Why literacy is important & how to support your young reader

 

Why literacy is important & how to support your reader

Throughout this program, there was a large focus on literacy in the classroom. As a result, I have gained new knowledge, a greater understanding, and a deeper appreciation for literacy. For my original contribution, I decided I would share this new knowledge, understanding, and appreciation with my students’ parents. In doing so, I believe my students’ parents will be better informed and will help support their students better as they learn to read.

         

Greetings parents & guardians! Ms. Lara here, sending you all my gratitude for taking the time out of your busy schedule to help support your young learners better. As you know, we have been focusing a lot on the development of literacy skills in the classroom. My end goal is to help your little ones not only learn to read, but to develop a love for reading! Below I have provided for some important information on how you can support your child better during this process. 

The importance of literacy

            Literacy is one of the most important skills for students to master, as it affects several aspects of life. Literacy includes “listening, speaking, and interacting as well as reading, writing, and spelling” and  “is a valued skill and fundamental human right for all people” (Toews & Kurth, 2019, p.135). Through this skill, students can participate in interactions at home, school, and their larger community. This skill will follow students throughout their lives, beyond school, and into adulthood. According to Mindee O’Cummings and other researchers, literacy is a “key determinant of academic, social, and economic success” (O’Cummings et al., 2010, p. 1). These skills are a crucial component to obtaining a fulfilling life and becoming a successful citizen (O’Cummings et al., 2010). 

   Interesting facts about literacy in America

            These facts are from: https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-literacy-america

😔 2/3 of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare. Over 70% of America’s inmates cannot read above a 4th grade level.

😔 1 in 4 children in America grow up without learning how to read.

😔 Students who don't read proficiently by the 3rd grade are 4 times likelier to drop out of school. 

😔 Nearly 85% of the juveniles who face trial in the juvenile court system are functionally illiterate, proving that there is a close relationship between illiteracy and crime. More than 60% of all inmates are functionally illiterate.

😔 53% of 4th graders admitted to reading recreationally “almost every day,” while only 20% of 8th graders could say the same.

😔 75% of Americans who receive food stamps perform at the lowest 2 levels of literacy, and 90% of high school dropouts are on welfare.

😔 Teenage girls between the ages of 16 to 19 who live at or below the poverty line and have below average literacy skills are 6 times more likely to have children out of wedlock than girls their age who can read proficiently.

Strategies 

Prior to working with your children, it is important to understand the central components

of reading instruction. The National Reading Panel has identified that effective approaches to

teaching reading consist of “phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary, and reading

comprehension” ( O’Cummings et. al.,2010, p.136). I have provided brief definitions of these

five components below (to hopefully give you a better understanding). 

Phonics: correlation of sounds with letters in the alphabet or groups of letters

Phonemic awareness:the skill that is necessary to build the connection between print

and speech using sounds

Fluency: accurately reading with speed and expression

Vocabulary: words students must know in order to comprehend what they read

Reading Comprehension: accurately understanding what was read 

I have included some effective evidence-based strategies that I highly suggest trying at home

with your little one.

1. Create an environment at home that is “rich in text, writing, and language to provide students

with more opportunities to develop strong literacy skills” (Toews & Kurth, 2019, p.136). 

• Have books accessible for kids at home in a spot they can easily access

(use your local library, check out books for free, or check out a

local thrift store for inexpensive used books) 

• Use sticky notes, posters, or flashcards around the house with new vocabulary words

or unknown words

2. Read to your children daily, even reading to children fifteen minutes a day could revolutionize

schools (Flynn, 2000). Reading aloud to children has demonstrated significant improvements

in decoding words, letter recognition, and sound recognition (McKnight, 2001).

3. Researcher Anne Flynn (2000) suggests that a simple effective strategy is the use of big books.

These large books help students develop phonemic awareness. Buy big, large books if

possible! 

• Students will be able to visualize illustrations, letters, and words better, which will also

help sight word recognition (Flynn, 2000)

4. Create a word wall in your home with familiar and unknown words. If your child needs extra

help with letters, try this with individual letters. This will help your child learn sight words by

allowing them to visualize them frequently (Flynn, 2000). 

5. The next strategy is sound blending. You can use word cards with individual letters, paper &

pencil, or white board & markers for this activity. 

• Choose a word, write it out a letter at a time for your child to see

• As you write the word, sound out each letter before writing the next letter

• After you have written down each letter, blend all the sounds together to sound

out the word

• For more information on this strategy, check out the helpful sound blending video

by McGraw-Hill on Youtube below https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUqG_EZQZEI

6. If your child is super active, this next strategy will be their favorite. Try a syllable, letter, or

sound run with them. 

• Find a spacious area outside or inside

• Place numbers (1,2,3, etc.) or letters (a,b,c, etc.) in an area spaced apart from one other

• If you decide to do syllables it might look like this, the parent shouts out a word and the

child runs to the are that represents the correct number of syllables in the given word

• If using letters, make the letter sound and the child must run to the letter the sound

represents 

7. Get creative and use rhyming words to create a poem! This will help strengthen your child’s

understanding of sound patterns, letter sounds, and rhyming words. This is also an instructional

strategy that will help your child develop fluency (Rasinski, 2016).

        Students enter school with evident disparities in literacy. Unfortunately, many of these disparities continue to wide throughout school. There is a large existing “literacy gap before children enter school”, which displays that these differences “arise from conditions outside of the schools” (Waldfogel, 2012, p.39). These conditions include the child’s environment, previous experiences, exposure to print, family values, access to books, etc. 

My challenge to you as a parent or guardian, is to help your child grow. Challenge them and take time to help strengthen their literacy skills. These skills are essential in every school subject and overall in life. I understand that busy schedules can be limiting, but even ten to fifteen minutes a day can go a long way. I hope my strategies are helpful to you and your child. If you need any additional information, books, or resources, please reach out. Together, we can help your child succeed. Until next time, Adelante.

                                           ☺ All my love,

 Ms. Lara

References

Flynn, A., & Govis, A. (2000). Improving Phonemic Awareness through Direct Instruction.

McKnight, C. G., Lee, S. W., & Schowengerdt, R. V. (2001). Effects of Specific Strategy Training

       on Phonemic Awareness and Reading Aloud with Preschoolers: A Comparison Study.

O’Cummings, M., Bardack, S., Gonsoulin, S., & National Evaluation and Technical Assistance

    Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, D. or A.-R. (NDTAC).

(2010). The Importance of Literacy for Youth Involved in the Juvenile Justice System. Issue

Brief. In National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children

      and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk. National Evaluation and Technical

Assistance Center for the Education of Children and Youth Who Are Neglected, Delinquent,

or At-Risk.

Rasinski, T. V., Rupley, W. H., Pagie, D. D., & Nichols, W. D. (2016). Alternative Text Types to

    Improve Reading Fluency for Competent to Struggling Readers. International Journal of

      Instruction, 9(1), 163–178.

Toews, S. G., & Kurth, J. A. (2019). Literacy Instruction in General Education Settings: A Call to

       Action. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 44(3), 135–142.