Teaching children to read provides them with a lifelong skill that can be used in an array of everyday, academic and professional situations. Reading also enables a child to make informed decisions, understand directions, and maintain contact with family and friends, states the Ontario Ministry of Education. Understanding the ways in which students learn and options for reading instruction can help parents, caregivers and teachers teach children of all abilities and backgrounds to read.
Early Reading
A child first learns language through listening and speaking, notes the Ontario Ministry of Education. By talking regularly with a young child, making them aware of everyday instances of language, and serving as a role model for active and interested reading, adults can inspire even very young children to learn to read. Adults can then encourage reading practice through trips to the library, reading educational materials online, receiving mail or printed materials, such as magazines, or performing a dramatic read-aloud at home, which can occur repeatedly and spontaneously, and can be expanded into dramatic activities.
Phonics
Reading training usually begins with the recognition of individual and combined letter sounds, known as phonics. According to the National Reading Panel, a project of the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development, NICHHD, kindergartners who received phonics training had greater ability to read and spell words. Older readers may learn to read words and their combinations in sentences, and decode unfamiliar words by their use and sentence context.
Teaching Strategies
Many forms of phonics instruction can be effective, according to the NICHHD. Adults may enable students to read entire words, then break down the sound components or work in reverse order, blending letter sounds to create whole words. Teachers may also help students read texts with unfamiliar words or sounds by drawing parallels to previously learned vocabulary. However, the NICHHD cautions that phonics should not override other aspects of reading, such as reading speed, accuracy of comprehension, development of vocabulary, reading aloud with appropriate expression and independent reading.
Educational Styles
The personal preference of teachers and students can affect their ability to gain reading skills, notes Henry Tenedoro, author of "Breakthrough Education." While some students may rapidly recognize the sound of letters and words, more visually inclined students may first learn to recognize letter and word shapes. Other students may be motivated by movement or experience, such as moving fast or slow, or touching a surface that is hard or soft. Songs and music may also help some students remember the sounds and meanings of letters and words. Ultimately, adults may need to assess a child's perceptual preference and mix styles to capture their attention and advance their learning.
Using Technology
Technology may help students with difficulty speaking or listening to practice and demonstrate their comprehension, notes the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. Computers may have speech recognition capability and multimedia presentations, which may capture a child's interest and maintain their focus on learning. In particular, the NICHHD notes that computer software that uses hypertext or highlighted texts may be useful as a learning tool. Moreover, word processing software may be useful for linking reading and writing instruction.
