As adults, it is easy to forget about the disconnect between written letters and the words they correspond to. Knowing what to say when you see a word written out on a page is a luxury that young children do not have. Learning how to read and write is, for many children, extremely difficult. What is it exactly that separates learning how to speak from learning how to read, and what can we do to help make literacy more fun?
Language acquisition is spontaneous, meaning that from the moment children are born they are learning about speech patterns and pronunciations from the people around them. They make many "mistakes" along the way (such as only saying 'gain for again, or saying dada for daddy) but these early speech sounds are seen as a successful and important stepping stone on the way to learning a language (Lindfors 36). Both spoken and written language are everywhere in the daily life of a child, but spoken language requires no effort to take in and subconsciously learn from.
Written language, on the other hand, seems much more complicated to a child. Despite this, most children are very eager to learn how to read, as it opens a door to another part of the world for them to enjoy. One of the most important things to consider when teaching or working with a child who is learning how to read is to keep them from getting caught up in the letters on the page. Help them enjoy the story they are trying to read, along with supporting them if they get stuck sounding out words. Brainstorm a list of words that start with the h-a-s sound, if the child can not figure it out, and talk about what words would make sense with this story. If they have read it before or already know the story, ask them to retell it from memory to see if that can help them remember some important words. These can be useful ways to keep a child who is struggling interested in reading and in exploring language.
When it comes to writing, there are three important principles: Ownership, Community, and Guidance (Lindfors 30). They should have the opportunity to write things that are important to them, such as grocery lists or letters to their parents. Forced writing takes away the opportunity to explore and learn from a child and limits them to copying correctly or spelling things properly. It is also important to support a positive writing community, where children can share their experiences and writings with peers or their parents. Finally, guidance requires a conscious and sensitive response to children's writing. If the focus is put on spelling properly and writing the correct letters, much of the fun and enjoyment will be sucked out of the writing. It is up to the teacher or parent to support the child's exploration but also strive toward more effective and diverse writing over time (Lindfors 30).
These things that come so naturally to us can pose many issues for children as they learn how to deal with brand new literacies. Let them learn, explore, and grow through their own enjoyment and they will be on the right track to success.References:
Lindfors, J. (2008). Children's language: Connecting reading, writing, and talk. New York: Teachers College Press.
