Lesson 4: Learning to Read and Write: Phonics and Handwriting
****Why the basics matter
-learning to read is not a natural skill, we need to be shown how to read
-learn how the language works
-phonics allows children to learn how to decode language
-how the sound and letter goes together can learn to read no matter what age or even if grew up in a language deficient home
-Kindergarten is monumental as students learn to develop the right kinds of habits
-Kindergarten has important curricular responsibilities
Ex. introducing children to math, art, music, etc…
-Kindergarten teacher has two essential skills: to read and to write
Teaching kids to read:
-understanding that reading as a continuum
-goal is to get students to comprehend text
Pre-Reading Instruction:
-babies begin to develop an awareness of those sounds
-we naturally mimic high and low sounds so they recognize and understand the fluctuation of language
-teaching the awareness of sound and how the sounds work in language
-reading researchers call this phonemic awareness, P-H-O-N (awareness of sound)
-develop language/spoken language is actually divided up into individual sounds
Ex. cat has three sound
-when children encounter language we want them to recognize those sounds
-we want children to learn how to manipulate those sounds
Ex. cat - c + m + at = mat (sat, pat, rat, etc…)
Ex. cat - t + p + ca = cap (lap, tap, hat, etc…)
-this manipulation of sound is part of being aware of language and the change in sound
-letters= awareness of the symbols that we use in order to communicate ideas
-letters are abstract symbols that mean nothing until students are taught that they have meaning
-students need to learn what are the letters that are connected to our language
-alphabet recognition = recognizing that these abstract shapes go with our language
-26 letters, but 44 sounds (used in a variety in order to connect to the sounds of language)
Ex. A s R p (reversing or upside down- they are not a letters-students need to recognize what doesn’t belong)
-student learn the letters and sounds in isolation, but when combined-they learn letters and then the sound of the letters and then how they are connected to make words
-teaching phonics means the relationship between sound and letter called the sound-spelling relationship
Ex. learn how to use a letter like C
K-3rd grade = learn to decode language
-Phonics is used to for the use of high-frequency words like of, the, one, etc (can be referred to as sight words)
-high frequency words are used often but do not follow the sound out pattern
Ex. of = sounds like uh-vuh
Ex. the = sounds like th -uh
-high frequency worlds will be learned to recognize the words as a whole
-phonics is used to learn oral vocabulary
-phonics is used to learn how to decode text
-written language is a code
-goal is for students to look at the code, look at the language, and match it to ideas in their mind
-Ex. The word cat
letters = cat
sounds= kuh- a- tuh
Context = cat is
-now they can envision cat in their mind with all the varieties of cats
4th-beyond
-students use decoding skills to comprehend what the author is trying to portray
-comprehension depend on 3 things: vocabulary, decode text, and prior knowledge
-Fluency-we want students to decode so well they don’t even have to think about it
-fluency means speed and accuracy so we want students to be fluent decoders
-recognize words quickly and accurately (if not accurate then it slows them down)
Ex. Just because a student can pronounce a word and read through a text doesn’t mean the student actually understood the meaning of the text. Students spend a lot of mental energy decoding the text that they don’t spend any time comprehending.
-it may not be a comprehension problem but a decoding problem slowing the student down. Needs to be a fluent reader to be a fluent comprehender
-vocabulary: known as word knowledge, students knowing the meaning of words and not just one meaning but multiple meanings of those words
-decoding the text is good, but also knowing what those words actually mean leads to comprehension
-prior knowledge: known as world knowledge, the experience a student had before reading a text
Ex. a student who visited a zoo before reading about the zoo can comprehend the book better than a student who has never been to or seen a zoo before
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Phonics-teaching best practices
Must have 2 components:
1-explicit-need to move from the parts to the whole
-be explicit about the sounds connected to the letters and vowels
-needs to begin with the sound-spelling relationship with the letters in isolation
-ultimately leading or moving towards the whole or the word altogether
Ex. consonant (there are exceptions) c = k cat, s city, sh ocean, ch cello
Ex. vowel (long & short & exceptions) a = a cap, cape, want, call
2-systematic
-simplicity means that I would choose constructions that are easy to understand
-utility means it is very useful
Ex. cat = consonant-vowel-consonant construction
-learn the short vowel sound
Ex. cape = consonant-vowel-consonant-vowel (silent E at the end)
-lean the long vowel sound
***Cursive Handwriting:
-improve fine motor skills
-increases writing speed
-gives the student a change to create something beautiful