Many students across the country have begun using CD, cassette, and MP3 players to listen to top 10 hits. They may also have a book cracked open in front of them while they do it. Are these students multi-tasking? No, they are possibly just kids enjoying multimedia. The top 10 hit they are listening to might be the newest audio book release. Following along with a book while it is being read is not a new concept. Parents have read aloud to the children this way for many years. So what is the difference in older students listening to someone else read to them? Is it really reading? Does it help develop language and fluency as well as reading in the traditional way? According to There are several advantages to listening to audio books. These include getting struggling readers to read, improving student’s listening skills, and most importantly, raising reading fluency. Audio books have become a much larger market in recent years. “The latest figures from the Audio Publishers Association show that the industry had sales of $800 million in 2003” (MacPherson, 2005, para. 11). “Over the past decade, the audio industry ‘has experienced steady growth” even as formats have moved from cassettes to CDs and digital downloads” (MacPherson, 2005, para. 10). This increase in audio books is good for those companies who sell them, but is it good for our kids? Does listening to a book give the same benefits to students who read the books? Isn’t letting kids use audio books cheating the other kids who read the book by themselves? The answers to these questions can only be answered after the discussion of reading is. When looking at the definition, there are two schools of thought. The first is that reading must include “using one’s eyes to decode ... ... middle of paper ... ... all readers. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from the World Wide Web: http://www.readingrockets.org/article/64?theme=print MacPherson, K. (2005). Audio books can be a great learning tool [Electronic version]. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Retrieved February 12, 2008, from http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05318/606016-75.stm Moody, K. (1989, February). Audio tapes and books: perfect partners. School Library Journal, 35(6), 27-29. Retrieved February 10, 2008, from Academic Search Complete database. Simpson, C. (2006, April). Editor’s notes. Library Media Connection, 24(7), 8. Retrieved February 12, 2008, from Academic Search Complete database. Tubbs, J. (2007, June 29). Developing reading fluency through an iPod language lab. Retrieved February 10, 2008, from the World Wide Web: http://misterteacher.blogspot.com/2007/06/developing-reading-fluency-through-ipod.html
Fountas, I., C., & Pinnel, G. S., (2009). When readers struggle: Teaching that works. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Hearst, Patricia. (2014). Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Retrieved January 27, 2014, from Grolier Online http://gme.grolier.com/article?assetid=0134445-0. (n.d.).
David Damrosch and Kevin J. H. Dettmar. Vol. 1c. New York: Pearson Education, 2010. 2544-2548. Print.
The activities in the lesson plan has an auditory part. This part is when the educator reads the story “The Knight...
Education week, 22(41) p.12. Retrieved September 28, 2003 from EBSCO database (Masterfile) on the World Wide Web: http://www.ebsco.com.
Urzillo, R. (2007). A School Distric Responds to A Book Challenge. Library Media Connection, 40-41.
Reading involves translating symbols and letters into words or sentences. Anderson defines reading as a process of constructing meaning from a written text. We indulge in reading for many different purposes, be it survival, leisure or occupational. In a way, reading serves as a kind communication between the writer and the reader. The writer encodes what he or she wishes to convey while the reader decodes according to his or her own perception. Johnson quotes “A young man should read five hours in a day, and so may acquire a great deal of knowledge.”
Storybook reading, sound activities and letter games can help to enhance children’s early literacy development in a meaningful and enjoyable manner. For example, teachers can conduct phonological awareness activities such rhyming games, alliteration and sound matching to increase children’s awareness of the sounds of language (Roskos et. al., 2003). Furthermore, ensuring that there is a library corner stocked with good books can encourage children to try to read, hence promoting reading (Roskos et. al., 2003). There are many strategies that teachers can practice to promote early literacy skills such as recognition and awareness of sounds and letters. Teachers can link these strategies with play so as to create more language-rich environments where children can practice and demonstrate language skills (Riley-Ayers,
As a teacher, you need to encourage all attempts at reading, writing, speaking, and allowing children to experience the different functions and use of literacy activity (The Access Center, n.d.). Moreover, it is crucial for educators to understand phonological awareness and phonics; know what constitutes good children’s literature and how to use it; know children who need additional assistance with beginning reading and writing (Cunningham et al, 2004 as cited in McLachlan et al, 2013, p. 112). Educators also need to plan effective activities to assist children experience reading aloud, listening to other children read aloud, listening to tape recordings, and videotapes so children have opportunities to integrate and extend their literacy knowledge (The Access Center, n.d.). Morrow (1990 as cited in The Access Center, n.d.) notes that classroom with greater teacher facilitation promote literacy behaviours, so it is educators’ role to provide literacy rich
Robertson, C. (1996). Uninterrupted, sustained, silent reading: the rhetoric and the practice.Journal of Research in Reading, 19, 25-35.
Reading has been an important part of our daily living as it helps us gain a better understanding of our surroundings and discover new concepts; with that in mind, as technology paves the way for new inventions, methods of reading increases, which then compels more people to read in comparison to the people who read in the past. With the help of today’s electronic tools, reading literature is more accessible than ever before. The population of readers has increased and diversified and now consists of individuals who read using their smartphones, kindle, tablets, and all the like. Whether reading a cover letter, interpreting an instruction manual, or even reading a mathematical problem in paragraph form, reading is everywhere, which makes it an essential component of our lives.
Reading is an amazing activity that can transport you to various worlds and eras. I can recall being asked many times to put down the book I was reading and pay attention to class or losing sleep to finish the next chapter. While it certainly helps to be able to pronounce and understand what you are reading, I believe that the most important thing a good reader needs is curiosity. It can be easy to lose yourself in a book you are curious about if can catch your attention. A lot of readers hear about a book and decide to explore it or simply find the summary interesting and being to read. Encouraging that curiosity is my goal as a teacher. I want my children to have an insatiable curiosity for the world around them. My own passion for reading will help me get my students encouraged about the next book or topic. Children can feel how people are towards different subject areas and reading is one of my favorite so I feel that I will be able to pass that excitement on.
It is often believed that fluency can be the link between decoding and comprehension. Decoding refers to a child’s ability to recognize words. Word recognition skills can be taught through phonemic awareness and phonics. For many readers problems with word recognition can lead to problems with fluency, which can lead to problems with comprehension. According to Armbruster, Lehr, and Osborn (2001), less fluent readers focus their attention on decoding words, leaving less attention for comprehension. When students begin to develop decoding skills and word recognition becomes natural and automatic, gains in fluency and comprehension can be made. Fluency also allows the reader to see that meaning is not only carried through by words, but by expression, punctuation, and phrasing (Rasinski, 2003). Once a student can learn to accurately, effectively, and effortlessly decode words he or she can begin to naturally read passages and stories, and can focus on
According to Temple et. Al, there are components for reading. “Reading is the act of getting meaning from a written text.” (Temple & Ogle & Crawford & Freppon, 2005, p.7) There are steps to learn to read; first step is “word recognition.” This activity is that readers recognize letters and words. Next step is “phonemes” which is the smallest sounds in language. Readers who in “phonemic awareness” are able to know how to make sounds with letters. In “comprehension” step, readers are able to understand what they are reading. They can improve reading ability by expanding knowledge of vocabulary. If they can understand words faster than previous time and accurately, they are on “reading fluency” step. The last step, which is “interpretation” or also known as “critical reading”, is a time when they are able to understand author’s thought and mind by reading their words and arguments. National Reading Panel categorized literacy by areas of alphabetic, fluency, comprehension, teacher education and reading instruction, computer technology, and reading instruction. Alphabetic includes
Reading aloud helps a child’s memory, curiosity, and it builds their motivation (“Importance of Reading Aloud”). “Reading aloud introduces the language of books which differs from language heard in daily conversation, on television, and in movies. Book language is more descriptive and uses more formal grammatical structures”. Children learn many things while being read to. The more books that are read to children, the more their vocabulary expands. Reading to children can introduce them to different literature they might not find on their own (Koralek). Another essential skill that children need is the ability to listen, which they learn while being read to (“Importance of Reading Aloud”). Not only does reading give children the ability to listen, it gives them the ability to understand how stories work. “The more a child knows about and experience the joys of reading before kindergarten, the easier it will be to learn to read,” (“Why Reading to Children Is Important”). Reading is fun and the more it is done, the more children will enjoy it