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| Date: From: Subject: | 9/9/2010 9:47:01 AM Home School Legal Defense Association HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter |
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---------------------------------------------------------------- HSLDA's Homeschooling Your Struggling Learner Newsletter September 2010--What's on the Menu of Your Child's Reading Diet?" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ---[ Remove reading disability symptoms ]----------------------------- Stop the reading struggle once and for all! Discover the breakthrough Dyslexia 911 program that has an astounding 95% success rate in helping young students eliminate reading symptoms such as hesitation and inserting, replacing, skipping, and misreading words. http://www.hslda.org/alink.asp?ID=262 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Serving a Variety of Books to Your Child By Faith Berens, M.Ed I went recently to a new, local restaurant for dinner and was surprised by the many choices on the menu, all sounding so deliciously tempting! Similarly, when one sets out to choose appropriate books and materials to support a child's reading instruction, the "menu" of selections can often be overwhelming and confusing, especially for parents who are new to homeschooling. In this article, I will describe some of the most commonly used texts for reading instruction and define the purposes of the various types of books. I will also discuss the need to provide a variety of books to your child and offer some tidbits of advice and guidelines to help clarify and simplify this process. Let's start with beginning readers. The earliest reading books typically fall into two categories: predictable or pattern text and phonetic or "decodable" books. Both types of books are beneficial and should be used with beginning readers. The thing to keep in mind is that both types of early readers serve different purposes, and both types of books can be used effectively for beginning reading instruction and practice. Predictable or pattern books, (as a reading specialist in the school setting, I referred to them as "little books" or sight word readers), are texts that have the same basic line repeated throughout the book, with one or two words differing on each page. For example, the first page may read, "I see the cat." The next page would say, "I see the dog." Each page following would have the same format, beginning with "I see the ____________." At the end of the book, there may be a variation in the text, for example, "I see the BIG lion! Roar!" thus, presenting the reader with a bit of a surprise and some problem-solving to do. The pictures in this type of book match the text and are critical because they help the beginning reader to figure out the new or unknown words. Predictable books teach children important beginning reading skills such as: > Utilizing illustrations for support, > Basic sight words, > Establishing left-to-right directionality of print, > One-to-one or voice-to-print matching, > How to use the surrounding contextual cues and initial letter or phonics cues to solve the new or unknown words. Critics of these "little books" argue that the child isn't really reading because he can memorize the book. However, besides the literacy skills previously mentioned, predictable books are a wonderful way to boost your child's confidence and show him that he can read. This early success empowers the child and will motivate him to want to keep trying more and more! ESTABLISH A PATTERN The next type of book, the phonics or decodable reader, focuses on specific letter or phonetic patterns. An example of this type of book is the Bob Books series http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9019 published by Scholastic. For example, in this type of book, a certain phonic or letter pattern, such as the short "o" sound is taught by using "silly" sentences that are replete with words with the short "o" sound: "Tom is a fox. The fox got on the box. Tom has a mop." I have used these "silly little stories" as both a parent and a reading specialist. By isolating and focusing on a particular sound or phonetic pattern and presenting it in a repetitive and funny way, hopefully the student will remember the skill and then transfer it to new and other reading contexts. Because these types of books focus on a particular aspect of reading (phonics), they are easy to use with follow-up lessons or as reinforcement. So as you can see, both of these types of beginning readers, predictable books and decodable (phonics) readers, have their place in beginning reading instruction, however, they should not be the only books in your child's reading "diet." These types of books are not very "filling" or "satisfying" in that they do not lend themselves to deep meaning and comprehension, higher level thinking and vocabulary development. It is critically important that every day you read good quality children's literature to your child, discuss new words, and ask comprehension questions. By implementing daily read aloud time using trade books or picture books, living books, novels, and poetry, you will provide your child well-balanced reading "meals." As your child begins to develop as an early reader, gaining more phonics skills and sight words, he moves into the transitional or developing reader phase. At this stage you can introduce him to easy readers, such as the I Can Read! Series http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9020 , simple leveled readers, and easy chapter books, such as Frog and Toad and Little Bear. IMPORTANCE OF LITERATURE As your child continues to develop and moves toward becoming a fluent and independent reader, he should have access to picture books, textbooks, living books (both fiction and nonfiction), chapter books, reference materials, and online texts. We want our children to read for real and meaningful purposes. Having children only read textbooks or a basal reader is not a well-balanced literacy diet. I truly do believe in the importance of a literature-based program with a strong phonics foundation. In her significant book, "Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About Print" http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9021 , Marilyn Jager Adams supports this position that the best reading programs combine phonics with the use of real books and meaningful reading for real purposes. For instance, with my second-grade daughter, we use the Pathways Readers http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9022 , but I also read picture books to and with her, as well as poetry for shared reading; in addition we use children's literature for read aloud, the Mini Page, nonfiction living books connected to science or history, and she always has a chapter book that she is reading for her independent reading time. While it is important to use a published reading program or intervention materials (such as Abeka, Bob Jones, Scaredy Cat Reading System http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9023 , or Verticy Learning http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9024 ) to systematically teach phonics and reading skills, such as word attack skills, it should not be the child's only source of reading "nutrients," so to speak. If these are the only materials we are giving our children to read, they will quickly become bored and unmotivated, frequently moaning and sighing when it is reading time! Living books and picture books are wonderful resources and are often misunderstood. According to the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling and the Simply Charlotte Mason website, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9025 , "living books are usually written by one person who has a passion for the subject and writes in conversational or narrative style. These books pull you into the subject and involve your emotions, so it's easy to remember the events and facts. Living books make the subject 'come alive.' They can be contrasted to dry writing, like what is found in most encyclopedias or textbooks, which basically lists informational facts in summary form. You might be surprised to find that living books are available for most school subjects--even math, geography, and science!" Living books are great for all readers! GET THE PICTURE When some people hear the term "picture books" they think this refers to a book for little kids with many pictures and few words and even confuse them with baby, board books. Many parents feel picture books are only appropriate for preschool or kindergarten-age children. While it is true that many picture books are written for young children, ages 3-6 years, there are a plethora of picture books written for older audiences that portray important topics for students in upper elementary and middle school. Topics such as the Civil War, segregation, The Underground Railroad, biographical stories, Native American legends, space exploration, and folk and fairy tales from around the world can all be explored through picture books! The artwork and illustrations in picture books are enthralling and help convey the author's message and the story plot. Picture books are engaging and are typically 30-plus pages in length. They are meant to either be read aloud to children 4-7 years of age or can be read independently by older students. Both picture books and living books are effective for making subjects come alive and transporting readers to different time periods and events in history! When choosing these types of books for your student, keep in mind your child's level of maturity, topics currently being studied, the appropriateness of the material, and your child's interests. Struggling readers who may find chapter books daunting or informational texts and textbooks overwhelming can find success when reading a well-written, top quality picture book, particularly if it is on a topic of their interest! Another important thing is that beginning and early readers love to listen to books on tape and compact disc! Hearing books on audio helps readers to develop fluency, vocabulary, and language skills. Your local library is an excellent source for books on audio, as well as Audio Books, http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9026 . Books on audio are a great option for students with visual disabilities and dyslexic students, as well. Another source for obtaining books on audio is the Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic organization http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9027. The menu of choices for books to use for reading instruction is full of variety and flavor! It is important to give your child a well-balanced literacy diet. Don't be afraid to be adventurous and have your kids try something new and tasty....they will keep coming back for more! READ MORE Resources for sight word readers, decodable books, leveled readers, and high interest/low readability books: EPS Books http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9028 Curriculum Associates http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9029 High Noon Books/Academic Therapy http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9030 Remedia Publications http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9031 Audio Books http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9026 Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic http://www.hslda.org/elink.asp?id=9027 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> "I saved my entire membership fee with one discount" "When I called Liberty to find out what kind of discount we could get, they told us we would 10% off our car insurance and 5% off our homeowner's insurance. What we will save is more than double what it costs to join HSLDA. With one child getting his driver's license this year, the savings will be a real blessing!" 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