Supporting the Reading Lives of Children and TeensDoug Fisher, PhD dfisher@mail.sdsu.edu Nancy Frey, PhD nfrey@mail.sdsu.edu

Many people think that the brain reads this way . . .

But we know better

Pyramid of Reading Behaviors

Behavioral Cognitive Perceptual/ Motor

Neural structures Neurons and circuits Genetic Foundation

Wolf, 2007

Pyramid of Reading Behaviors

Behavioral

Unlike language, reading has no specific genes to set upNeuralcircuitry or to dictate its structures its development. Neurons and circuitsGenetic Foundation

Cognitive Perceptual/ Motor

Wolf, 2007

It took the species 2000 years of insights to develop an alphabetic system. A child is given 2000 days to gain the same insights. --Maryanne Wolf

Pyramid of Reading BehaviorsArea of Influence

Behavioral Cognitive Perceptual/ Motor

Neural structures Neurons and circuits Genetic Foundation

Wolf, 2007

What does it mean to know a word? Word knowledge is multidimensional - Involves recognizing many aspects of a word: - syntactic - morphological - pragmatic - relation to other words - different meanings in different contexts

Nagy & Scott, 2000

The more you know about a wordword...the faster you will read and comprehend that word.

Phonological processes

Orthographic processes

Semantic processes

Syntactic processes

Morphological processes

Wolf, 2007

Rich Semantic Knowledge: Semantic Neighborhoodbites roars furry 4 legs Lion King Wizard of Oz mane big animal king of jungle eats Leo antelopes zodiac lives in jungle zoo sour limeade fruit lime citrus

lion

green

famous lions

Africa

Narnia

good in food and drinks key lime pie

Wolf, 2007

Partnering with School for Reading Success

Build background knowledge through rich experiences Day trips to museums, historical sites, zoos, and other local interests Spend time in different biomes (beach, desert, mountains, plains) Read about locations before you go Ask your child to chronicle the outing Discuss and write about what you saw after you return

Read in front of your child Make reading an important and visible part of what you do to locate information, to support your own learning, and for enjoyment Show them how you use literacy in your professional life

Read and write with your child Read and discuss texts together Family book club Take turns reading to one another Let them choose what youll read together Compose lists, letters, email messages, social networking status updates

Encourage your child to read to you and write for you Read to younger siblings Read to the family pet Write emails to relatives Write messages, notes, and lists for family members Compose holiday letters

Build comprehension with 21st century literacy in mind Tell them what youre thinking about when you watch a show Pause the video to discuss predictions Compare and contrast the book and the movie Elicit opinions and ask for evidence Select and listen to podcasts together Create multimedia productions for the family (www.voicethread.com)

Talk to your childs teacher about reading instruction Ask about the topics students are learning in class You are the keeper of your childs history: Share successful strategies with the teacher Ask about the kinds of supports and instruction your child receives at school Volunteer time and resources to the school

Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf