I’ve had many people ask me how to teach children to read. Whether it’s a parent who doubts knowing enough to help her child through the process, or a teacher who worries that he’s pushing past the bounds of developmentally appropriate practice, there are many who wonder exactly how to get the job done well.
So for today’s Q&A, I’ve invited my friend, Allison McDonald of No Time for Flashcards, who along with our mutual friend (and her partner in crime), Amy Mascott of Teach Mama, has written a new book called, Raising a Rock-Star Reader: 75 Quick Tips for Helping Your Child Develop a Lifelong Love for Reading
I loved Allison and Amy’s book, and felt like it hit this topic right on the head — how do you build meaningful literacy skills in young children, in developmentally appropriate ways? This book is a valuable resource for both parents and teachers of young children, and Allison’s understanding of how to build literacy skills with respect for the developmental process is exceptional. I hope you enjoy the insight she has to offer!
Check out our video discussion below or find the link directly on YouTube.
See why I love this gal?
You can find the book on Amazon here: Raising a Rock-Star Reader: 75 Quick Tips for Helping Your Child Develop a Lifelong Love for Reading
Do you have a question for First Friday Q&A? Email me or comment below!
I like most of this video, especially the first two-thirds or so. I’d like parents to consider one different thing: Words represent what we know (both as adults and children) whereas letters don’t. In English, letters sometimes represent sounds, but they are tricky and don’t always represent the same sounds, or, for that matter, any sounds at all.
So some of us follow the work of Sylvia Ashton-Warner, who gave each child words that meant a great deal for them. And those children recognized the words next day, and from then on. Eventually letter-sound recognition could be taught from those words, which now had value and importance in the children’s lives. Read Ashton-Warner’s book, Teacher, or either of my first two books, The Sun’s Not Broken, A Cloud’s Just in the Way: On Child-Centered Teaching, or Pay Attention to the Children: Lessons for Teachers and Parents from Sylvia Ashton-Warner avaIlable at http://www.eceteacher.org for more on this.
Thank you, Amanda, for this stimulating and informative blog.
Appreciating the dedication you put into your blog and in depth information you present.
It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same old rehashed information. Fantastic
read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m including your RSS feeds to my Google account.