The idea that children even as young as four or five already know how to read is a noteworthy one. Sometimes you read or hear things about how teachers need to prepare children to learn, but I think children, especially the very young ones, need no preparation. They are naturally curious, and it’s important to take advantage of that curiosity. It is through that curiosity that prior knowledge is built, and we all know how vital prior knowledge is to future learning. One of my favorite things from the article Letting Go of the “Letter of the Week” was the effort made to show the kids that they were capable of reading and writing. I really loved the idea of bringing in items they are very familiar with (like a McDonald’s bag) to teach them some concepts they may not be so comfortable with. I think by showing them something they are accustomed to, you can help build their confidence in terms of how they feel about what it is they are about to learn. Relating what they are learning to things they already know makes learning fun and gives them an example of how they can use what they are learning in school in their everyday lives.
picture from: http://www.erc.udel.edu/
I think it is so important to remember how curious children are. As teachers we should take advantage of their curiosity and provide them with interactive techniques to learning. I thought bringing in the environmental cues like the McDonald's bag was a great interactive way to show kids that already have some reading skills. It empowers the children and shows them that they have the potential to learn even more.
ReplyDeleteI think that the McDonald's reference in the beginning of the school year is genius. Children respond well to recognition. All children deserve to realize that they can recognize words even before they start school. This makes me feel better about the different levels of reading skills my students in Kindergarten will have starting out.
ReplyDelete