Reading is the key to learning and an important factor in a child’s overall success in life.
Most Second Graders are progressing beyond the Early Reader Stage by the time they enter second grade. They are improving on their word attack skills and working on using their “reading strategies” to maintain meaning as they read. They are working on becoming “fluent” readers. Students need to work at home as well as school on improving their reading fluency skills.
Early Readers are just beginning to grasp the basic concepts of book and print. They are acquiring a command of the alphabet with the ability to recognize and name uppercase and lowercase letters. They are also developing many phonological awareness skills, such as recognizing phonemes, syllables, and rhyme.
Early Readers are beginning to learn sound/symbol relationships--starting with consonants and short vowels--and are able to read CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, as well as a number of high-frequency words. Typically at this stage children can:
use pictures for clues
re-tell a simple story which is read to them
recall some details
know names of letters
identify consonant sounds at beginning and end of words
use configuration as clue to identify words
read by rote memorization
read one word at a time (choppy)
select simple repetitious books
read favorite books over and over
silent, sustained reading 5-10 minutes
has the desire to be a fluent reader
enjoys re-telling stories
DEVELOPING READER
At this stage, reading is more automatic, and more energy is devoted to comprehension than word attack. Readers are approaching independence in comprehending text. These readers are experiencing a greater variety of text and can recognize different styles and genres. Independence often varies with the type of text being read. Typically at this stage children can:
sequence events in story
tell main idea
make predictions
identify main characters
identify setting
differentiate between fact and fiction
identify high frequency words
have some awareness of medial vowel sounds
use context clues
begin to self-correct
understand the meaning of "." and "?" and "!"
pause and use appropriate inflection for punctuation
read phrases
select a variety of books
silent sustained reading 10-15 minutes
begin to feel confident when reading silently or orally
FLUENT READER
Fluent Readers have successfully moved from "learning to read" to using "reading to learn." Their reading is automatic / fluent and includes appropriate expression and pauses. Fluency is important because it provides a bridge between word recognition and comprehension.
"Fluent readers do not have to concentrate on decoding the words, they can focus their attention on what the text means. They can make connections among the ideas in the text and between the text and their background knowledge." (National Institute For Literacy) In other words, fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same time. Their energy is devoted to understanding, and they have good command and use of the various comprehension strategies.
These readers read a wide range of text types and do so independently. They will continue to refine and develop their reading skills as they encounter more difficult reading materials. But, for the most part, they are capable of improving their reading skills and selection of materials independently through increased practice. Typically at this stage children can:
recognize the plot of a story
recognize the problem and solution in a story
evaluate character's actions or behaviors
use a variety of clues to decode unfamiliar words
identify blends, digraphs, dipthongs
apply vowel rules to sound out words
understand affixes
use punctuation correctly
read with expression
read smoothly
select a wide variety of books
select chapter books
silent, sustained reading at least 20 minutes
enjoy sharing favorite books
enjoy challenges
select reading during free time
So…what is reading?
Reading is the motivated and fluent coordination of word recognition and comprehension.
Reading is a multifaceted process involving word recognition, comprehension, fluency, and motivation. Learn how readers integrate these facets to make meaning from print.
Reading in its fullest sense involves weaving together word recognition and comprehension in a fluent manner. These three processes are complex, and each is important. How complex? Here goes!
To develop word recognition, children need to learn:
How to break apart and manipulate the sounds in words – this is phonemic awareness example: feet has three sounds: /f/, /e/, and /t/
Certain letters are used to represent certain sounds – this is the alphabetic principle example: s and h make the /sh/ sound
How to apply their knowledge of letter-sound relationships to sound out words that are new to them – this is decoding example: ssssspppoooon – spoon!
How to analyze words and spelling patterns in order to become more efficient at reading words – this is word study example: Bookworm has two words I know: book and worm.
To expand the number of words they can identify automatically is called their sight vocabulary example: Oh, I know that word – the!
To develop comprehension, children need to develop:
Background knowledge about many topics example: This book is about zoos – that's where lots of animals live.
Extensive oral and print vocabularies example: Look at my trucks – I have a tractor, and a fire engine, and a bulldozer.
Understandings about how the English language works example: We say she went home, not she goed home.
Understandings about how print works example: reading goes from left to right
Knowledge of various kinds of texts example: I bet they live happily ever after.
Various purposes for reading example: I want to know what ladybugs eat.
Strategies for constructing meaning from text, and for problem solving when meaning breaks down example: This isn't making sense. Let me go back and reread it.
To develop fluency, children need to:
Develop a high level of accuracy in word recognition
Maintain a rate of reading brisk enough to facilitate comprehension
Use phrasing and expression so that oral reading sounds like speech
Transform deliberate strategies for word recognition and comprehension into automatic skills
But if reading isn't pleasurable or fulfilling, children won't choose to read, and they won't get the practice they need to become fluent readers.
Therefore, reading also means developing and maintaining the motivation to read. Reading is an active process of constructing meaning? The key word here is active.
To develop and maintain the motivation to read, children need to:
Appreciate the pleasures of reading
View reading as a social act, to be shared with others
See reading as an opportunity to explore their interests
Read widely for a variety of purposes, from enjoyment to gathering information
Become comfortable with a variety of different written forms and genres
SOME OF MY BOOKLIST RECOMMENDATIONS ARE FOUND BELOW, GROUPED BY CATEGORY OF INTEREST
