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 Skip to:    Teaching Reading Reading Comprehension

// Reading  //  When children first begin to read, they ‘develop an understanding of how print works’ (Hill, 2006, p.143).  Some of the basic concepts they learn include: books need to be held the right way up; pages should be read and turned in order; reading happens from left to right on a page; text moves downward on a page (from top to bottom); words have spaces between them; the text delivers messages; and the print and illustrations work together to convey meaning to the reader.  As Susan Hill explains, ‘reading is active problem-solving because a reader has to search for, use and check against each other, several integrated sources of information’ (p.141). These include semantics, or the meaning in the text, syntax, which is the sentence structures, phonology (the sounds), and visual, involving letters, illustrations, format and layout.  By observing children’s reading behaviour and taking records, teachers are able to select texts suitable for their learning level. Teachers should endeavour to provide each student with sufficient practise with instructional books at their particular learning levels, and scaffold their reading in order to help them progress through the developmental phases.  These developmental phases (emergent, early, transitional and extending) are graded in order of difficulty, and these grades are based on various features:  complexity of concepts in the texts  complexity of syntax and vocabulary  length of text  size and placement of text on a page <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> the amount of contextual support in the illustrations (Hill, 2006, p.148) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> Students learn to read in whole-class, small group and individual situations. In learning centres, puppets, CD-ROMs and ‘listening posts’ are some of the tools often used to help children learn, in an interactive manner. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"><span style="color: rgb(202, 139, 63)"> Below is an example of an early level text. As you listen, imagine you are at a listening post in a classroom. Read along with the words below! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block">media type="file" key="the pond1.mp3" <span style="color: rgb(202, 139, 63)"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> What’s that in the Pond? ---  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> What’s that in the pond? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> Can you see? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> A beady pair of eyes, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> looking at me. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> What’s that in the pond? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> Where did it go? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> There was something there, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> a few moments ago. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> What’s that in the pond? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> Can you hear? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> creaky, croaking noises, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> coming near. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> What’s that in the pond? <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> Right behind that log. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> BOING! Better make way <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"><span style="font-family: Georgia,serif"> for the big, green frog! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; text-align: center; display: block"> <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif">(© Tim Lyons 2008)

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