City switcher
City switcher
Search
Learning to Read
We look at the different methods schools are using to teach our children to read – and give some ideas for what sort of support parents can offer at h
Main Image
Article
So the big day has come and gone. Your little one – now making you teary eyed at how grown up she looks in her uniform – has had her first week or so at big school. She’ll soon be discovering the wonders of reading as the written word comes alive to her. But how is reading taught? What methods are being used in classrooms? And how can you support her and her teacher in this exciting journey?
The Sound of Things
There are two main approaches taken by schools and teachers when teaching children to read. These are phonics and whole language.
Phonics is described as a “part-whole” approach. In other words, children learn the parts of the words, and then learn to build whole words. These parts are the sounds (phonemes) and letters (graphemes) that make up words. This approach is frequently referred to as skills based because children are taught the skills of language – such as decoding words, or recognising sounds – and then they use these skills to build comprehension and to develop their ability to read. This system usually involves practising reading using class readers that they work through, and children practising reading aloud. Phonics works well for more systematic learners, and for those who need to develop language skills such as spelling.
Letterland and THRASS are two of the systems that are widely used when teaching phonics. Letterland and Alphaland, the South African version of the UK-developed Letterland, take the 26 letters of the alphabet and transform them into child-friendly animated characters that each have their own story. Joelline Spiers, a Grade R teacher at Chelsea Preparatory in Durban North, says that this helps children identify with the characters and provides reasons for letters and sounds behaving the way they do. Sammy Snake, for instance, makes a loud hissing noise, but behaves differently when joined with Harry Hat Man, who is quiet. This system assists children in decoding words, and works to entrench phonic information in the mind of the child using the characters and narration. For more info visit letterland.co.za.
THRASS stands for Teaching Handwriting, Reading and Spelling Skills. It uses charts, pictures, sing-alongs and rhymes to teach children the 26 letters, 44 phonemes and 120 main graphemes (letters and letter combinations) that are used in the English language. Julie Skevington, a Bachelor of Education lecturer at Varsity College, notes that this system demonstrates how different sounds (the phonemes) can be represented by different letters or letter combinations. For example, the sound produced by “f” can also be represented by “ph” as in the word “dolphin”, or “gh” as in the word “enough”. THRASS also teaches “hot words”, which are high frequency words or words that appear often in English, such as “the” or “and”. This system then helps with spelling and says Skevington, “learning to identify unfamiliar words using sound”. For more info visit thrass.co.uk.
Parts of the Whole
The Whole Language approach can be called a whole-part approach, as children learn to read whole words and then learn the skills and functions of language. As such, children start with comprehension of a concept, and develop their reading skills around this. The approach is often based on language experience. For example, a child may go on a trip and then draw a picture of him or herself in a car. Their teacher would then write: “I am driving in a car” underneath the picture. As Skevington suggests, the child understands the concept, so is able to learn words that link to it.
This approach to reading focuses on learning whole words rather than the parts that make up the words. This global approach to reading means children learn about the different elements of language simultaneously. Skevington explains that the focus is on comprehension of meaning and enjoyment. Consequently, a variety of books are arranged into categories determined by their level of difficulty and children choose to read books based on their own taste and ability.
This approach advocates that children develop at their own pace, making self-examination and reflection key elements of reading. Silent reading is also therefore an important part of the whole-language approach. Here the child would be encouraged to sit and read by him or herself in order to work through the book by reading, predicting and experiencing the story.
Get the Balance Right
Balanced Reading Instruction uses elements of both approaches, teaching phonics to the child using a system such as THRASS or Letterland, while also using language experience or whole language. The latter could take the form of reflective reading time or use elements such as sight words. Sight words, says Spiers, are whole words that children learn to recognise. These contribute to a child’s word bank (a collection of words that children have learnt and can use), which Spiers says, helps to “build understanding while children are learning to read”.
Fluency in reading, and reading with understanding are both important for the development of reading skills, which include adding appropriate emotional content and emphasis on words. As such, balanced reading would mean children should read aloud, so as to be corrected, and read silently to themselves. According to Skevington, the advantage of integrated reading instruction is that children will learn a skills set, while also developing a positive attitude to and maintaining an interest in reading.
Over to Us
So these are the different approaches taken by schools, but are there things parents could be doing at home to help their child along the way?
Reading and writing is a topic close to my heart. As an English lecturer, I have seen the challenges faced by tertiary students when it comes to reading and writing. They are often not motivated to read and struggle to spell and construct sentences. English is a difficult language.
Now a new mom, I find myself questioning what I can do at home to ensure my son grows into a proficient reader. How can I ensure he develops a love for books and reading? And how can I make sure he has all of the tools he needs to succeed in and after school? As parents, we try to give our children everything they need to be successful in life. I believe that part of this success lies in home literacy, that is, reading and building a love of reading at home. But how do we do this?
1.“Keep the child loving books,” says Skevington. Reading at home is a critical component of developing reading skills, as it entrenches a culture of reading and helps children maintain an interest in books and stories. Try some of the following ideas:
- Read a range of texts, from songs to poetry to non-fiction, says Saayman, who works with reading schemes at Heinemann Publishers. “Parents must mix the diet.”
- Books read at home should be those that children will find fun; “something that they are interested in, something that they can relate to,” says Spiers.
2. Ask questions, this also promotes an enjoyment of reading. Saayman suggests doing prediction exercises. Ask children what they think will happen next, or to look at the pictures and say what they think the story will be about. Discussing the order of events is also a useful technique in developing a child’s understanding of stories. Improving a child’s ability to predict what will happen next in a story will make him a more fluid reader – he will enjoy stories more as he will understand them better. This aim for fluidity also means that it is not as important for children to read every word or page; rather their purpose should be to understand and enjoy the story or book.
3. Expose children to many and varied books.
4. Saayman explains that parents need to be “supportive and generous with their praise”. This works as “positive reinforcement”, says Spiers.
5. Work to enrich the vocabulary of your child, and avoid the use of baby talk, slang, or corruptions of English, says Saayman.
6. Play games that improve their reading and language ability. Here are a few ideas.
- Spiers suggests trying games like word bingo or making sentences with words from a child’s word bank.
- I-spy and Hangman are useful games for developing spelling skills.
- Ask your child to collect things from around the house or garden that start with a certain letter.
- Develop the imagination and a child’s sequencing ability by starting a story for them: “One day I went for a walk in the garden, and spotted a pathway I had never seen before. What do you think happened next?”
Reading Exercises
Some children may need supplementary reading exercises if they struggle with the reading done in school. This should, however, only be done for a short time period to ensure that children don’t lose interest in reading. Ron Saayman, from Heinemann Publishers, also suggests that parents “leave structure and specific skills to the teacher” and that parents work closely with the school and teacher so that this work complements what the child does in class. Some useful techniques include:
1. Paired reading Read with your child by starting to read for her. Read a page with her and when she is ready she can tap your hand to take over the reading, pointing to every word as she reads. If she struggles, then she can tap your hand and you would take over reading again. When she again feels confident, then she would tap you again, and take over with the reading. If she struggles with a word, give it to her, ask her to repeat it and then let her continue reading. The important point is maintaining fluidity, so that the story isn’t broken and your child stays interested.
2. Timed reading This can be used to improve reading speed. If anyone reads too slowly they lose interest in a story or forget what they have read and have to start again. Time your child’s reading by giving them a minute to read. Count the number of words they get through. Start to increase this number by extending the length of the passage and getting your child to read this again within a minute.
3. Finger reading Your child points to the words as you read through the story. This is done to increase the ability of the eye to move across a page, and helps your child remain focused and interested.
The Early Years
My son had his own little library before he was born, and I try to build on this as often as I can. But what else can parents do at home with the not-yet-school-going child to lay the foundational pre-reading skills?
As parents it is our job to let them start reading when they are ready and not force them to read before then. Children don’t have to know how to read when they start school. In fact, some argue that it’s better if they don’t. What parents can do, though, is develop pre-reading skills in a fun, varied and interesting way.
1. Listening This is an important skill that is often neglected, says Ron Saayman, who works with reading schemes at Heinemann Publishers. Caregivers and teachers may work to develop listening skills, but parents can also do this at home. He and Julie Skevington, a Bachelor of Education lecturer at Varsity College, give some tips to improve listening:
- ensure that children follow instructions. They can even be asked to repeat commands given to them.
- make certain that children listen for information by asking them questions about what they have read. Questions can be simple, requiring one word answers, or more complex, requiring more open and developed answers.
- children should also be able to listen for enjoyment, and listening to poems, songs or a variety of texts will improve this ability.
- listening to stories is just as valuable as reading them.
2. Using the senses. Joelline Spiers, a Grade R teacher at Chelsea Preparatory in Durban North, suggests that parents use auditory, visual and sensopathic methods (use of the five senses) to introduce reading. Letters or words are introduced through hearing stories, seeing books and words, or touching and feeling letters or words. Skevington explains that these techniques will help to consolidate what children are learning. Try these methods at home:
- cut out letters or words from sandpaper;
- write letters onto a child’s back;
- use noodle letters or foam letters;
- shape words out of play dough;
- create a feeling bag – put items into a bag and ask children to say what letter each start with, or to describe what they are feeling.
3. Noticing patterns. Instead of worrying about teaching children to write, parents can get children to practise the shapes and patterns of letters. Ask them to make zigzag patterns, or any patterns that echo those seen in letters. Children can also match shapes or letters or try to identify them in everyday things they see. A road sign for example, or the M over a McDonald’s. If children are aware of their surroundings, they will start to recognise letters and words in that environment.
A very interesting article.