EDUCATION/Wise Choices for CARE You & Your Family
GUIDE 2288 28
HOO’s learning
Learning to Read
At this moment, in order to read this, different parts of your
brain are working together, like instruments in an orchestra
that coordinate to create music. One part of the brain
recognizes letter shapes and discerns between sounds while
another processes the meaning of the words being read.
Information pathways in the brain connect the different areas
together. For some, mastering this amazing process does not
take long while for others it can be a long journey. Here is an
overview of what is involved in learning to read and what you
can do if you feel your child is struggling with any of the steps.
Learning to read begins at birth, when a baby is exposed
to language sounds and begins learning the meaning and
structure of spoken language. This is the start of phonological
awareness, the ability to recognize and work with the sounds of
spoken language. Reading books to babies and young children,
especially rhymes and word patterns, builds phonological
awareness and add words to your child’s vocabulary.
In preschool, step-by-step programs develop phonological
awareness & prepare students for reading. Learning phonemic
awareness, the most complex of the phonological awareness
skills, is one of these steps.
Phonemic awareness is the ability
to segment a word into sounds and
blend individual sounds into words
and is a stepping stone to phonics
(associating sounds with written
letters) and decoding text. Once
young readers learn to decode, they
should be able to summarize the ideas behind the text
(reading comprehension)
Set aside at least a half hour for reading each day that is free
from distractions like the TV and internet. Here are some
activities that will give your child’s reading skills a workout:
Read your child’s favorite book to him and then have him
read it back to you.
Practice phonics by reading ABC books with your child.
Ask your child to tell you what a story was about after
reading.
Resource: Karass J., & Braungart-Rieker J. (2005). Effects of shared parent-infant
reading on early-language acquisition Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology,
26, 133-148
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