Teaching Reading

Goals and Techniques for Teaching Reading

Instructors want to produce students who, even if they do not have complete control of the
grammar or an extensive lexicon, can fend for themselves in communication situations. In the
case of reading, this means producing students who can use reading strategies to maximize their
comprehension of text, identify relevant and non-relevant information, and tolerate less than
word-by-word comprehension.

Focus: The Reading Process

To accomplish this goal, instructors focus on the process of reading rather than on its product.

They develop students' awareness of the reading process and reading strategies by asking
students to think and talk about how they read in their native language.

They allow students to practice the full repertoire of reading strategies by using authentic
reading tasks. They encourage students to read to learn (and have an authentic purpose
for reading) by giving students some choice of reading material.

When working with reading tasks in class, they show students the strategies that will
work best for the reading purpose and the type of text. They explain how and why
students should use the strategies.

They have students practice reading strategies in class and ask them to practice outside
of class in their reading assignments. They encourage students to be conscious of what
they're doing while they complete reading assignments.

They encourage students to evaluate their comprehension and self-report their use of
strategies. They build comprehension checks into in-class and out-of-class reading
assignments, and periodically review how and when to use particular strategies.

They encourage the development of reading skills and the use of reading strategies by
using the target language to convey instructions and course-related information in
written form: office hours, homework assignments, test content.

They do not assume that students will transfer strategy use from one task to another.
They explicitly mention how a particular strategy can be used in a different type of
reading task or with another skill.

By raising students' awareness of reading as a skill that requires active engagement, and by
explicitly teaching reading strategies, instructors help their students develop both the ability and
the confidence to handle communication situations they may encounter beyond the classroom.
In this way they give their students the foundation for communicative competence in the new
language.

Integrating Reading Strategies

Instruction in reading strategies is not an add-on, but rather an integral part of the use of
reading activities in the language classroom. Instructors can help their students become
effective readers by teaching them how to use strategies before, during, and after reading.

Before reading: Plan for the reading task

Set a purpose or decide in advance what to read for

Decide if more linguistic or background knowledge is needed

Determine whether to enter the text from the top down (attend to the overall meaning)
or from the bottom up (focus on the words and phrases)

During and after reading: Monitor comprehension

Verify predictions and check for inaccurate guesses

Decide what is and is not important to understand

Reread to check comprehension

Ask for help

After reading: Evaluate comprehension and strategy use

Evaluate comprehension in a particular task or area

Evaluate overall progress in reading and in particular types of reading tasks

Decide if the strategies used were appropriate for the purpose and for the task

Modify strategies if necessary

Using Authentic Materials and Approaches

For students to develop communicative competence in reading, classroom and homework

reading activities must resemble (or be) real-life reading tasks that involve meaningful
communication. They must therefore be authentic in three ways.

1. The reading material must be authentic: It must be the kind of material that students will
need and want to be able to read when traveling, studying abroad, or using the language in other
contexts outside the classroom.

When selecting texts for student assignments, remember that the difficulty of a reading text is
less a function of the language, and more a function of the conceptual difficulty and the task(s)
that students are expected to complete. Simplifying a text by changing the language often
removes natural redundancy and makes the organization somewhat difficult for students to
predict. This actually makes a text more difficult to read than if the original were used.
Rather than simplifying a text by changing its language, make it more approachable by eliciting
students' existing knowledge in pre-reading discussion, reviewing new vocabulary before
reading, and asking students to perform tasks that are within their competence, such as
skimming to get the main idea or scanning for specific information, before they begin intensive
reading.

2. The reading purpose must be authentic: Students must be reading for reasons that make
sense and have relevance to them. "Because the teacher assigned it" is not an authentic reason
for reading a text.

To identify relevant reading purposes, ask students how they plan to use the language they are
learning and what topics they are interested in reading and learning about. Give them
opportunities to choose their reading assignments, and encourage them to use the library, the
Internet, and foreign language newsstands and bookstores to find other things they would like
to read.

3. The reading approach must be authentic: Students should read the text in a way that matches
the reading purpose, the type of text, and the way people normally read. This means that reading
aloud will take place only in situations where it would take place outside the classroom, such as
reading for pleasure. The majority of students' reading should be done silently.

Reading Aloud in the Classroom

Students do not learn to read by reading aloud. A person who reads aloud and comprehends the
meaning of the text is coordinating word recognition with comprehension and speaking and
pronunciation ability in highly complex ways. Students whose language skills are limited are not
able to process at this level, and end up having to drop one or more of the elements. Usually the
dropped element is comprehension, and reading aloud becomes word calling: simply
pronouncing a series of words without regard for the meaning they carry individually and
together. Word calling is not productive for the student who is doing it, and it is boring for other
students to listen to.

There are two ways to use reading aloud productively in the language classroom. Read
aloud to your students as they follow along silently. You have the ability to use inflection
and tone to help them hear what the text is saying. Following along as you read will help
students move from word-by-word reading to reading in phrases and thought units, as
they do in their first language. Use the "read and look up" technique. With this
technique, a student reads a phrase or sentence silently as many times as necessary, then
looks up (away from the text) and tells you what the phrase or sentence says. This
encourages students to read for ideas, rather than for word recognition.

As a former first grade teacher, teaching children to read is one of my greatest passions! But
because most children dont start actually reading until around 6 years old (which is upwards
of the targeted age range for my blog), I didnt want parents to feel pressured that their 3-year
old needs to start reading (which, by the way, they dont!). However, the information shared
below is general information that is beneficial for children of all ages, whether your child is
ready to read or not. Dont implement all of these strategies at once, nor should you expect your
child to be able to do everything right away. It is a process and this information is simply for
you to implement when you feel your child is ready. Please also recognize that although the
suggestions below are labeled as steps, they are not necessarily in consecutive order, nor are
they in order of importance. The information you will find here is simply a guide to help you see
how each of the components of reading fit together!

1. Read to your child

Teaching your child to read is truly a process that begins at infancy. (No, I am most
certainly NOT advocating programs that claim to teach your baby to read using
flashcards!) What I AM encouraging you to do is to begin reading with your new born
within days of welcoming her home! Not only is this a special bonding time for the two of
you, it instills in her a love for books. Enjoyment while reading is one of the single
greatest predictors of reading success in school-age children. If children dont learn from
an early age to enjoy reading, it will most likely hinder their ability sometime down the
road.

How much you read to your child is completely up to you and your family, but aim to read at
least 3-4 books a day, even while your child is very young. As she gets a little older and can sit for
longer stretches of time, make it a family goal to read together for at least 20-minutes each day.
Here are a few suggestions for the types of books to read to your child. But by all means, read
whatever your child responds to and enjoys!

Birth-1 Year: Lullabies, Board Books (with real pictures), Cloth Books (with various
textures), Song Books

1 Year-3 Years: Rhyming Books, Song Books, Short-Story Board Books

3 Years-5 Years: Alphabet Books, Song Books, Picture Books, Rhyming Books

2. Ask questions

Asking questions while reading to your child is not only great for encouraging your child to
interact with the book, but it is also extremely effective in developing his ability
to comprehend what he is reading. You see, if our main objective in reading is getting our
child to sound out words, we have missed the boat entirely. Even children who can decode
words and read with great fluency still might not be able to comprehend what they are
reading. If a child cant comprehend what he is reading, there really is no point to reading at
all! While your child is a baby, ask him questions such as, Do you see the cat? while
pointing at the picture of the cat. This will not only develop his vocabulary, it will also
encourage him to interact with the book that he is reading. As he gets older, ask him to point
to things in the book himself and make the noises of the animals he sees.

Once your child is about 2 or 3-years of age, begin asking questions before, during, and after
reading the book. Show your child the cover of the book and ask him what he thinks it is going to
be about (predicting). While reading, ask him what he thinks is going to happen or why he
thinks a character made a particular choice (inferring). If a character is depicting a strong
emotion, identify that emotion and ask your child if he has ever felt that way (connecting). At
the end of the book, ask if his prediction(s) came true. Afterwards, ask him to tell you what he
remembered happening in the book (summarizing).

Modifying each of these techniques during read-alouds to meet the developmental stage of your
child is a great way to promote and increase reading comprehension!

3. Be a good (reading) example

Even if your child is fascinated with books from an early age, her fascination will quickly
dwindle if she does not see reading modeled in her home. If you are not an avid reader yourself,
make a conscious effort to let your children see you reading for at least a few minutes each day!
Read a magazine, a cookbook, a novel, your Bibleits up to you! But show your child that
reading is something that even adults need to do. If you have a son, share this article with your
husband. Sons need to see their fathers read, especially since it is not something that young
energetic boys are naturally prone to doing.

As parents, we can sometimes get wrapped up with what exactly our children should be doing to
be successful. But we often forget that children often learn by example. Grab a book and take a
load offfor your childs sake, of course!

4. Identify letters in natural settings

Before our boys were born, we painted and hung large wooden letters spelling their name above
the cribs as a decorative accent in their rooms. I would have never guessed that those wooden
letters would have such a learning incentive for Big Brother! Around age 2.5, he began asking
what letters were above his name. Thats honestly how he learned to spell his nameand he can
spell his brothers name too because he has taken an interest in his letters as well. In technical
terms, this is called environmental print and includes all of the print we are surrounded by
fast food signs, labels, traffic signs, clothing, magazines, etc.

Often times, we want to force our children to learn letter names by a certain age. We buy
flashcards or DVDs claiming to teach our children their letters. We drill our 2-year old over and
over for minutes on end. Dont buy into thisallow your kid to be a kid and take advantage of
the teachable moments as they come along! Childrens minds are like sponges and are
certainly capable of memorizing the alphabet from drilling, but thats not the most effective
method that will produce the best long-term results. Your child will be curious about the print
he sees around him and will ask questions. Thats your chance to jump in with a practical
application that actually has real meaning and significance to your child.

Dont misunderstand me and think that I dont think learning the alphabet is important. It is
certainly importantbut the method in which we teach them is even more important! Always
keep in mind that our ultimate goal is to foster a lifelong learner who loves to read, not a child
who has simply memorized without any significance.
5. Incorporate multiple domains of development
Children learn best when multiple senses or areas of development are included. Thats why
hands-on learning produces longer retention and more meaningful application. Once your child
has shown an interest in letters and you have already begun to utilize natural settings for
identifying those letters, begin implementing activities that incorporate as many senses as
possible. Keep in mind that learning letter names isnt nearly as important as
learning their sounds!

There are a plethora of ways to incorporate multiple domains of development in regards to letter
recognition and early-reading skills. Alphabet crafts allow your child to learn the shape of a
letter along with an association of the sound it makes all the while utilizing fine motor skills in
the process of cutting, gluing, and creating! Playing games that involve gross motor skills (like
tossing beanbags on the appropriate letter) are also wonderful ways to include movement. Of
course, every child loves songs and rhymes! Take an inventory of your childs strengths and
areas of interest and target activities to fit them!

6. Classify the Genre

Once your child is around 5 and can recognize the difference between real and make-believe, I
would suggest starting to help your child understand various genres of books during your
reading time together. This might seem complicated, but its really not. There are around 5
different genres of childrens books that I would encourage you to point out to your little one. Of
course you can use the term type rather than genre if that is easier to remember.

Nonfiction (real stories or facts about animals, places, people, etc)

Fantasy (make-believe, cant happen in real life because of magic, talking animals, etc)

Realistic Fiction (a made-up story, but it could technically happen in real life because
the characters and situations arebelievable)

Alphabet Books

Song Books

When children classify a book into a certain genre, they have to first summarize the book in their
head and recall details. Then they have to use that information to decide which type of genre
that particular books fits into. Finally, your child will be recalling details from other books in
the same genre, making connections between the two. This simple activity that might take 5-10
seconds of your time after reading a book but it certainly packs a punch of thought and
processing in that young brain!
Also, its important to note that not all books will fit into one of these genres, especially books
that are considered phonics readers. I would suggest that you do this exercise only with high-
quality childrens literature, not with books that are attempting to get your child to sound-out
on their own. Most picture books found in childrens libraries will fit into one of these genres.

Remember, our goal is for our children to learn to comprehend what theyre readingotherwise
reading will honestly do them little good. When we encourage our children to think about and
process the book weve just read together, we are inadvertently modeling what we hope theyll
one day do independently!

7. Word Families

To put it simply, word families are words that rhyme. Teaching children word families is a
phonemic awareness activity that helps children see patterns in reading. This is an important
skill because it allows children to begin reading by grouping sets of letters within a word. The
first part of a word is called the onset and the last part of the word is conveniently called
the rime. Word families share a similar rime as the onset changes.

Once your child recognizes the word mop, hell then have an advantage to reading all of the
other words that have the same rime (top, pop, stop, cop, hop) because only one letter is
changing. Plus, recognizing rhyming words is a great language skill in and of itself!

8. Phonemic Awareness and Phonics

Phonemes are the smallest sounds in the English language (go here for a complete list of
phonemes). These sounds are made up of consonants, short vowels, long vowels, and digraphs.
Phonemic Awareness consists of learning those sounds and how to manipulate them within a
word. Digraphs are unique sounds comprised of individual letters like /th/, /sh/, /ch/, etc.
Phonics includes learning how to spell those sounds and the various rules that the English
language follows. Phonics is an important components of reading/spelling, but it should never
be the main focus. Again, we are looking to balance our literacy program with reading
comprehension as the end result. Learning the rules of phonics is simply a tool that helps a
child learn to decode and spell. I used the Pathways to Reading program in the classroom as my
phonemic awareness and phonics program and loved it! It made learning all of the tricky
spellings so much fun, but I wouldnt recommend it until your child is in kindergarten or first
grade.

9. Decoding
Decoding is often referred to as sounding it out. This is an important element in teaching your
child to read, but it certainly isnt the most important. Once your child knows the sounds each
letter makes (which is taught in real, meaningful situations), she is ready to begin putting words
together. When looking at a short word, encourage her to say each individual sound /b/, /a/,
/t/, and then put them together bat.
As children decode words with more frequency, they will become more proficient at
automatically identifying that word. Sometimes this task is tedious, though, so its important to
find creative ways to make it fun. When I taught first grade, I used to buy little finger
puppets that my students could use to point to the letters as they were decoding. This was a
huge hit and made this process so much fun!
10. Sight Words
Sight words, also known as high-frequency words, are the most common words in our written
language are are often difficult to decode phonetically because they dont follow the rules of
phonics. Because of this, they must be memorized. As Ive shared with you before, I am not an
advocate of rote memorization for optimal learning because I feel it only utilizes the lowest level
of cognitive processes. However, sight words must be memorized in order for your child to
become a fluent reader. There are a few popular lists of sight words that individual researchers
have found beneficial, including the Dolch List and the Fry List. Dont get overwhelmed when
looking at this listjust start working on a few words at a time when you feel your child is ready.

As youve probably noticed, there is no magic formula for teaching your child how to read. The
points weve discussed in previous posts have highlighted simple, effective strategies that are
easy to modify for your child. After all, every child learns differently! This series is not to be
used as a checklist and think that once youve covered all the strategies your child will be
proficiently reading. Rather, this series provides valuable information to you so that you can
guide your child while creating a print-rich, learning environment to foster his/her growth as a
reader. Dont rush and dont stress! While its important to take advantage of the prime-
learning time, its even more important to let your kid be a kid!

In summary, here are some practical suggestions you can implement every day based on the
strategies shared with you in this post and previous posts. Obviously, you cant implement all of
these suggestions with children of all ages, so use your judgement about what is best
for your child.

Read to your child every day!

Ask your child questions before, during, and after reading.

Let your child see you reading.

Look for letters while out and about and in the environment around you.

When teaching letters and letter sounds, incorporate as many senses as possible.

Read a variety of books and make a game out of guessing the genre.

Have fun rhyming!

Work on letter sounds and manipulating them within words (phonemic awareness)

Encourage your child to sound out short words (consonant, vowel, consonant).
 Practice memorizing a few sight words each day.

Most of all, have fun together!