So...what are YOU reading?

Pediatrics Group to Recommend Reading Aloud to Children from Birth

It doesn't really matter what you read.  Read a variety of texts.

Early childhood people have believed this for years, but it is wonderful to have pediatricians supporting it now!!  Read paragraph 6 in particular.  I can't emphasize the importance of vocabulary and it is learned through being read to and reading.  It can't be learned through looking words up in a dictionary.  Well it can be, sort of, but it isn't efficient.

Who is your favorite children's author?   Some of my favorites are listed on the left.

Walk away from the workbooks....

I was at a local big box store yesterday and saw a table full of 'educational' books.  What caught my eye was the "Get Ready for..." workbooks that started with PreKindergarten and went up.   I thumbed through the PreK and Kindergarten ones and thought, "Wow, no wonder parents are so stressed about their child starting school!"

One issue I have with this type of workbook is that much of what is in these workbooks isn't even taught in those grades.   Really, a four year old needs to be able to add money? No.  How about working on being nice and sharing?  I have no doubt that some kids will memorize the skill but they will not truly understand the concept.

I frequently tell teachers with whom I work, if kids know everything you want them to know before they come to you, what is your job?   It is the teacher's job to teach letters, numbers, sounds etc.  While it is nice (and easier for us in the classroom) to greet children that first day of school who already know these skills, it is not required.

My other issue, and maybe more important to me, is that these skills are taught in isolation rather than in authentic situations.  Many kids can do something in a workbook but they do not transfer that skill to everyday life. Once I was observing a classroom and a child was 'doing' a worksheet on periods.   The child was putting a dot at the end of each sentence.   When I asked the child what he was doing he said, "My teacher said a dot goes at the end of the line."  He was 100% successful on the worksheet, but when I watched him writing later in the day he never used a period.  He could do the skill in isolation but couldn't transfer that skill to real writing.

So, walk away from the workbooks.  Don't succumb to peer pressure.  Talk and play with your children.   Use real situations to teach concepts, when you get change back at the grocery store, ask your child to hold the quarter etc.  That is real learning in authentic, real situations.

If you are curious as to what is taught in the different grade levels in Texas visit Texas Education Agency.  Here  you will find the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, (TEKS)

Taking Things for Granted......don't

As adults, since we can read and write we take a lot of things for granted.  We get the literacy code so we think little ones do as well.

Yesterday, I was reminded again that they don't always.   I was reading an ABC book with Parker, my 5 year old grandson, and pointed out the letter A.   I reminded him that A was in his name.  He said, No, G, that's the ABC letter A, not the A in my name.  I quickly explained that they were the same letters.   We use the letters in the alphabet to make our names and other words.  He looked at me as if he wasn't quite sure.

Parker's oral language can match that of a lot of adults and he is pretty adept at numbers so it's easy to make the assumption that his literacy knowledge would be as developed.  However, many times in the beginning, one area will develop before another.  

The fact that he didn't realize all names/words use the 'alphabet' letters made me smile.  It was easy to explain and make him aware.  Since our conversation, when he sees a letter that is in his name he reminds me that it is the same letter.

Making an Inference...in the grocery line

My other two little nuggets arrived yesterday.  They are ages 5 and 3.  I was amazed at how they use words naturally that they have heard used by adults.   Nobody drilled them on words like, actually, luring, snatched, quite big, seemed fishy but they hear these big words so they incorporate them into their own vocabulary.

One important comprehension skill is the ability to make an inference from what we read.  In other words, take the words from the author (the text) and what we already know (background knowledge) and draw a conclusion or make an inference.   We use clues from the author and our background knowledge to do this.

Here are some easy ways to do that, without text, to have your children learn this skill.   Then, when they can do that, try it with a book.

When you are in the check out line at the grocery store, talk with your child about the contents in the person's basket in front of you.  Say things like, Oh look, that person is buying hot dog buns, hot dogs and chips.   I bet that's what they are having for dinner.   Or they might be having a picnic or cookout. We have hot dogs when we cookout don't we?

That person has a gift bag, a bow and a toy.  I infer, or think, they must be buying a present for someone.

Remember it's important to label it naturally by saying, I infer, think.  We aren't saying, That's making an inference, what's that called? drilling them.  When your child starts doing it on his/her own, then you can say, Wow, you made an inference.

Try it the next time you are in the check out line.

Lazy Days of Summer

I love summer.  I love the lazy days of just playing and having no real pressing issues.  I thought about how easy it is to introduce language to our children on these lazy days.  
It's the second day in a row of rain and my 18 month old nugget, Lola, wanted to go outside.  As we sat together on the couch, looking outside, she was intrigued by the rain.   We stepped out onto the back patio and put our hands in the rain.  Lola thought it was hilarious.   We went back in and sat looking out again.   We had a grand conversation about the rain drops and how the drops were hitting the flowers and making them bend over.  We talked about how the drops splashed and bounced up on the table.   She pointed to the puddles that were forming on the patio so it was easy to 'name' them.
Will she repeat these words tomorrow?  Probably not, however they have been 'placed' in her brain.  The more she hears language, the more words will be engraved upon her brain, and the likelier it will be that she uses them.
Try it, it's easy.