Importance of Implementing Early Literacy Influences

From the time I could to remember till the time I was reading chapter books on my own, my mother would read one to two books to me each night before bed. Although, I didn’t understand the words she was reading, yet, I understood the scenarios, pictures, helped with my oral speaking by learning the sounds of words. This is one of the reasons that I realized how lucky I was to be enriched with such a family that wanted to familiarize me with the magic of reading and the knowledge one can gain from a book. “Learning to read is based on a child’s life experiences at home or those created in school” (page 13). Children are impression upon at a young age. Chapter 1 also focuses on the importance that children should want to read for the pleasure of reading. Those memories of bedtime stories is one of the reasons why I have always found reading to be a pleasure. By giving the child to want to read freely, they will have a better chance of making it to their grade level of reading. It is unfortunate, but according to Chapter 1, “90% of the children who are below grade level in reading at the beginning of fourth grade, although they can improve, will never reach grade level. Therefore the early childhood teacher has a tremendous responsibility” (page 4). It will be our duty as educators to make sure that no child is at this risk. We also need to encourage the families to work on strengthening the continual learning growth of the student, outside the classroom. My first question is, what ways can we encourage families that might not have the time or resources to help encourage their children’s growth?

Using the senses to encourage learning is a main part of the Montessori method. Maria Montessori, who developed the method, “believed that children needed early, orderly, systematic training in order to master skills” (page 8). This took me back to the time where I attended two different Montessori schools in the course of two years. This text in Chapter 1 took me back to that time where I picked up skills I learned there. My experiences also helped show me the different types of sensorial learning that they implemented upon us.  Sensorial is the second area of learning in the Montessori method. It focuses on “the five senses of touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sigh, children learn about size, color, and shape by manipulating materials designed to teach these skills” (page 8). Similar to John Dewey’s idea, how a classroom should be full of hands on materials that are of different shapes, sizes, and colors. Dewey would use the interests of the child to build around the curriculum, helping them become more comfortable in the classroom environment. The classroom would focus more on the individual development then using formal instruction such as writing and reading. What challenges might a teacher face if a student continues to not become comfortable in this environment? 

Here is an article for the newsletter sent to the families that would be useful to parents of all ages: http://learningtogive.org/parents/helping/1_what_you_can_do.asp?idioma

This article helps explains what a parent/guardian should do for their child to do well and give them structure to succeed at school. Make sure to let the parents know that it’s never to soon to implement a routine at home to get their work done. The article also encourages students to visit sites around the community; either it be visiting a museum or doing community service.

The responsibility of a teacher is tremendous, but it should not be seen as something tedious though rather a pleasurable opportunity. We should encourage students to become influenced with books beginning at an early age. What were some ways that convinced you to read for pleasure?