Reading

Teaching Reading to Kids

Reading is a complex cognitive process of decoding symbols in order to construct or derive meaning. It is a means of language acquisition of communication, and of sharing information and ideas. Like all language, it is a complex interaction between the text and the reader which is shaped by the reader’s prior knowledge, experiences, attitude, and language community which is culturally and socially situated. The reading process requires continuous practice, development, and refinement.

Reading involves various stages: 

- Reading for detail (intensive reading)

- Reading for gist (skimming)

- Reading for special information (scanning)
-Predicting content

-Inferring meaning from content and context

Some techniques to use when reading:

1) Read and complete: The kids read a text and use the information to complete a list, a table, a chart or a picture.

2) Read and correct: The kids correct mistakes in a text that they read.

3) Read and draw: The kids read a text and draw what is described in the text.

4) Read and guess: The kids read a text and guess what is described.

5) Read and match: The kids match the information in a text with other reading texts or pictures.

6)Read and reorder: The kids read a text in muddled order and number the sentences or paragraphs in the correct order. Or they physically reorder sentences on separate stripes of paper.

7) Read and sort: Two texts mixed together. The kids have to sort them out.

Here we have some activities that kids can develop for improving reading:

1) Skimming and Scanning: Choose a page of text which can easily be photocopied. This can be from any kind of book, and if the activity is repeated, try to vary the kinds of texts that you use (e.g. stories, information books, pages from dictionaries). Make sure that each child has one copy; they should also have access to colored pens and / or pencils. Read through the text with the children to give them a general understanding of it. Give the children a time limit (e.g. 5 minutes) and ask them to find as many occurrences of a certain consonant blend (e.g. "ch") as possible. They should color each "ch" on the page in a certain color (e.g. red), whether the "ch" is found at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of a word. At the end of the time, ask them to count the number of "ch"s they have found.

2) Missing out the vowels: Write instructions on the board leaving out all the vowels, e.g. 'Tk t yr bks'. Then, make the kids read instructions carefully to identify which vowels are missing, and with this, the teacher reinforces knowledge of vowels and consonants also.

3) Fill - in – the - gaps: Read a text with the kids; then, give them the text again but this time with some words omitted. Give the kids a list of words with which to fill in the gaps in the text.

4) Replace the Word: After reading an entire text, replace certain words in the text with a picture to help kids work out what the missing word is.

5) Continue the story: After reading the half of a story you chose, kids offer suggestions as to what happens next. You can do this orally or written and then read them.

6) Come up with a title for a story: Give each child a piece of reading without the title of the story. Give them some time to read it, and after that, ask them to tell you a suggestion of a title for that reading.

7) Do-it-yourself question: This can be done in groups or pairs. Children write some questions (you can give the number) after reading a story for other children to answer.

8) Arrange the events: Have some pictures on the board in different order, and then, give the kids a text to read. After they read the text, ask them to help you order the events as they happened in the story using the pictures from the board. (the pictures you use have to show the events from the story you give the kids.)

9) Pre – teach the vocabulary: Teach the children the new words they will find in the text before reading it. Then, give them the text, and ask them to find the new words you previously taught. They can have many ways to identify the new vocabulary, and one way can be to color or circle the new words.

10) Find the category: Provide the kids a text or a story and a sheet of paper containing different categories; for example, food, animals, fruit, etc. After reading the text, in each column kids have to put the vocabulary they found in the text that belongs to the right category (e.g. Fruit – apple, grapes...) The categories you use have to be related to the content of the text you give them.

Reading Strategies For Children

Reading Strategies For Children Becoming Efficient Readers:

Reading strategies for children can help them become prepared for academic challenges they will face or already face. Being a proficient reader in the early years of school is enormously important. Many things that children learn depend on being able to read efficiently. Good readers use different strategies naturally, but not everybody is familiar with the ways that work best for them individually. These five strategies can be incorporated by both parents and teachers alike. 

-Here are 5 reading strategies for children that can help children become better readers. 

1.Visualize: Have children imagine or draw what a character looks like. Have them verbally explain what a setting looks like. Many students think visually while others have difficulty, so this can be helpful for both types of learners.

2. Summarize: Having them retell the text challenges their retention. Summary allows students to differentiate between the main thoughts and the minor details. After finishing a chapter or section, have them retell what they just read and then write down a brief summary. 

3. Predict: Have them predict what they think will happen next. Ask why. This helps encourage active reading and helps them stay engaged with the text. This can also help signal a misunderstanding of the text that needs revisiting. 

4.Ask Questions: Have children come up with questions about the text, steer them away from the questions about minor details and have them focus on questions about the meaning or morals. This helps nurture active learning. 

5. Find Connections: Have them relate a character in the text to themselves or someone else they know. Have them connect different similarities and direct opposites. This will help them understand the text form a new perspective and encourages deeper thought.