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Experts believe that teaching letter names will bring more confusion than clarity. For many, the belief is that focusing on sounds instead of the letter names is better.

Letter name instructions have been included in beginner reading instructions for a very long time now. For instance, the first school books that came to America from Britain began with the alphabet. 

There have been several discussions over time, but there has been little evidence to proceed. 

The Journey So Far

There are several discussions on whether or not letter names should be taught. The earliest known studies have emphasized the consequences of teaching artificial alphabets, so the conclusion arrived at was that children could read words formed using pretend letters even if they do not know the letter names. 

Ever since then, there have been several studies that have attempted the same thing using real letters. The results in this regard have been a bit mixed. Marilyn Adams deduced in 1990 that there was not much advantage to teaching the alphabet.

Telling Research Findings

Recent research has sought to understand the real value of the alphabet in the context of phonemic sensitivity training instead of on its own. 

The conclusion in this regard is that training in the alphabet and PA usually has a more significant effect on later reading achievement than solely teaching PA. Suffice it to say that the addition of letters in a PA curriculum comes with a multiplier effect on the eventual result.

One of the most complete considerations on this issue came from Jean Foulin (2005). In his study, he analyzed studies that examined the alphabets’ facilitative effects in learning how to read. This was done to determine if such instructions were sensible and why letter names may be helpful. 

The Way Forward

He concluded that there is a need to carry out more research because it is unclear why knowledge of the alphabet gives its positive effects. 

Also, he concluded that beginning reading instructions should have a concerted effort aimed at teaching letter recognition and letter names and the sounds linked with the letters.

Note that concepts are abstract by default, and giving them names seems to assist the children in picturing them as real entities. 

Concluding Thoughts

The question about whether letter names should be taught is rather complicated. Building letter concepts involves teaching children how to group collections of auditory and visual objects into sets. Such activities are proven to help children associate words with letters, thus improving memory.

One of the most challenging tasks that an educator could ever have is teaching a group of young students how to read. Often, the students would rather talk to their friends than pay attention to the lesson. For this reason, they will need to find a way to capture the attention of students and meet the learning needs of every child in the class. 

In this article, we will discuss a few of the most successful ways teachers can establish an effective reading program. 

Use Various Resources

One of the easiest and most effective ways teachers can capture students’ attention is by using various reading resources. 

There is a massive range of children’s books out there for you to choose from – this includes rhyming books, picture books, storybooks, and more. 

Use Repetition 

When it comes to learning how to read, repetition is critical. There are so many letters and sounds to match that the children can often become confused and overwhelmed. 

For this reason, teachers should only teach small portions of the work at once and use repetition to drill this work into their memories. Activities such as match-the-column, crosswords, and fill-the-gap are great for this. 

Memorization plays a significant role in the process of learning how to read. Because of this, certain sections should be worked through over multiple lessons. 

Track The Progress Of Students

One of the most critical aspects of teaching students how to read is monitoring their progress. This could be done through various tests. 

For example, many teachers enjoy using individual reading assessments to determine the abilities of students. During this process, the teacher will call up one student to read a paragraph of text. 

In this way, the educator will determine exactly which mistakes are common amongst the students. For instance, if every student is struggling to pronounce the ‘ch’ sound, the teacher should adjust their lessons to prioritize this specific sound’s pronunciation. 

This will make their teaching much more effective, as it is geared towards the students’ needs and mistakes. 

Concluding Thoughts

Teaching young students how to read is a challenging task. To make their lessons as effective as possible, teachers should make use of various resources. 

For example, there is a wide variety of reading materials to choose from. They should also use repetition in their lessons and track students’ progress using different assessments and tests.

When it comes to education, students must be regularly assessed to track and monitor their progress. There are various ways this can be done – with that being said, the task is slightly more complicated when discussing reading. 

Students cannot only write a test to display their abilities. For this reason, many teachers use individual reading assessments of comprehensions to test their students. 

The Purpose Of Assessments

Assessments are vital when it comes to monitoring the progress made by students in the classroom. It is very easy to sit through a lesson and not pay any attention to what is being said. 

However, when a student who has done this is asked to write a test or complete an assignment, their lack of knowledge on the topic will be evident. 

In this way, the teacher will realize that the student has either not put in any effort, or, if a large number of students do not do well in the assessment, their lessons are not up to standard. 

Individual Reading Assessments

One way in which reading can be tested is through individual reading assessments. In short, the students will randomly be selected to go up to the teacher’s desk and read a portion of a text. 

They mustn’t know which text is being read, as this could result in them simply practicing and memorizing the work beforehand. 

Through this assessment, the teacher will clearly identify the students who are making progress and those who are struggling. They will also determine exactly which mistakes the students are making, ensuring that they can plan their future lessons around these errors. 

Reading Comprehensions

Reading comprehensions are another great way in which teachers can test the reading knowledge of their students. More specifically, these assessments can determine just how well the students actually understand what they are reading. 

The educator will need to find, print, and hand out a text with a few questions attached. The students must then read through the paragraph to find the answers to the questions. If they struggle to read, it will be evident when the teacher marks the comprehension. 

Concluding Thoughts

Teachers must create various assessments to test the knowledge of students. When it comes to reading, there are a few different assessments that can be used. 

For example, many educators prefer using individual reading assessments, while others enjoy reading comprehensions. Both of these assessments can be used to determine which students are struggling with the work.

Every single student is different. While some students might retain information better when taught via images or other visual representations, other students learn better through class discussions. For this reason, it is essential that teachers try their best to facilitate the needs and wants of all students in the class. 

In this article, we will be discussing the importance of inclusion and a few ways in which the teacher can obtain it. 

Resources And Materials

One of the best ways teachers can facilitate inclusion is by using various resources and materials during lessons. As we have already mentioned, many students learn best when being taught with images, graphs, videos, PowerPoints, etc. 

However, others may prefer simple worksheets and handouts that display the work to them in one convenient place. For this reason, the teacher must change up their lessons by using different resources. 

Method

Being taught the same way every single day can become tedious and lead to a lack of motivation amongst students. Thus, the educator must change up how they describe the work to the students.

Various methods can be used to get the idea across during lessons. For instance, some teachers enjoy dividing the class up into groups to learn amongst themselves. 

On the other hand, holding class discussions relating to the work is also a prevalent technique. You could also introduce the section in various ways before getting started with the actual work.  

Assessments

One great way teachers can meet all students’ needs is by changing up the type of assessment used to test the knowledge of students. Instead of merely setting tests or exams for the students, they should consider the various learning styles and adjust the assessments accordingly. 

For example, the students who learn best through visual representations would do well in a match-the-image assignment. Those students who enjoy class debates would do well when given an essay question or research project. In this way, the educator can change up their testing methods to suit every student’s different capabilities. 

Concluding Thoughts

Teachers must find various ways in which to make their lessons as inclusive as possible. This can be done using different types of resources and materials, including images, videos, and PowerPoints. 

They should also change up their method used to get the message across. Lastly, using different assessments can meet the needs of the various learning styles.

In a single class, various students have different capabilities. For example, while one student may already read basic sentences, another student may still be struggling to link the various sounds to the corresponding letters. For this reason, teaching a class as a whole to read can be one of the most challenging tasks for a teacher. 

This is where the differentiated reading approach comes into the picture. In this article, we will be discussing everything that there is to know about this instruction, including what it involves, why teachers use it, and a few of its main benefits. 

What Is Differentiated Reading Instruction?

In short, differentiated reading instruction is a process used by teachers to match the different learning characteristics of students to the instructions and descriptions of lessons. Contrary to popular belief, this is not one single strategy. 

Instead, it is an approach that can include various learning techniques and methods. However, this approach is always aimed at adjusting lessons so that the work is easier to understand for the students. 

How And Why Do Teachers Incorporate This Approach?

There are various reasons why this approach has become so popular in the classroom. As we have already mentioned, students have a wide variety of learning needs.

For example, some students learn better with images, while others prefer discussing the work with the teacher. More so, the level of knowledge of each student learning to read is going to be different. 

For this reason, the differentiated reading approach should be used to adjust the lessons to meet the needs of every single student. In this way, no student will feel left out or as though they haven’t learned anything. 

Benefits Of Differentiated Reading Instruction

There are a few benefits when it comes to using the differentiated reading approach in the classroom. For starters, every student’s needs will be met, making the job of the teacher much more efficient and effective. 

On top of this, research has shown that this approach can be used to improve each student’s reading skills in the class drastically. Since many teachers group students together based on their skills and capabilities, this technique is likely to improve their communication and teamwork skills. 

Concluding Thoughts

The differentiated reading approach involves the teacher adjusting their lessons to meet every student’s learning needs. There are various reasons as to why this approach is used.

For example, it makes the job of the teacher much more effective. More so, it has been shown to drastically improve the reading skills of students.

From preschool up to the third grade, children progress through several reading phases that go from simply exploring books to fully reading them independently. To help your student or child progress through the reading phases, here are some writing and reading goals that you can set. 

What the Child Can Do

Before setting writing and reading goals, it is vital first to understand what the child can do. A child who reads and writes at the level of a first-grader can read and retell stories they are familiar with. 

They can use different strategies to comprehend better, such as questioning, predicting, and rereading. To identify unfamiliar words, they can use word parts and sound-letter associations. 

What You Can Do As a Teacher 

By reading to your students daily and selecting reading material that will expand your students’ language, you can support their vocabulary development. It is also essential to read and write different types of texts, which include books and poems. Use model practices to break comprehension down and practice words that are new or unknown. 

Encourage your students by providing them with opportunities that allow them to practice writing and reading independently. You can also use grade quantifiers, such as calculators for grades, final grades, and weighted grades to help identify where your students stand. 

What You Can Do As a Parent Or Member Of the Family 

As a parent or family member who wants to help with the child’s progression through the development phases, it is crucial to encourage them by discussing their favorite stories, reading to them, and asking them to read their books to you. You can also encourage your child to write letters to their friends or family members. 

Encourage them to be vocal about the things that they have learned while reading and writing. As a parent or member of the family, it is your job to cultivate an environment that will encourage your child to progress and develop their skills. You can find ways to do this by joining online communities for educationists, such as The Tech Edvocate and The Edvocate. 

Concluding Thoughts

As a parent, family member, or teacher who wants to help a child progress through the phases of development, it is vital to take a holistic approach when setting goals for reading or writing. 

This is why it is important for both parents or guardians and teachers to always be on the same page when setting these goals. This will ensure that the child never feels overwhelmed, which will discourage them from working on these skills.

When it comes to teaching writing in Kindergarten, several questions arise in this regard. Are there established methods that should be implemented? Keep reading to find out what should be done.

What Should be Expected?

In truth, kindergartens should be more about writing, and teachers ought to be teaching and facilitating writing. The challenge here is that there aren’t too many scientific research resources based on beginning writing instruction. 

There exist several observational studies which give us an idea of what could be possible. Also, several correlational studies show what could be termed as valuable.

Opportunity and Time for Writing

Regardless of how you facilitate early writing, you need to have a particular time set aside each day to do this. Teachers should set aside 20% of the time devoted for language arts to teaching writing, which is true for kindergarten classes. This should represent about 45 minutes of the time allotted for teaching language arts.

The remaining part of the class should be devoted to teaching decoding, oral fluency, reading comprehension, and oral language. The writing time will compose of the student-writing period and the time used in sharing the compositions. It will also be made up of instructions targeted at improving printing or manuscript skills.

Oral Composition

The best way to start children’s writing is through oral composition. Oral writing appears easier with young children than writing using the hands. It also helps them quickly understand the concept behind writing which bears quick fruits in their writing using their hands.

Writing Environment

Children need the perfect writing environment if they are to make the most of their experience. Also, you need to provide several writing resources for children. For instance, several kindergartens have a writing center with different types of writing and paper tools. 

Also, if you have a classroom restaurant, you should provide order pads and pencils. If you have a classroom post office, you should have envelopes, paper, and other materials. The whole idea is to provide several opportunities for the children to write.

Pretend Writing

When you begin allowing children to write independently, you could start them out with small groups and individuals. You could sit down with three children at a table and give each of them a pencil and paper for writing.

Accept It All

One thing that could help speed up the children’s learning development is to allow them to express themselves. You may find it hard to recognize what the children have written initially, but consistency brings out the best in them.

Concluding Thoughts

The journey towards helping your children to write well in Kindergarten requires patience and dedication. Following the tips outlined in this piece will help speed up that process.

Early identification is essential as far as assisting children with difficulty reading is concerned. One of the strongest arguments from recent reading research is that children who have a slow start in reading find it challenging to catch up. As different studies have shown, the poor first-grade reader continues being poor.

Make Available Resources for Early Identification and Prevention

It is a challenge that while we understand the costs of waiting for longer than usual, school districts have made available systems to assist children before failure takes hold. 

In most cases, there isn’t a systematic identification until the children get to the third grade, at which point finding a solution becomes more expensive and complicated. 

School-based measures ought to be designed to sustain growth and development in word reading skills at normal levels all through the elementary school stage. Though the development of such skills in first grade doesn’t mean the children will keep a sustained growth in second grade without real help. 

The approach of waiting for the children to fall behind before remediating the issue has proven ineffective. The moment a child lags in the development of critical word reading skills, it may need concerted efforts to redeem them.

Thoughts on Reading, Reading Growth, and Failure

Sufficient reading comprehension is a product of proper and effective reading instructions. No matter the instructional method adopted by a person, the result should help the children understand the written material to the point that is in line with the child’s intellectual abilities.

There are two types of knowledge and skills needed for proper reading comprehension, and they include the ability to identify the words with fluency and accuracy in print. The second is general language comprehension ability.

The purposeful application of specific reading strategies is helpful if one is to make the most of reading comprehension. 

What are the Elements of Effective Prevention in Reading?

The most critical components of an effective reading disability prevention program at elementary levels are easy to apply. They include the right level of type and quality of instruction delivered with the ideal level of duration and intensity. It must be done to the right children at the right time.

Research to Practice

From research, it has been deduced that reading is language-based. This means reading does not evolve. For many children, word recognition, decoding, and reading comprehension skills have to get taught. It is a fact that preschool kids benefit more when they are read to.

Concluding Thoughts

The outlined foundational skills should be adopted into practical reading formats for children facing serious challenges with learning to read. This will ensure adequate fluency levels, understanding, and automaticity.

Spelling is challenging for several people. There is not much research on spelling as there is on reading to let us know the number of people who don’t spell well. 

There is little known about spelling competence in the general populace than is known about reading achievement. The reason for this is that many states do not test the spelling ability of kids.

What Leads to Spelling Problems?

One major misconception about spelling problems is that it results from poor visual memory of the sequences of letters contained in a word. Research has shown visual memory plays a small role in one’s ability to spell. 

Spelling problems such as reading problems are a result of weakness in learning. Some people have excellent visual memory for color schemes, pictures, and mechanical drawings but find it challenging to spell. 

Poor spellers often have difficulty recollecting the letters contained in a word. This is because they find it difficult to remember, notice and recall certain features which the letters stand for. Poor spellers often have some underlying language issues, such as recognizing and analyzing individual sounds.

Diagnosis of Spelling Problems

If dyslexia is a possibility, and the student is in first grade, a simple letter and phoneme awareness test can help identify the reading problem. 

When a student finds it hard to remember words, a standardization test aimed at quantifying the seriousness of the problem should be given. A spelling diagnostic test should also be given to identify which syllable patterns, sounds, and parts a student does not remember.

With a spelling diagnostic test, the teacher will tell you the vowel, consonant, and word spellings the student must be taught. Also, the student must be tested on his knowledge of the most frequently used English words for writing.

Ways Children Learn to Spell

Children are quick to develop insights into how words are represented using letters while in preschool and first grade. This process moves forward if the instructions in letters and sound are explicit, systematic, and structured. 

Whole word spelling gets boosted when the child comprehends that the words are composed of different speech sounds and that letters represent the sounds. 

With an increase in that principal’s knowledge, children will begin to observe patterns in how letters are used. They also begin to observe recurring sequences of letters that form word endings, syllables, and suffixes. Memories of such words get formed quickly and recalled with ease when the children have a proper sense of language structure.

Concluding Thoughts

Many children encounter spelling challenges, and foundational issues fuel this problem. Understanding those issues and addressing them the right way is the best out.

Good readers are phonemically advanced, comprehend the principles behind the alphabet, and use their reading skills with fluency. They are also expected to have strong vocabularies and grammatical skills while relating reading to their personal experiences.

Obstacles Preventing a Child From Learning To Read

When a child faces challenges in any area, it can affect their reading development. Also, learning how to read starts even before the child gets into school. Children who have some literacy experience from birth always have an advantage in vocabulary development, the development of literacy and print concepts, and understanding reading goals.

Most poor readers have not been exposed to much language activity to develop a solid reading foundation. Some real-life examples include children who have had limited exposure to naptime and bedtime reading.

Children who have limited English skills, those raised in poverty, and those who come from homes where the parents’ reading levels are low may struggle more than others to learn to read. Meanwhile, some children have a good command of oral language and are quite intelligent, and have challenges learning how to read.

How Much Research Has Been Done?

Research shows that the deficits that exist in the development of phoneme awareness skills not only foretell reading difficulties, they also contribute to reading struggles. Although phoneme awareness is vital for proper reading development, it is not enough. 

Children are also expected to develop certain phonic concepts and use the same concepts when reading text.

Even though research supports the value of phonics, phoneme awareness, and the development of automaticity and speed in reading, not much is known about how children develop strategies for reading comprehension and syntactic knowledge. 

Some children who have well-formed abilities for word recognition sometimes find it hard to comprehend what they are reading. In this case, more research into reading comprehension is vital.

Putting the Words To Work

Research also proves to us that reading is language-based. Thus, reading does not improve naturally. For most children, there is a need to teach word recognition, specific decoding, and reading comprehension skills. It has been observed that preschool children have shown more significant learning potential when they are actively reading consistently.

Educators can improve reading development by giving kindergarten children instructions that help them with print concepts. Children can be further supported by being exposed to the purposes of writing and reading, as well as age-appropriate language and vocabulary comprehension skills. 

Concluding Thoughts

Many children find it hard to learn how to read, so grasping these skills should be a core focus among educators. This will boost their chances of learning more and performing better in their studies.