If you read a few, then you’ll know it’s true:
Books are good for you!
Chefs read cook books,
Pirates? “Hook” books!
Little kids read lift-and-look books!
We read books of poems and prose –
Some of these and some of those.
Read some too, and you’ll agree,
Books are good for you and me! – Helen H. Moore
I spend a lot of time reading, and even more time teaching children how to read. The main reason I do so is, as the poem above states, “Books are good for you and me!” And, I want to share that goodness with the generations of the future.
I’ve written in the past about the debate between phonics and whole language instruction. The war continues to rage: which method better helps children to read? The jury is still out – and I don’t know whether there will be a definitive answer any time this century! But, perhaps the best bet is a mix of phonics and whole language instruction.
Phonics is the system of relationships between letters and sounds in a language. When a kindergartener learns that the letter D has the sound of /d/ and a second-grader learns that “tion” sounds like /shun/, they are learning phonics. The National Reading Panel, composed of experts in fields of literacy was asked by the United States Congress to examine the research on the teaching of reading. The panel found that phonics instruction is essential to beginning reading instruction. The panel also found that phonics most benefits children who are experiencing difficulty learning to read.
On the other hand, in whole language, exemplified by the “Dick and Jane” books of the 1950s, but vastly upgraded since then, children learn to recognize whole words through memorization. They are taught to figure out a word’s meaning through context and picture clues. Early on, children begin to view themselves as readers and to find pleasure and satisfaction in reading.
Beyond Debate: Hands-on Reading Strategies
Regardless of the approach (phonics or whole language), I recently came across a book by literacy guru Jennifer Serravallo. Generally, Serravallo writes about reading assessment and instruction, and in this new book, The Reading Strategies Book, she lays out extremely helpful hints for teaching all types of readers. I will focus on four of her strategies that deal with emergent readers, those who are still working on the basics.
First, let me explain what Serravallo means by “reading strategies.” She explains that reading strategies are “deliberate, effortful, intentional and purposeful actions a reader takes to accomplish a specific task or skill. A reading strategy is step-by-step, a procedure or recipe. Strategies make the often invisible work of reading actionable and visible.”
She makes another very important point about reading strategies, “Just as we offer strategies to students as ways for them to become independent while practicing a skill, we want them to eventually outgrow those strategies, too. Once the reader becomes skilled, the process, the strategy, becomes automatic and something to which the reader no longer needs to give conscious attention.” In other words, we explicitly teach the strategies, but once the student becomes a strong enough reader, they use the strategies implicitly and no longer explicitly call them up in order to decode, comprehend, or otherwise read a passage.
Here is just a taste of the three hundred strategies that Serravallo presents in her book:
Linger Finger. The “linger finger” encourages students not to rush through the text and instead to pay attention to smaller details to aid in comprehension. Often, students will look at a sentence or two and say “I’m done!” Encouraging them to move their finger across the page and tell you what they see will help improve comprehension. In essence the “linger finger” urges students to take it slow, or linger on the page.
Use a Word You Know. This strategy pulls on students’ prior knowledge, teaching them to use a word they already know to solve the word that they are having trouble with. For instance, if a student is having trouble with the word “play,” you can ask “Does the end of the word look like anything you’ve seen before?” Then, you can do the same for the beginning. Seravallo’s book also has great charts for this type of exercise.
Keep in Mind What Repeats. Students become “text detectives” with this strategy, discovering patterns in the texts and identifying what is new as well. When words repeat themselves, they allow students to gain confidence and make the new words less daunting. By encouraging students to recognize patterns, teachers are helping students acquire self-assurance and comprehension.
Try, Try Again. This strategy is one to use once you have given your students a wide range of reading strategies. In essence, you remind your students that they have a whole bunch of tools up their sleeves. If one reading strategy doesn’t work, try another. If that one doesn’t work, try the next one! Gaining flexibility as readers will benefit them as they work on harder and longer texts.
Let’s keep reading together. After all, books are good for me and you!
Register now for a Social Thinking workshop by Michelle Garcia Winner on November 16. Please call Mrs. Schonfeld at 718-382-5437 for more information.
