The Literacy Club

Everyone is literate. Kindergartener's coming into their first day of school can read, regardless of their background culture or previous learning experiences. Donna Bell and Donna Jarvis' "Letting Go of 'Letter of the Week'"exemplifies the importance of valuing every child for their intelligence. They explain that all children should know they are valued as literate human beings, and are members of the literacy club. This appealing description of readers is one of the first ways to portray reading as an enjoyable activity, and something to be proud of. Their stance on reading which they tell students, and which I completely agree with, is that "reading is about making sense, not about calling words or sounding out". It is essential that students know that they are learning how to read, so that they can understand the world around them, not just because it is a a task in school. 

The IRA/NAEYC joint statement expresses their goal of helping children learn to read well enough by the end of third grade so that they can read to learn  in all curriculum areas. It is necessary, not only to be able to sound out a difficult word in a textbook, but to understand the meaning behind it and relate it to the topic at hand. The goal to help children learn how to read proficiently also focuses on helping them find interest in reading and writing "for their own enjoyment, information, and communication". As they pointed out, students are coming from more diverse backgrounds with different experiences than ever before. At the same time, basic proficiency in literacy has a higher standard than ever before, with comprehension and analysis, and it is only going to increase further.  

Both Donna Bell and Donna Jarvis, and the IRA/NAYEYC joint statement, put a strong emphasis on phonic awareness and different phonic strategies. Hallie Kay and Ruth Helen Yopp also focus on phonics in the classroom. They have multiple strategies of incorporating phonemic awareness in engaging ways for young children. 

I also especially like Donna Bell and Donna Jarvis' "Phonic Strategies":

1                  1. Look at the beginning letter or letters. Are they like letter in any words you already know?

2         2. Look through the word for familiar chunks. Are there nay chunks in this word that are like     

               chunks in words you already know?

           3. Read through to the end. Does the word end with letters that are in any words you already know?

   

   The overarching theme of these three articles, supports the idea that children are literate, and valued, at every age. It is important to establish strong literacy teaching, especially in the crucial learning period from birth to age 8. Teaching children that they are more than capable of becoming proficient in reading and writing gives them a positive outlook on the subject, and providing them with engaging instructions and activities in the classroom make learning much more enjoyable.