Teaching+Children+To+Read




 * Teaching Children to

Read** (Hill, 2006 p. 139 )  || A balanced approach to reading is an effective way to teach a child to read. This approach can include a scaffolding approach which relates to the teacher providing less and less support as the child moves through the stages of being an early emergent reader, to a skilled and fluent reader (Wells, 2008). In the scaffolding approach Hill (2006) provides a indication of what approach the teacher should take in order to assist the child in developing their reading. In the early stage Hill (2006) suggests that the teacher ** models reading **. This involves the teacher reading aloud to the children, modelling to the children how to read using expression, using the pictures to predict what might happen and sounding out words as a way of modelling effective strategies for reading for children. The next step in this scaffolding approach, as suggested by Hill (2006) is ** shared reading **. Shared reading involves children reading with the teacher as a class. In this type of reading the teacher is still heavily involved and children are encouraged to join in when they can. Children then move on to ** guided reading **  sessions, these particular sessions are intended for children to work in small groups with the teacher. As time goes on the teacher influence in the child’s reading slowly decreases, allowing the child to take more control (Hill, 2006, p. 72). The aim of all these activities is to get children to the stage of ** independent reading ** , takes full control. **When children learn to read they often use information apart from the actual print to help them identify the word. Children sometimes use the illustrations or pictures to help them understand what the story is about, and they use this information as a prompt to what the words might say. Hill (2006, p. 141) has identified some different cues that help children.** These include:  o  Semantic cues  o  Syntax cues  o  Visual cues
 * Reading has been defined as ‘the process of constructing meaning from print and from other symbols’.

Semantic CUES- These cues relate to children using their own prior knowledge about the world to find meaning about the text. Children predict or decide what they think will make sense next in the story, to help them with the meaning of the book.

Syntax cues-

The structure of the sentence can also be used as a cue to help children read and find meaning from the text. Would a noun, verb or adjective make sense next in the sentence? Visual cues- This involves the reader using the actual letters in the word to help them with what the word might be. This could be done by sounding out the letters, as well as recognising words they know that start with the first letter and ending with the last letter.