyDeleteMolly Suddes
What is emergent literacy? Emergent literacy is the time from a child being born till the time in school when they start to learn about reading and writing. In the first of the chapter when it said what would a child say when ask why do you need to learn how to read. I thought about our class discussion and how we are trying to find a definition for reading and writing right now. Children basically sum it up when they say it is everywhere and that we need it to be able to function. What does it reveal about children's understanding and use of print? Emergent literacy shows that children start recognizing print and that it helps them learn more about reading and writing. Print is a way that children can learn how to write, read, pronounce syllables, and recognize letters and words. How does it develop? Emergent literacy is developed by parents, relatives, and friends of the family. When a child is young, before they enter school parents need to make literacy a priority and have their child around it as much as possible. Literacy develops by having bedtime stories read to you. Writing with chalk on a driveway or board, watching their parents and friends read and write, having someone show you how to write and spell your name, and many other things that parents can do before a child enters school. I believe that emergent literacy is very important to a child's life and education. My questions are: If a child does not have a strong literacy relationship before entering school, if a child's parents do not introduce them to literacy or use it then how much of a disadvantage does that put a child? And how can a teacher help catch children like this up to the rest of the class without over loading them?
ReplyDeleteBeth Hicks
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ReplyDeleteEmergent literacy is a priority in any child's life. It is the process of children learning to read, and understanding why we read and write. In addition to children understanding why we read and write, they will learn how to use print to read and communicate their ideas. Emergent literacy develops by first, exposure in the home. Children will see other adults reading and writing, as well as have those adults read to them. Children also like to have books read to them many times so they can "pretend read". They watch parents or other adults writing, even if it is just a grocery list and they make their own. Research shows that children born into homes where someone spends time reading and writing with them go into schools with a wonderful foundation where they can learn easier.
ReplyDeleteLaura Davis
Emergent literacy is the stage between birth and the first attempts a child makes at reading and writing. This is when children are first using what they have learned by parents, or any other individual to read and write. During this stage children show what they know about reading and writing such as recognizing letters, words, and pronouncing syllables. They show that they can recognize print and understand the conventions of their own language. Not all children come from rich literacy backgrounds, so when learning about Jargons they have trouble understanding the concept of what they are asking. It is important for children to be taught as much as possible towards learning about reading and writing. Emergent literacy is developed at home with the help of parents, relatives, and any other individual. It is good for children to be read aloud. The talk about the story gives it power and helps children bridge the story and their own lifes. Ok... how do we help those children that do not come from a rich literacy background due to the fact they have a different native language? I know its a good idea to try to use their own language, but what if the teacher does not know or understand their language? Also, how can we help their parents help them at home practice these concepts?
ReplyDeleteSiomara Castillo
I would say that Emergent Literacy is the time that individuals begin to use what they see around them as they learn the basics of reading and writing. As children learn to read and write their understanding of print is developed with many different techniques. Some parents and family members read to their children as they grow up which leads children to develop an understanding of how we read, in what direction and that those little squiggles on mean something. I personally remember the desire of wanting to read to my parents whether it was actually the words on the page or not and how I longed to write down words of my own. How as educators are we supposed to get those children who do not ever experience being read to by a parent nor really care to learn how to write? Also, how do we teach a child to learn to feel the passion of reading and writing when the English language is not their first language?
ReplyDeleteEmergent Literacy is the period in time from birth to preschool where children learn to read and write. If a child is read to a lot in their first years of life then they are more likely to want to read when they start school. If parents read with their child and are enthusiastic about it, then the child will want to learn. Children that don't get read to when they are young and don't talk about writing and the connections of words are less likely to want to read and write when they start school. If a child is able to help their parents write letters to family or grocery lists it makes them think writing is fun because parents love doing it and they will want to do it too! As a teacher, what can you do to get children who weren't emergent learners involved in reading and writing and getting them to want to read and write? How do you handle children who don't want to learn to read and write regardless of emergent literacy?
ReplyDeleteEmily Towery
Emeregent literacy is the stage of a child's life when they find out what reading and writing is at a first glance. Like everyone else, these stage is developed through the first 3 years of a child's life. They learn these skills by watching their parents and anyone else who reads to them. By watching them they find out some of the basics like reading from left to right and some children start to "pretend read" after observing their parents read to them their favorite books over and over again. This act of reading to your children will allow them to comprehend what reading is and maybe even giving them the desire to read on their own and want to read. And the same goes for writing as well. If children watch their siblings and parents and other peers write out of free will that may allow the willingness to want to write. What are some of the best ways to allow students to read and write freely and openly? What can we as teachers do to make them feel that passion for this subject?
ReplyDeleteEmergent literacy begins even at birth and is the time when children are making attempts at while discovering reading and writing. Emergent literacy can tell you how much a child understands about print. If they have had lots of interaction with adults who read to them and wrote with them, they have a higher understanding of reading and writing. If a child has not had much interaction with reading and writing they most likely have a pretty low understanding of reading and writing, such as what they are and how they "work". Emergent literacy develops by simply being around reading and writing and having experiences with reading and writing. I could relate to the book talking about "lap-time" and Big Books. I used to read with my parents a lot and I now have "lap-time" with my nieces. I also used to love the Big Books that teachers would read to me. I can tell from my own experiences that both of those things really help emergent literacy. The NAEYC article also greatly encouraged exposure of reading aloud to children and allowing them to scribble and "write" and "read" on their own. I would agree with this. The book states that "comprehension is directly tied to prior knowledge." I agree with this also and think it ties directly to the concept of emergent literacy. One of my questions would be one that I'm sure many other teachers have asked: "How do you increase the comprehension and emergent literacy of those children who have been exposed to reading and writing early in their lives and at the same time help those students who have not been exposed to reading and writing early to become more acquainted with reading/writing and learn to enjoy them and increase their knowledge as well?" The book and the NAEYC article also talked about invented spelling for children, allowing them to spell words their own way. I was not completely taught this way but I have witnessed it in the past few years in multiple classrooms and I can see where it seems to have a good outcome. My question is when/how do you correct that spelling? Does the teacher need to begin to speak with the students at some point and help them better spell it out or does it progress sort of naturally?
ReplyDeleteEmergent literacy begins even at birth and is the time when children are making attempts at while discovering reading and writing. Emergent literacy can tell you how much a child understands about print. If they have had lots of interaction with adults who read to them and wrote with them, they have a higher understanding of reading and writing. If a child has not had much interaction with reading and writing they most likely have a pretty low understanding of reading and writing, such as what they are and how they "work". Emergent literacy develops by simply being around reading and writing and having experiences with reading and writing. I could relate to the book talking about "lap-time" and Big Books. I used to read with my parents a lot and I now have "lap-time" with my nieces. I also used to love the Big Books that teachers would read to me. I can tell from my own experiences that both of those things really help emergent literacy. The NAEYC article also greatly encouraged exposure of reading aloud to children and allowing them to scribble and "write" and "read" on their own. I would agree with this. The book states that "comprehension is directly tied to prior knowledge." I agree with this also and think it ties directly to the concept of emergent literacy. One of my questions would be one that I'm sure many other teachers have asked: "How do you increase the comprehension and emergent literacy of those children who have been exposed to reading and writing early in their lives and at the same time help those students who have not been exposed to reading and writing early to become more acquainted with reading/writing and learn to enjoy them and increase their knowledge as well?" The book and the NAEYC article also talked about invented spelling for children, allowing them to spell words their own way. I was not completely taught this way but I have witnessed it in the past few years in multiple classrooms and I can see where it seems to have a good outcome. My question is when/how do you correct that spelling? Does the teacher need to begin to speak with the students at some point and help them better spell it out or does it progress sort of naturally?
ReplyDeleteBrittany Norman
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ReplyDeleteEmergent literacy is when a child is beginning to learn how to read and write. This can be seen from the time they are born up until they are taught to read and write in conventional ways. Emergent literacy can be taught in the classroom when parents read to children and interact with them about print that they see in the world. This can be street signs and cereal boxes. Children exposed to lots of print experieces learn skills as they began reading and writing. Children's readiness to read has more to do with their experieces with print than with mental age. In "The Beginning Years" article it says that classes now contain students with identified disabilities and children with exceptional abilities, how do you teach reading and writing at the disability level and exceptional ability level and not have either extreme bored?
ReplyDeleteKarie Steelman
I agree that emergent reading is one of the most crucial times in a reader's life. As a child, I remember story time before bed and "reading" my own stories and "writing" letters to people as I played school or house. To have an idea of the importance of reading and writing and how it influences our lives is important to the development of successful readers. I think it is easy to see that children with no experience of the written language will be much further behind once they reach kindergarten than those children who have been exposed since birth.
ReplyDeleteEmily Fox