Introduction To Teaching Reading

Reading is the area in literacy in which the greatest gains are made. This is heartening information for those starting out as
literacy tutors. Reading, however, is a very complex skill to develop. Fluent reading is so automatic that the skilled reader
is unaware of the many features involved.

Elements of Fluent Reading

The two main components of reading are rapid word recognition and comprehension. We read to understand. The more
fluently we are able to read, the more processing capacity is left to spend on comprehending what we are reading. The
ability to decode and comprehend text efficiently depends on a number of factors:

1. Letter knowledge
The letters of the alphabet are confusing to a beginner reader. In order to be able to read, the reader needs to be able
to recognise upper and lower case letters and different fonts.

2. Phonics
Phonics is the branch of science that deals with spoken sound. To understand a language, one must be able to distinguish
and categorise the distinct sounds. Essentially, a person beginning to read needs to understand that speech is made up of a
stream of sounds and syllables.

A crucial step in learning to read is the understanding that the letters of the alphabet represent the individual sounds in
words. This requires the beginner reader to understand that a word is made up of separate and distinct sounds and that
individual letters or strings of letters represent those sounds. For example the word CAT is made up of three sounds C- A-
T and is represented by three individual letters. The word CHAT is also made up of three sounds but is represented by
four letters, the CH representing one distinct sound. Once a reader understands this principle, it becomes easier to decode
text.

3. Print knowledge

The reader needs to understand how a text works, the direction you start from and the nature of the text being read.
Skilled readers have expectations about the text they are about to read. The way one might approach reading a flight
schedule or a timetable is different from sitting down to read a novel. Expectations of print only come through reading a
wide variety of texts.

Just as we expect to see words appearing in a certain order, we also expect to see letters in order. We have unconsciously
acquired the code and if we saw a sequence 'dgsumz' we would be a astonished, but if we saw the word 'crecious' we
might not be.
4. Syntax

Syntax is the structure of a language that allows words to fit together to make phrases and sentences. Knowing where the
verb or subject will appear in the sentence makes it easier to predict what will come next. For example, in the sentence
“Patrick limped to the shop” our knowledge of English tells us that limped is the verb and that Patrick got to a shop
somehow, even if we don’t quite understand the meaning of the word ‘limped’.

5. Semantics

Semantics relates to the meaning of words and sentences. To understand a sentence a reader may have to examine
meaning at several different levels simultaneously. For example: “Can you spell Laurence?” or “Can you spell,
Laurence?”

6. Background knowledge

Depending on the subject matter and our background knowledge, we approach a passage with a greater or lesser
expectation of meaning The better the frame of reference a person has for the material being read, the easier the piece will
be to comprehend. Background knowledge is about being able to relate one piece of information to another and knowing
what is relevant to what you are trying to understand. In turn, reading new information amends and develops previous
information.

How we can use this knowledge to help our students?

Armed with this knowledge, we can apply what we know as follows:

We need to give students material that:

 Harnesses their needs and interest and their background knowledge.

 Uses plain English.
 Conveys information and is relevant.

We need to ensure:

 That they have a good basic sight vocabulary.

 That they understand how to decode words through letter-sound correspondence and word pattern.
 That they have understood what they have read.
 That they learn to check their own understanding of what they read.
 Teaching Reading and Writing Skills in Your K-12
Classrooms
The ability to communicate clearly and effectively forms the foundation of modern life. Students that
can’t read effectively fail to grasp important concepts, score poorly on tests and ultimately, fail to meet
educational milestones. Reading and writing skills allow students to seek out information, explore
subjects in-depth and gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. When they can not
read well, they become discouraged and frustrated by school. This might result in high school drop
outs, poor performance on standardized tests, increased truancy and other negative reactions, all of
which can have major and long lasting repercussions. By teaching students to communicate
effectively, you help create engaged students who learn to love the act of learning. It is important to
think about your strategies for teaching reading and teaching literacy in your classroom.

Literacy Belongs in Every Class

Literacy skills may be the focus in language arts classes, but they are equally necessary for math,
science, art, music, and any other course work. Students that cannot understand the material in a
textbook fall behind, which is particularly problematic in classes with information dense textbooks like
science. “Meeting the Reading Challenges of Reading Science Textbooks in Primary
Grades,”by Nadine Bryce, addresses this specific issue with a variety of instructional methods that
incorporate reading for meaning and active reading strategies. This helps science teachers overcome
the hurdle of student achievement when blocked by low literacy levels, disorganized texts and high
level vocabulary. The ability to absorb and understand content is an essential skill for every student,
in every class. This makes incorporating literacy skills into every classroom necessary. When
answering word problems in math class, encourage students to write long-form answers, not simply
jot down a number. Children who excel at reading routinely score better on math skills challenges
related to problem solving, estimation, data interpretation and math concepts. The challenge facing
teachers is incorporating literacy skills into every lesson plan in a way that makes sense. For math
classes, word problems and practical math applications use reading and writing skills for problem
solving. In science classes, lab reports should be detail oriented and contain step-by-step processes.
With art, a picture can say a thousand words, but make sure students can verbalize or write down
their reactions to what they create or see. By bringing literacy into every classroom, students receive
added exposure and learn that reading is an essential life skill.

Translating Speech to the Written Word

Writing plays several roles in the classroom. It helps further cement new concepts by allowing
students to describe these items in their own words. It encourages logical thinking by forcing students
to organize their thoughts. It also helps them learn how to tell a story, communicate ideas and record
important moments. The National Writing Project is one of the longest running development programs
in the U.S. It offers a variety of workshops designed to help teachers incorporate writing skills in the
classroom. Keep in mind that long form essays are just a single facet of developing writing skills. In
the future, students will spend much more time writing brief replies to emails or jotting down to-do
lists. Be sure to incorporate those types of tasks in the classroom, so they have experience with both
essays and more day-to-day writing skills.
Back to the Basics of Reading

Engaged reading leads to engaged learning, but students are not prepared to dive into the written
word and immediately extract all of the valuable content. They need instructional guidance on how to
read critically, understand the material and implement what they have learned. As instructors, you
can provide the necessary framework using concepts such as previewing text, reading with a
purpose, predicting and making connections and the use of graphic organizers. In addition to quick
reading assignments in class, students need to develop reading stamina. They should be prepared to
spend considerable time reading a book, long articles or studies. Give them the practice they need by
developing a classroom library. Offering well-written texts that are not necessarily related to the
class subject can encourage students to read for fun and information. For example, a biology
classroom might have texts dealing with animals, but it might also have a few that relate to plants or
minerals. While these are not directly related, they do have a place in the scientific nature of the
class, and allow students to find information in their areas of interest.

Tips and Tricks to Create a Budding Bibliophile

As a teacher, one of your goals should be to develop a love of reading in students. Keep in mind that
the classroom library can extend to fiction, poetry, fantasy, and many other genres. Don’t limit the
selection to education materials. The goal of the library is to get kids reading, not limit their content
strictly to material related to current curriculum. The more reading material available to them, the
more likely they are to pick up something for fun. Also, never overlook the value of magazines. Many
students may not be willing to pick up a full-length novel, but they might be happy to browse through
a magazine article or two.

Making Reading a Priority

While all aspects of literacy are critical to eventual success, for most students, the process starts with
reading skills. These skills form the foundation for all other learning, which is a large part of the
reasoning behind the wide adoption of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) curriculum
programs. These new standards put the responsibility for teaching reading and literacy skills on the
backs of all teachers, not just language arts instructors.

Resources: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1071&context=reading_
horizons http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1598/RT.64.7.1/abstr
acthttp://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18473206http://www.socialworkers.org/advocacy/sch
ool/documents/School%20Truancy%20and%20Dropout%20Prevention.pdfhttp://dera.ioe.ac.uk
/5074/1/indexexclusions.html
Reading Challenges:

 Poor reading skills e.g. skimming and scanning

 Limited vocabulary
 Lack of background knowledge about the reading texts
 Keeping students focused and engaged
 Monitoring large classes during reading activities
 Managing different levels during reading activities
 Limited resources
 Long sentences and difficult vocabulary

Writing Challenges:

 Forming ideas to write about; lack of imagination

 Getting started
 Linking ideas and sentences in a text
 Lack of vocabulary and structural grammar
 Lack of interest in writing

Motivating Students to Read and Write:

 Relate the language and the task to real life situation to make it
more meaningful.
 Use authentic texts in the classroom (ex. Advertisement).
 Allow students to concentrate on fluency rather than accuracy.
 Use visuals to stimulate interest in the reading text.
 Use text related to students’ interest and experience.
 Allow students to work in pairs and groups.