VOA新闻杂志2023--Early Literacy: Introduction to Reading Skills

Early Literacy: Introduction to Reading Skills

Reading and writing in English are very valuable skills. But unlike learning how to speak, these skills do not come naturally. Reading instruction needs to be carefully and clearly explained.

Direct, planned instruction is needed for success.

Each stage in this reading skills series has its own video and article with tips, strategies, and suggestions for assessment¹. This article explains those stages. It also gives tips on using teaching strategies and methods.

Stages and skills of reading

Reading uses many skills. These skills build upon each other. But they can also develop at the same time. Reading begins with pre-reading stages. These stages are print awareness², phonological awareness and phonemic awareness. Then come the reading skills of phonics, fluency³, vocabulary, and comprehension. Here are some short definitions of these terms.

1. Print awareness

As children begin speaking, they realize letters and words have meaning. They learn how books work. They notice letters and words on food products and signs around town. Educators call this print awareness.

2. Phonological awareness

In the next stage, students find and work with the sounds in language. Phonological awareness is understanding the sounds of spoken language. It involves many skills – from making rhymes to counting syllables⁵ to counting words in a sentence. As students master these early phonological skills, they can begin to move on to the next stage.

3. Phonemic awareness

Phonemic awareness is the most advanced type of phonological awareness. It deals with the smallest units of sound in a word – a phoneme. With this skill, students can do things like separate and blend sounds in words.

4. Phonics is the linking of spoken language and written language. The alphabet is part of this stage.

5. Vocabulary describes the whole set of words a person uses to speak, write, and read.

6. Fluency is the ability to read quickly and with understanding.

7. Comprehension is the end goal of reading -- to understand the content.

Instruction for English language learners

Research shows there are certain things to consider when teaching reading to English language learners (or ELLs).

· ELLs should know the sounds of the English language before they begin more advanced instruction. Sing fun songs and chants with your students. Read poems and stories too.

· Identify difficult English sounds. Teachers need to identify sounds in the English language that are difficult for their students. Some English sounds may not even exist in the students' native language. Practice those sounds a lot.

· Research suggests that if a student develops phonological awareness in their home language, they will be able to use that skill to learn other languages. However, students who cannot read in their home language will need to develop sound-language skills.

Also, students who have had interrupted learning — refugees, for example — may need additional early instruction. Assess students to find out if they understand the connection between sounds and language.

Notes on using strategies

Strategies are simply methods for teaching content. Here are some tips for using literacy strategies.

· Teach in a direct way. Tell your students the name of the strategy and explain its purpose. To make sure they understand, ask them questions. Show them how to use a strategy. This is called modeling.

· Do not use too many strategies. Only use a few strategies for each lesson topic. Using too many strategies may confuse students, especially early learners.

· Do not worry about your students becoming bored with or tired of the same strategy. Routines are good for students. Using the same strategies or activities allows students to focus on the content instead of learning new rules. Knowing the strategies well can also increase a student's confidence.

· Some strategies can be used for more than one stage of reading. It may need changing a bit. Feel free to move things around and to make changes to fit the needs of your students.

Words in This Story

tip –n. a short piece of advice or useful information

syllable⁴ –n. a unit of spoken language that consists of one or more vowel⁶ sounds alone or with one or more consonant⁷ sounds preceding or following

strategy –n. a plan to reach a goal or aim over time

chant –n. a word or phrase repeated many times out loud

bored –adj. to be uninterested or bothered because there is not enough to keep one's attention

routine –n. something done regularly almost every day

confidence –n. a feeling that you can do something correctly; a feeling of sureness that a person has about doing a job or task

1 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 fluency   

n.流畅，雄辩，善辩

参考例句：

• More practice will make you speak with greater fluency.多练习就可以使你的口语更流利。
• Some young children achieve great fluency in their reading.一些孩子小小年纪阅读已经非常流畅。

4 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。

5 syllables   

n.音节( syllable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a word with two syllables 双音节单词
• 'No. But I'll swear it was a name of two syllables.' “想不起。不过我可以发誓，它有两个音节。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

6 vowel   

n.元音；元音字母

参考例句：

• A long vowel is a long sound as in the word"shoe ".长元音即如“shoe” 一词中的长音。
• The vowel in words like 'my' and 'thigh' is not very difficult.单词my和thigh中的元音并不难发。

7 consonant   

n.辅音；adj.[音]符合的

参考例句：

• The quality of this suit isn't quite consonant with its price.这套衣服的质量和价钱不相称。
• These are common consonant clusters at the beginning of words.这些单词的开头有相同辅音组合。