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Slide 2 Running head: HOW THE BRAIN LEARNS TO READ Tara M. McKean June 8, 2011 1 Helpful Tips to Read Slide 3 3 Essential Questions on How the Human Brain Learns to Read What must a child be able to do in order to read effectively? What role does working memory play in learning to read? What happens in the brain when a child goes from a non-reader to a novice reader, and finally to a skilled reader? 2 (Sousa, 2005, p. 31) Slide 4 Essential Question #1: What must a child be able to do in order to read effectively? 3 Slide 5 Reading is NOT a Natural Ability 4 Speaking is a normal, genetically-hardwired capability; reading is not (Sousa, p. 32). Slide 6 5 Pruning of the phonemes [start to occur] by [the age of one], the neural networks focus on the sounds of the language being spoken in the infants environment (Beatty, 2001) (Sousa, 2005, p. 16). Slide 7 Early Stages of Reading 6 (Clipart for Free, 2008) Slide 8 Learning to Read Starts with Phonemes (sounds) Alphabetic Principle New WordsRhymes 7 Slide 9 Phonological and Phonemic Awareness An example of phonological awareness, the word carpet has two syllables, each one composed of three phonemes (Sousa, 2005, p. 35). car/pet Phonemic awareness like in the word mat has three phonemes. /m/-//-/t/ 8 Slide 10 Phonemic Awareness and Learning to Read 9 pi g Slide 11 Sounds to Letters (Phonemes to Graphemes) 10 a apple Slide 12 Alphabetic Principle This concept is a little difficult for children to learn due to a few problems. The letters of the alphabet are abstract and unfamiliar to the new reader, and the sounds they represent are not natural segments of speech (Sousa, 2005, p. 36). 11 Slide 13 Letters to Words 12 Decoding starts with learning the letters of the alphabet and the basic sounds they represent (Sousa, 2005, p. 37). (Education Week, 2009) Slide 14 Morphemes What are morphemes and morphology? Morphological and Phonemic Awareness 13 Slide 15 Is Spelling Crucial to Reading? 14 Success in reading does not automatically result in success in spelling (Sousa, 2005, p. 41). Slide 16 Essential Question #2: What role does working memory play in learning to read? 15 Slide 17 Phases of Vocabulary Growth Pre- Alphabetical Phase Partial Alphabetic Phase Full Alphabetic Phase Consolidated Alphabetic Phase Vocabulary Growth (Mental Lexicon) 16 Slide 18 Reading Comprehension 17 The number of words in a sentence may affect ones ability to comprehend the sentence and its meaning. Slide 19 Immediate Memory Look. There goes a squirrel! What were we talking about? 18 Slide 20 Working Memory 19 During the first 5 to 10 minutes of reading, children need to be fully focused on what they are reading and make connections in order for the information to be retained. Slide 21 Essential Question #3: Non- reader Novice reader Skilled Reader? 20 What happens in the brain when a child goes from a Slide 22 21 Using Schema Theory in Teaching and Learning Picture Walk Read similar themed books! KWL Slide 23 22 At Home Strategies to Improve Your Childs Spoken Language Recommended for at least 20 minutes daily! Speak with and listen to your child Read with your child every day! Sing songs or poems Slide 24 23 Strategy 1: Provide opportunities for speaking and listening Provide an environment that is rich in literature! Use technology: www.storylineonline.net &www.storylineonline.net http://www.wordworld.com/parentsteachers.php are excellent websites! (Education Week, 2009) Slide 25 24 Strategy 2: Read with Your Child! Listen to Reading- We hear examples of good literature and fluent reading. We learn more words, thus expanding our vocabulary and becoming better readers (Boushey & Moser, 2006, p. 11). Read alouds are beneficial to all children to help provide rich language experiences (Cobb & Kallus, 2011). Read to Someone- Reading to someone allows for more time to practice strategies, helping you work on fluency and expression, check for understanding, hear your own voice, and share in the learning community (Boushey & Moser, 2006, p. 11). Slide 26 25 Strategy 3: Sing Songs, Lullabies or Poems Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are Up above the world so high Like a diamond in the sky Twinkle, twinkle little star How I wonder what you are (Lullabies, 1997) Slide 27 26 References Boushey, G. & Moser, J. (2006) the daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades. Portland: Stenhouse Publishers, 2006. Clipart For Free. Retrieved from http://clipart- for-free.blogspot.com/2008/08/dora-explorer- clipart.htmlhttp://clipart- for-free.blogspot.com/2008/08/dora-explorer- clipart.html Slide 28 27 References Cobb, J. B. and Kallus, M. K. (2011). Historical, Theoretical, and Sociological Foundations of Reading in the United States. Boston: Pearson. [Electronic version] Education Week. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.wordworld.com/http://www.wordworld.com/ 02_25_09_EducationWeek.pdf Slide 29 References Reading is Fundamental, Inc. (n.d.). Providing a literacy rich home environment. http://www.rif.org/us/literacy- resources/articles/providing-a-literacy-rich- home-environment.htm http://www.rif.org/us/literacy- resources/articles/providing-a-literacy-rich- home-environment.htm Reading is Fundamental, Inc. (1997). Leading to Reading. http://www.rif.org/kids/leadingtoreading/en/babi es-toddlers/lullabies/twinkle-twinkle-little- star.htm http://www.rif.org/kids/leadingtoreading/en/babi es-toddlers/lullabies/twinkle-twinkle-little- star.htm 28 Slide 30 References Sousa, D. A. (2005). How the brain learns to read. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. [Electronic version] 29