THIS ISSUE: Helping Children Learn about Reading  

Dear Arizona Promising Practices Subscriber,

Welcome to another online addition of the Arizona Promising Practices forum. For those new to this service, you will receive periodic updates focusing on:

(1) Recommended National Education websites; and

(2) One promising practice article in condensed form. We welcome your recommendations for improvement to this forum or suggestions on future topics (these will be wide ranging so if nothing in this update interests you, hold on for future editions!)

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In this issue of the Promising Practices Forum we have been asked to provide a quick reference that educators may give to parents or those who work with young children on the importance of reading early. This practical guide may be shared as a reminder of the importance of written and spoken language at an early age.

National Website of Importance: Under the Guidelines of the No Child Left Behind Act, adequate yearly academic progress for all students is paramount. Helping students with disabilities make yearly progress will continue to be of critical importance. Helpful tips in meetings these goals can be found online at Teaching LD - check them out at www.teachingld.org

Promising Practice Research and Tips

Helping Children Learn About Reading

Why read a book to an infant who does not yet know the meaning of a 
word — or of words at all? Why sing to a toddler who cannot understand your song?

Reading & singing---àboth of these activities help children make connections between words and meaning. They also help to create a warm, safe environment for children and lead to a lifetime love of reading and learning. Some parents assume that learning to read starts with memorizing the alphabet and sounding out words, but actually the fundamentals of reading begin much earlier.

Here are some tips for connection between meaning and words:

Infants

• Talk or sing to your baby.
• Introduce cardboard or cloth books with brightly colored pictures. 
• Help increase your baby's vocabulary.
• Point out words on signs.
• As children begin to notice letters on blocks or other toys, name the letters for them. 

Toddlers

• Reading stories before bed makes a good transition between active play and restful time. .
• Let toddlers "write" shopping lists with you. 
• Take short trips to new places and talk about what is happening around you. 
• Give children magnetic letters for the refrigerator.

Preschoolers

• Encourage preschool children to carry out the steps to written recipes.
• At four or five, children may begin to ask questions about the print they see in books. 
• Play picture-card games with your child.
• Provide a variety of materials to encourage children to "play" at writing and reading.

Primary grade children

• Continue to read with your child.
• Visit the library on a regular basis to make books a regular part of children's lives. 
• Listen to the stories children write, as well as their jokes or riddles. 
• Play word games such as Boggle or Scrabble with your child.

The most important thing is that teaching children about reading becomes an activity that brings children closer to the caring adults in their lives.