Reading
is something that is used all the time by people everywhere. It is such a vital
part of life, yet it is something that students struggle greatly with. Many
strategies and techniques can be effective to help a less proficient reader succeed
or to instill a love of reading into a stubborn child.
Almost everything in life requires a
person to be able to read. Novels, the newspaper, and even a grocery list could
be frustrating to someone who has difficulty reading. Teaching someone to read
starts at a young age, but it is something that should continue to be worked on
as a child grows and is able to understand more difficult concepts. Teaching a
child to read starts very early, but learning is a never ending process and
building upon basic concepts is crucial. Knowing vocabulary can help a student
improve his or her reading comprehension. The more words a child knows, the
more he or she will be able to fully grasp what is occurring in the book. When
a child has to look up every other word to find the definition, or just skips
over the word without knowing the meaning, he or she will not truly distinguish
what the book is about. To help students build up their vocabulary, I used a
word wall in my classroom and would add new words when the students and I came
across them in our studies. I would include words from all subjects to let
students know that reading is used across the board and not just in reading
class. Knowing how to read is more than just knowing the letters of the
alphabet, it is also the retention and comprehension of what has been read.
When a child first learns to read,
they should read out loud as much as possible. This allows children to practice
the pronunciation of letters and sounds and to build up their fluency. Many
students are also auditory learners, so this gives them double the chance to
comprehend the information, by reading in their head and also hearing
themselves read out loud. Poor fluency can be a sign that a child is having
trouble comprehending what has been read. When a child reads slowly and has to
stop and think about how to pronounce words, instead of the sound coming
automatically, he or she is not spending much brainpower on understanding what
the sentence or passage means and is instead focusing on his or her
pronunciation. Fluency is something that should be developed at an early age
and progress as the child grows.
Reading is something that is very
enjoyable to me, and I enjoy showing my students my love of books in the hope
that they too may share this love. To me, reading is a way to escape reality
for a bit and live through the eyes of a character. Reading can show you
another country, the deepest part of the ocean, or even insight to a person’s
thoughts. Students who dislike reading miss out on all of these adventures.
Some students will only read the bare minimum, and it is one of my goals to
implant a love of reading into these children. One way I have found to do this
is by allowing students to read a book of their choosing and then create a
project from that book. They could make a diorama, create a PowerPoint
presentation, or write a drama that goes along with the story to show me that
they actually read the book and gained something from it. Students really enjoy
these projects, even my reluctant readers, because it allows them to use their
own creativity and talents to create a masterpiece. Reading must be pleasurable
for a child if they hope to become more adept with it.
Reading is an essential part of our
everyday lives. Learning to read can be a troublesome endeavor for young
children. My goal is to become a more effective reading teacher in order to
help students become better readers and, in effect, more successful.
No comments:
Post a Comment