How do children learn to read?

WHAT IS READING?

‘I define reading as a message-getting, problem-solving activity which increases in

power and flexibility the more it is practised.’ Marie Clay Becoming Literate

Meaning facilitates reading; it is not just the outcome of it.

There are three cueing systems. We use all three simultaneously.

Meaning Structure

Visual

understanding the author’s message

1. Structure- Does it sound right? Syntactic cues

• These cues are based on our knowledge of how language works.

• Layout of the page• Text type• Oral language competence/experiences• Writing experiences

It …………..under the water.

The word must be a

Verb!

2. Meaning – Does it make sense? Semantic cues

• These cues are based on meaning, which comes from our knowledge of the subject (or our schema).

• Life experiences• Connections we make with the text• Illustrations

Tommy put his pet tortoise in the tank.

It ……………… under the water.

It’s still a verb but it can only describe the movement

of a tortoise.

3. Visual- Does it look right? Grapho-phonic cues

• These cues are based on the shape and the sound of words.

• Syllables• Initial sounds• Inflexions • Onset and rime• Hearing all sounds in words

Tommy put his pet tortoise in the tank.

It d……… under the water.

It can only be a verb beginning with d which describes

the movement of a tortoise.

Making new predictions about what will happen

next

Confirming or correcting what we’ve just read

Decoding words based on our

knowledge of letters and sounds and the

way words look.

Early reading behaviours • Looking at pictures• Re reading• Pointing to words (1 to 1 matching)• Substituting• Appealing• Using directional movement• Correcting errors• Sounding out• Omitting words• Self correcting• Self monitoring (listening to how the reading sounds)

Maddisyn, aged 3

What early reading behaviours can you identify?

Early reading strategies

• Self-monitoring (or checking on oneself)• Predicting or anticipating• Confirming• Cross checking cueing systems• Searching for information• Self correcting

Successful readers:

• Expect what they read to make sense• Can make predictions based on their

understanding of the content and of the language

• Can test their predictions• Can correct themselves when their predictions

are incorrect

The difficulty of your set could be increased if you do a jam

followed by a peach.

?

Comprehension questions

• Does a jam precede a peach?• How can you increase the difficulty of a set?• Will a set including a jam be more difficult

than a set including a peach?• Explain how you can improve your set.

The point values you can earn on your gymnastics routine can be

bigger if you include, in sequence, two particular skills on the uneven

parallel bars: the "jam," which leaves the gymnast sitting on the high bar; and the "peach," where the gymnast moves from the high

bar to the low bar.

The Three Billy Goats GruffOnce upon a time there were three billy goats; a

big billy goat, a middle-sized billy goat and a small billy goat.

Every day they went across the bridge to eat the green grass on the other side.

But, under the bridge, there lived a great, ugly troll.Trip-trap, trip-trap, trip-trap.

“Who’s that tripping over my bridge?” roared the ugly troll.