Reading Aloud Important

We stumbled upon this excellent blog post by Gretchen from another website and also suggest to you the resource of the Read Aloud Handbook as a great resource to get started -- we hope it inspires you to read aloud to your children daily!  ~~RR

I had always assumed that a good reader would naturally make a good writer.

Not so, according to Andrew Pudewa of the Institute for Excellence in Writing.

“The fundamental requisite for being an excellent communicator”?  Reading aloud.

Because when we’re reading silently, what do we do?  We speed read.  We skip over the words we don’t know.  We hardly pay any attention to the articles or to the pronouns.

But when we read aloud — or listen to something being read aloud — we absorb the sentence structure, the syntax, and the verbs.  And the more we listen to the language patterns, the more our brain memorizes the form, creating mental templates of excellent writing , building a “rich database of reliably correct and sophisticated language.”

Andrew Pudewa encourages parents to read aloud to their children as much as possible (at least two hours per day), at a level slightly above the oldest student’s reading ability (“decoding skills”, he calls it).  “Understanding is highly overrated,” he says.  “You’re building syntax.”

It is amazing what they pick up.  Our 4-year-old’s vocabulary grows exponentially each time she listens to the radio theater editions of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (Radio Theatre: Chronicles of Narnia)
or Little Women (Radio Theatre)
.
Two hours per day may not sound possible to some parents.  But there’s an easy substitute for some of that read-aloud time: audio books!  You can find many free and low-cost downloads at these websites:

• Books Should Be Free
• LibriVox: Free Audio Books
• Free Classic Audio Books
• Open Culture: Free Audio Books
• Audio Books for Free
• Project Gutenberg: Human-Read Audio Books
• Focus on the Family Radio Theatre
• Audible.com

Since attending Pudewa’s Nurturing Competent Communicators workshop (of which you can download a free and fascinating MP3 on his website), we’ve been listening to more audio books, individually, as a couple, and as a family.  We’ve also been making a more concentrated effort to read aloud to our girls — a process the whole family enjoys!

But it’s not just for parents of young children.  “We usually stop reading aloud when they most desperately need us to continue,” says Andrew Pudewa.  We stop reading when they can read on their own — which is just when they can learn and absorb more than ever!

So don’t stop reading aloud…at least not until everyone’s snoring.

“We do not homeschool so we can get up early — we homeschool so we can stay up late reading out loud.”  -Andrew Pudewa at a Nurturing Competent Communicators workshop

March 7 is World Read Aloud Day.  What are you reading aloud today?

Gotta Keep Reading!

Top 10 Ways to Raise a Lifelong Reader

1. Read to or with your child every day, for at least 15 minutes, even when your child is old enough to read independently.
2. Create reading rituals. Cuddle together in the same comfortable space at the same time every day for bedtime stories; read a chapter book aloud at the breakfast table; pick out new books every time you go on vacation.
3. Keep a running conversation: Talk about books you are reading as you read them. Ask your child open-ended questions about the plot and the characters.
4. Show your child that you're a reader. Kids are more likely to grow up loving to read if they see that you enjoy it too.
5. Surround your child with words -- spoken and written -- from birth. Even the simplest everyday conversations build his vocabulary and sound-recognition skills. Frequent exposure to letters and print helps pre-readers learn the alphabet and recognize words by sight. Have fun with language: Sing songs, read rhymes, play word games.
6. Get your child a library card and make a regular date for visits to the library.
7. Make books available in every room of your home -- as well as your car -- so that reading can happen spontaneously.
8. Feed a passion: Help your child find books, magazines, or other written materials that relate to a special interest or hobby.
9. Limit "screen time" (TV, video games, and computer games) so that it does not cut into time better spent reading.
10. Writing supports reading and vice versa. Provide crayons, pens, pencils, and paper and encourage your child to write. Anything will do: letters, shopping lists, journal entries, original stories, etc.

Babies & Young Children: Sharing Books & Talking Together

Sharing books with babies and young children is a great way of helping them learn to talk, and a wonderful opportunity to share a cuddle at the same time!

Babies love to communicate. They are born sociable and come into the world with a willingness to communicate and learn. Their experiences in their early years shape their future social, communication and learning skills. Books can be a great way of helping babies and their parents during this period of discovery.

Seventy-five percent of brain development occurs in the first two years of life and babies need stimulation and attention to make the most of this opportunity. This is not as daunting as it may first sound, as stimulation comes from simple, everyday activities such as talking, listening, singing and sharing books together.

A language-rich home helps a child to develop in many ways. Talking to babies helps them learn to listen and gives them the chance to respond and be listened to. Over time, their coos, babbles and smiles will move on to first words and sentences. Interaction helps this natural process along.

Storytelling and book-reading are an easy way to have regular, additional talking time. Storytelling introduces structure and language patterns that help form the building blocks for reading and writing skills. Reading aloud combines the benefits of talking, listening and storytelling within a single activity and gets parents talking regularly to young children.

Reading to children on a daily basis gives them the best start to life. It is never too early to start communicating.

Tips For Parents

• If you are at home, find a quiet place and turn off the TV or radio. This will help your children to listen without distraction.
• There are many talking time opportunities throughout the day and reading can be a regular part of this. Try and keep a book in your bag at all times. Reading together can help a long journey or waiting time pass quickly and enjoyably.
• Your baby will recognize and enjoy the sound of your voice. At times of distress, reading can be very calming, particularly when your voice is coupled with his favorite book or character.
• Be slow and clear when you read and don't be afraid to use sing-song or funny voices for characters, or for words or phrases that are repeated throughout the book. After reading a book several times, your baby will anticipate hearing the change in tone and may well show this with a smile, widening of the eyes or a wiggle.
• Don't be embarrassed or shy about using different voices or tones. Your baby will be an enchanted audience.
• You could use props, such as puppets or his favorite cuddly toy, to help bring the words alive and add actions to your words. It all adds to the appeal of spending talking time together.
• Give your child time to respond to your chatter. This could be with a babble, arm waving or gentle finger movement. Listening shows how interested you are in hearing what he has to say and encourages him in his natural discovery of communication.
• Don't put pressure on your child to name pictures or objects, but if he follows your words, praise him and say the words again.
• Don't read for too long. Young children get bored easily, so little and often is best. Try regular bedtime or bathtime story sessions.
• It's good to share favorite books again and again. Repetition helps children to understand and remember the language they hear.
• Remember you are not teaching your child to read. You learn to talk a long time before you learn to read, and book sharing is a wonderful way to help your children's language development.

Read 20 Minutes Every Day With Your Child!

Learning to read is hard work for children (especially age 5 and older). Fortunately, there are things we can do to help raise good readers. Reading with a child for 20 minutes every day dramatically improves their ability to read. (Most parents do not ever read to their children!) AND the best part is you can begin from BIRTH -- never consider a child too young to begin, nor too old. Some of the greatest family bonding times can come from family read-alouds too.

Here are some simple things you can do to help create a strong reader.

• Be fun and creative, animate the story by using character voices and dramatics
  
• Ask questions as you read, so they can think beyond just the words they hear
  
• Relate stories to your child's life, are they the same or different, what would they do, etc.
  
• Re-read your child's favorite books, they're learning from them again and again!
  
• Run your finger along the words as you read, this shows we read from left to right.
  
• Let your children turn the pages, involve them in the process
  
• Select stories that use repeated phrases. Rhymes help teach word endings and build confidence, let them finish the phrases.
  
• Subscribe to a children's magazine and enjoy it together
• Get a library card for your child. They love to check out their own books.
• Ask your librarian for a recommended (age appropriate) book list.
• Fill your home with books (studies have shown there is a direct correlation to adult illiteracy was connected to the number of books in their homes as children)
• Be a reading role model. Why should they read, if they don't ever see you enjoying books. Share your excitement of a story you're reading.
  
• Tell stories to your child, allow their minds to imagine the people, places, times and circumstances.
  
• Ask them to review (narrate) the story back to you. Helps with building memory, sequencing and other valuable learning skills.
• When planning a family vacation. Read books that describe the history of the destination, or stories of the different modes of travel you will take to get there. Get stories that are set in those places and then while there have the children see if they can locate any landmarks that were read about before the trip. Historical fiction is also a fun way to learn too!
  

adapted from a bookmark put out by the sponsors of "Read With A Child": Zion's Bank, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bonneville International, and Governor's Literacy Commission (Utah)

10 Ways to Motivate Your Child to Learn

Inspire her thirst for knowledge inside — and outside — of school.
By Caolan Madden

If you want your child to be a stellar student, don't limit learning to the walls of his classroom. Although the skills he's learning there are crucial to his intellectual and social growth, your child needs your help to really "open up the world of ideas," according to child psychologist Robin Forman, PhD. His renewed joy in discovery will transfer to his schoolwork, so you'll boost his academic achievement, too!

1. Fill your child's world with reading. Take turns reading with your older child, or establish a family reading time when everyone reads her own book. It's important to show her that "it's not only a school task," says Ted Feinberg, Ph.D, assistant director of the National Association of School Psychologists. Demonstrate how important reading is to you by filling your home with printed materials: novels, newspapers, even posters and placemats with words on them. According to Stephanie Fanjul, director of student achievement at the National Education Association, "Children can learn to read by living in an environment that's rich in words."
   
   
2. Encourage him to express his opinion, talk about his feelings, and make choices. He can pick out a side dish to go with dinner and select his own extracurricular activities. Ask for his input on family decisions, and show that you value it. "One of the things valued in school is class participation," says Feinberg, and "having practice at home expressing his feelings" is "good for self-esteem and self-confidence." He'll be more likely to engage with the material he studies if he's comfortable asking questions and drawing his own conclusions.
   
   
3. Show enthusiasm for your child's interests and encourage her to explore subjects that fascinate her. If she's a horse nut, offer her stories about riding or challenge her to find five facts about horses in the encyclopedia. Make sure she has the tools she needs — since Feinberg's daughter "loved looking for sea life" at the beach during family vacations, he bought her little nets so that she could catch crabs and minnows. Now she's a marine biologist.
   
   
4. Provide him with play opportunities that support different kinds of learning styles — from listening and visual learning to sorting and sequencing. Fanjul recommends supplies that encourage open-ended play and "do more than one thing," such as blocks — your child will develop his creative expression and problem-solving skills as he builds. He'll need lots of unstructured play time to explore them. Although sports activities and language clubs are valuable experiences, too many scheduled activities can add "too much stress" to your child's life, and distract him from exploring the pleasures of learning at his own pace.
   
   
5. Point out the new things you learn with enthusiasm. Discuss the different was you find new information, whether you're looking for gardening tips on the Internet or taking a night class in American literature. Let her see you in action: choose an activity that's unfamiliar to you both, such as playing tennis or speaking Spanish, and schedule a lesson or pick up a couple of instructional tapes. "Parents are the single most important modeling agent in a child's life," says Feinberg, and if you "demonstrate that learning is a lifetime adventure," your kids will get the message.
   
   
6. Ask about what he's learning in school, not about his grades or test scores. "Even if he doesn't do well grade-wise compared to the other students, he might still be learning and improving, and you don't want to discourage that," cautions Fanjul. Have him teach you what he learned in school today — putting the lesson into his own words will help him retain what he learned.
   
   
7. Help your child organize her school papers and assignments so she feels in control of her work. If her task seems too daunting, she'll spend more time worrying than learning. As she gets older and has more responsibilities, things can get "excruciatingly painful," warns Fanjul. So check in with her regularly to make sure she's not feeling overloaded.
   
   
8. Celebrate achievements, no matter how small. Completing a book report calls for a special treat; finishing a book allows your child an hour of video games. You'll offer positive reinforcement that will inspire him to keep learning and challenging himself. "If a child feels as if he is successful regardless of what it is, it builds him up and makes the next challenge easier," says Feinberg.
   
   
9. Focus on strengths, encouraging developing talents. Even if she didn't ace her math test, she may have written a good poem in English class. In addition to a workbook for math practice, give her a writing journal. When she knows that she's talented in one area, she'll be confident enough to try to achieve in others. "You don't want to not offer challenges," explains Feinberg, "but there's always a transfer when you have your kid feeling good about who she is."
   
   
10. Turn everyday events into learning opportunities. "Being educated doesn't mean knowing a lot of disconnected facts," says Fanjul. "Learning is building from what you know and connecting it to new facts." Encourage him to explore the world around him, asking questions and making connections. Fanjul remembers pointing to a prickly pear in the produce aisle and asking her young daughter, "Have you ever seen anything so bizarre?" When she replied that the fruit looked like "one of those fish that blows up," Fanjul knew that the structures for learning were firmly in place.

Article From:
http://content.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=1304

Reading to young children improves language and cognitive development

English-speaking mothers who begin reading to their children at a very early age have toddlers with greater language comprehension, larger, more expressive vocabularies and higher cognitive scores by the age of 2.

Meanwhile, Spanish-speaking mothers who read to their children every day have 3-year-olds with greater language and cognitive development than those who aren't read to. These results, based on research from researcher at the universities of Nebraska-Lincoln, Iowa State, New York, Columbia and Harvard, and from Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., are published in the July/August 2006 issue of the journal Child Development.

The researchers chose their focus because while numerous studies have shown connections between parental reading to preschoolers and children's language development in low-income families, there has been surprisingly little research of low-income children below the age of 3. Yet this is a very important period for the language development required for later reading success.

Researchers studied 2,581 families in the Early Head Start Research and Evaluation Project and a control group in 17 communities across the U.S. Within a subgroup of 1,101, they explored in-depth relations between reading and child outcomes for English- and Spanish-speaking families. The children were evaluated at ages 14, 24 and 36 months.

About half the mothers reported reading daily to their children at each age, although slightly more mothers read daily when their children were 2 and 3 than when they were 14 months. White mothers reported reading more frequently than mothers in other racial/ethnic groups, as did mothers of girls, firstborn children and children in the Early Head Start program.

In addition to the findings noted earlier, the researchers also found that reading and children's vocabulary seemed to enhance one another beginning as early as 14 months in English-speaking groups. In other words, the more mothers read, the better the children's vocabulary, which, in turn, encouraged more reading.

"Thus, we propose a snowball model in which reading and vocabulary lead to more language opportunities and competencies for children," said lead author Helen Raikes, Ph.D., professor of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "This study shows relations between reading to children and children's language and cognitive development begin very early and implies that parent-child bookreading and other language-oriented interventions for vulnerable children should begin much earlier than has generally been proposed." The researchers also found that most children in the study, with the exception of non-English speaking children, had access to picture books. Thus, the team recommended that libraries, intervention programs and commercial vendors increase the availability of picture books with language and cultural themes of interest to non-English speaking families.

This information provided by Society for Research in Child Development.
http://sheknows.com/about/look/7411.htm