Reading Right from the Start

1. Helping your child achieve in LITERACY Reading Right from the Start Presented by : Christine DePinto Lisa Jaramillo Sheila Rivera Lora Wegner Pasquale Cocucci, Clarendon School Principal Susan Smahl, Director of Special Services

2. The goal of this workshop is to give you a better understanding of the importance in Early Childhood Literacy. We want you to be able to assist your child in developing: *Intelligible Speech & Communication *A love for books and for reading *Fluent writing skills *An OVERALL LOVE OF LEARNING!!!!!

3. “ There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” • Jacqueline Kennedy

4. TALKING with your PRESCHOOLER Children can develop language skills ONLY if they have opportunities to talk and to listen. Some GREAT opportunities to talk with your child are in the car, at the store, during mealtimes, bath time, bed time, as well as ANY OTHER TIME OF THE DAY!

5. While talking with your child: • Build vocabulary by using descriptive adjectives • “Wow! This apple is so red and juicy!” • *Build trust and confidence • “The boat that you made is beautiful. I would love to go sailing in it with you!” • *Discuss your immediate environment • “Uh-oh! It’s starting to rain; we are going to get wet!” • *Use words during daily routine tasks • “I am cutting orange carrots to put in the chicken soup.” • *Ask your child questions & ANSWER theirs • “What are you building?” • *Point out things you see & play “I spy.” • “I spy something tall with a lot of windows!” • *Explain things • “It is important to put your toy truck away so that no one trips on it.”

6. READING with your PRESCHOOLER Research proves that the MOST CRUCIAL time to develop literacy skills is between BIRTH and 8 years of age. A 1998 study was conducted by the American Guidance Service, Inc., and found that “Children who see their parents reading tend to be better readers themselves.”

7. Read a book with your child every day!

8. While reading be sure to:*point to the words you read; this will show your child that there is a relationship between the spoken word and the print on paper. *emphasize the beginning sounds in words such as the /b/ in book & boat*point to the pictures in the story to show the meaning of the print.*read with excitement AND enthusiasm – try changing your voice for different characters.*ask questions while reading such as, “What do you think will happen next?” *allow your child to “read” when possible such as areas of repetition or rhyme (The Three Little Pigs, “I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll….”)

9. Other opportunities to read with your child… *While driving point out traffic signs & store names “Look at the red sign. It says STOP. S-T-O-P. Red means Stop.” *While at the grocery store, read labels as you place items in your cart. Encourage your child to “read” too! “We need Cheerios. Can you find the Cheerios on the shelf. Look for the /C/.” *While at a restaurant, encourage them to read the menu (most kid’s menus will have picture alongside the words). *At bed time, have your child pick the book from their own “library.”

10. The National Institute of Child Health and • Human Development: • 74% of the children who are diagnosed with reading problems in the 3rd grade, continue with problems into the 9th grade. This shows the importance of building a love for reading at an early age when children are most impressionable. • Children who fall behind at an early age (even in Kindergarten and 1st grade) fall further and further behind over time. Without remedial help, child reading problems do not diminish over time, but persist through the school years and into adulthood.

11. Read aloud with your child Make books and magazines readily available for your child. Get a Library Card & VISIT OFTEN!!!

12. SINGING with your PRESCHOOLER Rhythm & rhyme can help children enjoy learning in fun, new ways. MUSIC generates MEMORY so use familiar tunes to create songs about your daily routines and even personal information such as learning how to spell their name, learning their phone number, address, and birth date!

13. “The Mozart Effect” refers to a 1993 study that showed listening to Mozart increases intelligence in babies and young children. It raised the question: Does other music, such as singing simple songs, similarly boost linguistic intelligence or language development?

14. The answer is….YES!!!

15. Linda Page Neely, associate professor of music at the University of Connecticut, has done extensive research on the links between MUSIC & LITERACY DEVELOPMENT. Professor Neely explains that, “as your child sings, he begins to EXPLORE, SEQUENCE, and ORDER SOUNDS, which are CRITICAL SKILLS for READING.

16. *Make up silly songs about daily routines like brushing your teeth, getting dressed, or cleaning up. (HINT: BARNEY!) • *Find books based on songs such as, • “I know an old lady who swallowed a fly.” • *Sing along with the radio • Music & songs are key factors in stimulating the brain for spatial awareness, coordination, • and creativity.

17. WRITING with your PRESCHOOLER Early scribbles will lead to letter-like shapes so there is value in letting them write.

18. Children will want to write as they see you writing. • Show them grocery lists, emails, menus, etc… • Support their pre-writing & writing skills by having crayons, markers, pencils, and paper available. • Show them street signs, traffic signs, and store names. • Have them “take your order” at mealtime.

19. Print-Rich Environment The Department of Education states that a print-rich environment is one in which children interact with many forms of print including signs, word displays, labeled murals, bulletin boards, charts, poems, and other printed materials.

20. It is extremely important that children: *Recognize Print *Make connections between print & spoken language *Understand that print has meaning and is used for various purposes.

21. Some ideas for creating a Print-Rich Environment in your home are: *label items around the house (chair, table, door) *label bins or containers that hold items such as toys and books *poems, calendars, charts, and maps can decorate your child’s room *magnetic letters for your refrigerator or for a magnetic board in your child’s room *chalkboard or magnetic paint will allow your child (and you!) to write on walls! *alphabet posters to encourage letter recognition *Books! Books! Books! Books!

22. A Few Tips… Encourage literacy, vocabulary, and a respect for books by modeling reading and pointing out the parts of a book. (the spine, title page, dedication, covers, author, and illustrator) Provide small crayons and pencils to encourage a proper writing grip Read a familiar book and encourage your child to interject the lines he/she remembers (a recurring line or rhyme is especially helpful) Encourage connections to literacy. Pause to ask open-ended questions and allow for predictions. Let them retell the story to you.

23. “The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”-Dr. Seuss

24. More information is available at: Reading is Fundamental www.rif.org The National Institute for Literacy www.nifl.gov Scholastic Books www.scholastic.com National Education Association www.nea.org National Association for the Education of Young Children www.naeyc.org