Reading at Primary One: Is your child ready?

Agenda

Introduction Understanding Your Child

• What is the expectation? • Types of Readers

Planning & Running a Reading Session

• Importance of Phonetics • Importance of Environment • Importance of Involvement • Reading as a Habit • Recommendations

In general, kids entering Primary 1 should be able to

• Read (with articulation/auditory phonetics) & write all 26 alphabets in capital and small letters • Know how to read and spell simple words

• Know how to construct simple English sentences

Introduction

• Emergent Readers

• Early Readers

• Fluent Readers

• Reluctant Readers

Types of Readers

Attitude • Show pleasure in rhyme and rhythm of language

• Keen to listen and participate in stories, rhymes and poems

• Exploration stage

Understanding • Know how stories and books work

• Think about what may happen and use it to unfold the story

• Experience success – this drives child into further reading

• Understand that text and illustrations carry the story

Behaviour • “Plays” at reading

• Identifies some words

• Returns to favourite books

• Handles books confidently

• Chooses to read independently at times

Emergent Readers

Reading Strategies

• Simple vocabulary

• Illustrations

• Simple and straightforward plot with limited characters

• Use books with familiar/ popular theme

Types of books

• Picture books

• Concept books

• Fairy tales/Folktales

• Beginner books

Emergent Readers

Attitude • Eager to listen to and read longer stories

• Willing to work at getting meaning from text

• Confident in sharing feelings about books

• Eager to confirm success by reading favourite & familiar books

Understanding • Increases sight vocabulary rapidly

• Show increasing knowledge of print conventions

• Understand how real and imaginary experiences

influence meaning gained from books

Behaviour • Choose to read more frequently

• Cope with greater variety of genres and themes

• Cope with more characters, scene changes & episodes

Early Readers

Reading Strategies • Similar reading strategies - Emergent Readers

• In addition:

– Ask children to read the story to you

– Encourage silent reading

– Let them choose a story and read to you

– Engage them in writing activities

Types of Books • Simple fiction

• Short stories/ Early novels

• Simple magazines/ comics

• Non-fiction: Art and craft, puzzle, tongue twisters etc.

Early Readers

Attitude • Take active part in discussing books and authors

• Eager to extend reading interests

• Expect books to be a part of daily life and seeks time to read

• Do not to agree with everything that is read

Understanding • Are aware of a variety of genres and can identify elements

• Able to adjust reading pace to accommodate purpose, style and

difficulty of material

• Know how to use books to get information

Behaviour • Willing to sample different forms of text

• Sets own purpose for reading

• Copes with less predictable texts

• Uses table of contents

• Responds in various ways, including critically

Fluent Readers

Reading Strategies

• Encourage to write stories, keep diaries, book reviews

• Introduce to different genres and new reading materials

• Encourage independent exploration of instructional word games/materials

• Engage book discussions/book talks among peers

Types of Books

• Comics and Magazines

• Fiction

– Chapter books, Popular series

– Diff genres, e.g. Classics, Fantasy, Humour,

– Diff formats e.g. diaries, instructional books, letters

Fluent Readers

Typical excuses from children when they don’t read:

“I’m a slow reader”

“I’m too busy! No time!”

“Only girls read!”

“It is so boring.

Nothing interesting.”

“Easier to watch a video/TV then to read”

Reluctant Readers

A reluctant reader is a child who has lost interest in books because:

• He/She can read, but does not want to

(an attitude problem – socio-emotional) or;

• He/She is unable to read well (a reading skills problem – mental, physical)

Reluctant Readers

Reluctant Readers

Overcoming Reluctance

• Make reading seem like an incidental task

• Let their interest ‘lead’; give them a choice in reading

This allows the children to retain ownership and take responsibility for their reading.

• BELIEVE that they can do it

• Learn NOT to over-correct

• Talk enthusiastically about a “must-read” books

Giving Children Control over Reading • Get them to rate books according to

- ‘My kind of books’

- ‘Well. Maybe’

- ‘No thanks, not the kind I like’

This will help find out which genre they prefer

• Get them to sort the books according to

- Easy, Just right, Too hard

This will help them to gauge their reading level

Reluctant Readers

Planning & Running a Reading Session

• To make reading FUN

• Inculcate positive attitudes to books and reading

• To enable children to read independently

• Understand that you are trying to form a Habit

• Help them learn from “Listening” and build the foundation of languages

• Let them read aloud by themselves without requiring them to understand the meaning of the words in the beginning.

• Having Conversations are the best way to learn

Planning & Running a Reading Session

Importance of Phonetics

• Children to be fully cognizant of the 26 English alphabets and their phonetic sounds.

• Extend that to phonetic sounds of combinations of letters

• Don’t worry so much about understanding at the start

• Bedtime Reading on a regular basis

• Patience and Commitment are the keys

Importance of Environment

• Our external environment has a bigger impact on us and our motivations than we think

• Should be relaxing and fun

• An occasion that your kid looks forward to

• Accompanying Food & Beverages

Importance of Involvement

Key is to spend time with your children

The Singapore Context

Study by Singapore Polytechnic in 2013

Importance of Involvement

Importance of Involvement

Read

Simple first step! If we’re going to encourage kids to read we need to do it too. Read for pleasure, info, instructions, connecting with others etc. Just Read!

Share Your Reading Experiences

Share with your children. Tell them what you’ve been reading, what you’ve gained or learned, where you read, (“in the bath!”), what books you bought etc. Help them see what a reader does

Simple Guideline

1 session divided into two ½-hour segments

- 1st 30mins - Group Storytelling

Read Aloud, Poetry & Rhymes

Recommended books comprise of books to appeal to your child

Mix of traditional rhymes and contemporary poetry

Create your own vocabulary list

- 2nd 30mins - Breakout Groups

Vocabulary, Arts and Craft activities, Board Games

Planning & Running a Reading Session

• Simple, interesting storyline that matches children’s interests, experiences and level of understanding

• Rich but predictable/comprehensible language – rhyme, rhythm and repetition

• A limited number of interesting characters

• Suspense -> happy ending

• Colourful, attractive illustrations / pictures that provide clues to the text

• Short enough to finish in one sitting

• Large clear print

Recommendations

Guidelines for Selection of Books

Recommendations

Fiction versus Non-Fiction

• It doesn’t really matter – what matters is what your child is interested in

• Newspapers are a rich resource you can tap on

• Cut-outs to be used as theme for story

• Get them to read the captions

• Get them to read the comics

• Tap on their own area of interest – remember it is about them; NOT about you

• Pay attention to your child

Recommendations

Samples of Suitable Titles

Recommendations

Samples of Suitable Local Titles

Recommendations

Cover-to-Cover

• Its important to develop this habit

• Today’s learning environment is very different; and children are beginning to have difficulty in focusing

• Technology plays a big part in this new phenomenon

Recommendations

For Parents

Questions & Answers

Thank You