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Show KNOW YOUR SCHOOLS .... Learning ESov To Read By Ida S. Harrison Well, autumn is upon us again. Spring may be announced by the coming of the first crocus, but I am assured that summer is over when parents stop me on the street and make inquiries about school. I am deeply impressed by the fact that, although I am very interested in what your child will be doing this winter, you as parents par-ents are doubly concerned. Lately reading has been the chief topic of conversation.. It assumes its importance from the truth that success in almost every field is largely dependent upon the reading read-ing skill one has. Many parents are worried because of many things they do not understand about the steps taken in learning to read. All parents are eager that their children will get to their first school experience well prepard. These are some interesting things that have been said. "My child doesn't know his alphabet." "Couldn't the last part of kindergarten kin-dergarten be used for learning to read?" "My neighbor's child can read already. Is my child stupid? Should I have bought books and worked with him?" "Will you teach phonics?" "Why do you waste so much time before you give a child a book?" "Do you think my child will make the best group?" "I re.id an article that said you shouldn't try to teach a child before be-fore he goes to school. So I haven't done a thing. I've just let my boy develop naturally." We are told that reading is not so much getting ideas from the printed page as bringing ideas to the printed page. So I'm hoping that you started to teach your child to read when he was about two years old. A keen desire to (Continued on Back Page) k KNOW YOUR SCHOOLS (Continued from page one) explore a book is the one greatest aid in learning to read. Here are some "ifs:" If you have read much to your child have turned pages left to right laughed and talked about things you have read have studied pictures for interesting in-teresting details have caused your child to wonder and have found answers from books, have taught him to love the sound of poems and jingles, helped him to express himself, freely, given him many experiences, placed him in a position posi-tion to mingle with other children in groups, furthered his skills in hopping, skipping, running, jump- ing, climbing, cutting, painting, dancing and singing then, you have been giving him the very best of reading preparation. When parents par-ents and kindrgarten teachers follow fol-low a consistant program of this kind, a child usually arrives at school ready to read. The number of years your child has lived doesn't tell whether he is ready to gt a book or not. Some rare few may be ready at five, while other perfectly normal children chil-dren may not be ready at eight. A teacher accepts a child and builds upon his past experiences, trying to give each what he needs most. If a child has naturally learned to read without force, then the teacher takes him right on in his reading and he has not been harmed by his previous learning. However, most first 'grade children need a period of getting ready for reading. It may be a long or short period, according to the individual child. Learning to listen for short periods of time and taking simple directions are helps for reading. Feeling at home in the group and feeling necessary to the group are important feelings. Normally, the human eye is not sufficiently developed for the complex task of reading until after the age of six. Children need training in sweeping the eyes from left to right and top to bottom. They benefit from all types of activity calculated to develop body muscles and bring about coordination of those muscles. I can think of no particular case where knowing the alphabet in order has been any use in beginning begin-ning reading. Phonics and word study will be taught. They will learn many words and sentences from sight or memory mem-ory before word analysis is begun seriously. May I urge you to forget about the "best group." A child might be working in many groups during a ' school year. In working with large groups of children, we sometimes some-times arrange smaller units in order to work more efficiently on a particular problem- A child won't always need the same type of help. He may be put into other groups where he can get help in another way. Be sure to keep standards .high. Notice and appreciate ap-preciate every bit of progress. Delight De-light in his personal growth, but do not push him to meet his neighbor's standards. One can never be sure that he wil not go far beyond others if he develops at his own rate. Use only his own progress for a measuring stick. We appreciate your interest in our beginning reading. Ask us more about it. There are many good ways to teach reading. After a child shows that he is prepared for it, we employ all methods that seem to help your individual child most- Every day new things are being learned about how to further reading progress. Keep in touch with us. As fast as we discover better methods we will be very happy to share our ideas with |