Quote of the Day!
"These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves. From each of them goes out its own voice...and just as the touch of a button on our set will fill the room with music, so by taking down one of these volumes and opening it, one can call into range the voice of a man far distant in time and space, and hear him speaking to us, mind to mind, heart to heart."
~Gilbert Highet
(a trivial aside here: Ever wonder who these guys are that give such eloquent quotes? I looked him up and will give you the scoop on Gilbert!!!)
Gilbert Highet
Born: June 22, 1906, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Died: January 20, 1978
Spouse: Helen Clark MacInnes (m. 1932)
Nominations: National Book Award for Nonfiction
(There, now you know and I am sure you will sleep better tonight knowing all about him.)
Part 1 - Help your Child get ready to read!
Reading together is the most important gift that you can give your young child. A child's learning starts at home and you are your child's first and best teacher. We hope that you will introduce your child to the magic and wonder of books as early as possible.
Research shows that children get ready to read years before they start school. There are six pre-reading skills that children need to know in order to learn to read.
1. Vocabulary: Knowing the names of things. Be the parent that is constantly feeding words (old and new) into your child's brain. Name it, define it, play word games with it, show them that words are wonderful.
2. Print Motivation: A child's interest and enjoyment in books. Have books everywhere. Books in every room, books in your vehicle, books for vacationing, on -the -go books in your purse or backpack. Make books an accessory, a natural part of your life. Don't leave home without them.
3. Narrative Skills: The ability to describe things and events to tell stories. Let your child talk about the stories and pictures that are being read to them. Have them repeat the stories to your long after you have closed up the book. Let them recommend that book to a friend or relative. Ask them why they liked the story and what they would have done in a certain situation. Talking deepens your child's understanding of the tale and is just plain fun and a true bonding experience.
4. Print Awareness: Noticing print, knowing how to handle a book and how to follow the written word on a page. When your child is tucked under your arm, or on your lap, point words out to them as you read along. Make them aware that this is the author telling the story in print form. Have your child point to words and tell you what they are. If you are out on a fun family time and your child sees the McDonald's sign and says.... "McDonald's...tell them those letters say...McDonald's. Make them word aware in their world as they whiz through it.
5. Letter Knowledge: Learning the sounds of letters, the names of letters and the ability to recognize them everywhere. Now this is important but recognizing whole words to me is the number one priority. Have your child recognize the object, name the object and then show them the word....this says for example...."apple." You will be amazed how these whole words imprint on their brain making their reading more meaningful and flow more easily. Save the letter recognition for much later after word recognition is completed.
Read on and read always! Have an awesome weekend and see you back here on Monday!
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