Reading and Society

In order to participate fully in society, reading is essential. "Reading is the most important skill for success in school and society. Children who fail to learn to read will surely fail to reach their full potential." (Hall and Moats 1999.)

In Teaching Reading Source book it explains percentages of students being able to read.

5% of students come to school knowing how to read. With these students it is just a natural process.

20% to 35% of students find learning to read relatively easy.

60% of students find learning to read challenging and of the 60%

30% of students find it extremely difficult to learn to read.

How can we bridge that gap? There is an abundance of help available today. A child will learn to talk by age two just from listening to people talk around them, but we need to be taught to read! Successful teachers and families need to focus on 2 areas.

1) Phonics and phonemic awareness. (See: "Rhyming and Phonemic Awareness", "Blending Small Words", and "Mastering the Letters and Sounds" in this blog).

2) Rich and varied literature and writing practice. When you put these components together it helps your child learn to read. (See: "Reading Creates an Emotional Family Bond" in this blog).

Remember the steps we have talked about. (See: "Questions Answered", "Sight Words/ High Frequency Words", and Kindergarten Children Begin to Read").

1) Phonemic awareness or the alphabetical principle.

2) Phonics

3) Reading sight words

4)Vocabulary and reading comprehension

5)Continued reading

6) Maintaining the motivation to read and to learn.

"The less students read in the first grade, the less likely they are to read in subsequent school years." (Stanovich 1993)

Better readers read a lot more words. They continually build their vocabularies. Solution: until your child becomes a good reader, read to them and discuss vocabulary. We can bridge the gap until that gap is filled.

With good instruction from school and follow up help at home, your child will be off on the road to becoming a good reader. Remember the steps we have discussed and learn how to bridge the gap. It is worth it. Reading or not reading can impact a child's life. Make sure your child is on the positive end.