Dear Reader,
The process of learning how to read and write is essential to everyday life. We use reading and writing in almost everything that we do – writing checks and letters, reading books, restaurant menus, directions, etc. The purpose of learning literacy is to have the ability to communicate.
There are many strategies that are available to teach reading and writing to emergent literacy learners. Although I took several classes in teaching literacy, I still had unanswered questions: What are the most effective strategies to use when learning to read and write? What factors, if any, affect the learning of literacy? I wanted answers to these questions so that I could foster student success during the learning process. With this being said, I decided to do some research in hopes of finding answers to these questions so that I can incorporate the best strategies to help my students be the best readers and writers possible.
Through research, I learned that there is an abundance of strategies that are effective for the teaching and learning of literacy. Modeling proved to be one of the most important tools. In modeling, the teacher shows students how to use strategies and when. To teach reading, classrooms should be filled with a variety of books, including but not limited to books with nursery rhymes, poetry, and songs. Reading to children often while pointing to the words as they are read and sounding out words teaches students how to read from top to bottom and left to right as well as how to sound out unfamiliar words. During writing, some of these same strategies can be used. Sounding out unfamiliar words as they are being spelled helps students learn to use invented spelling. The strategy “Snapshots” teaches students to use descriptive language to describe a specific event from one moment in time (Tompkins, 2012, p. 36).
In regards to factors that influence the learning of literacy, I learned that there are many factors that lead to the success of reading and writing. ““Denton Flannagan and McPhee (2009) found that upon Kindergarten entry, children born in 2001 demonstrated reading and mathematics knowledge and skills that varied by their race/ethnicity, family type, poverty status, primary home language, and their primary early care and education setting to help them become successful when learning literacy.
I hope that the research shared on my site will provide the knowledge needed to foster student growth and development throughout their journey of learning literacy.
Sincerely,
Emily Paul
References
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product. (6 ed., pp. 32-54). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Goldstein, J., & McCoach, D. B. (2011). The starting line: Developing a structure for teacher ratings of students' skills at kindergarten entry. (Master's thesis, University of Connecticut)Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ956366.pdf
The process of learning how to read and write is essential to everyday life. We use reading and writing in almost everything that we do – writing checks and letters, reading books, restaurant menus, directions, etc. The purpose of learning literacy is to have the ability to communicate.
There are many strategies that are available to teach reading and writing to emergent literacy learners. Although I took several classes in teaching literacy, I still had unanswered questions: What are the most effective strategies to use when learning to read and write? What factors, if any, affect the learning of literacy? I wanted answers to these questions so that I could foster student success during the learning process. With this being said, I decided to do some research in hopes of finding answers to these questions so that I can incorporate the best strategies to help my students be the best readers and writers possible.
Through research, I learned that there is an abundance of strategies that are effective for the teaching and learning of literacy. Modeling proved to be one of the most important tools. In modeling, the teacher shows students how to use strategies and when. To teach reading, classrooms should be filled with a variety of books, including but not limited to books with nursery rhymes, poetry, and songs. Reading to children often while pointing to the words as they are read and sounding out words teaches students how to read from top to bottom and left to right as well as how to sound out unfamiliar words. During writing, some of these same strategies can be used. Sounding out unfamiliar words as they are being spelled helps students learn to use invented spelling. The strategy “Snapshots” teaches students to use descriptive language to describe a specific event from one moment in time (Tompkins, 2012, p. 36).
In regards to factors that influence the learning of literacy, I learned that there are many factors that lead to the success of reading and writing. ““Denton Flannagan and McPhee (2009) found that upon Kindergarten entry, children born in 2001 demonstrated reading and mathematics knowledge and skills that varied by their race/ethnicity, family type, poverty status, primary home language, and their primary early care and education setting to help them become successful when learning literacy.
I hope that the research shared on my site will provide the knowledge needed to foster student growth and development throughout their journey of learning literacy.
Sincerely,
Emily Paul
References
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product. (6 ed., pp. 32-54). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Goldstein, J., & McCoach, D. B. (2011). The starting line: Developing a structure for teacher ratings of students' skills at kindergarten entry. (Master's thesis, University of Connecticut)Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ956366.pdf