Take this opportunity to find out how children really learn to read and write. Explore current research that cuts through the media messages about reading wars and the right way to teach children. Learn by reading stories about children, doing interactive assignments, and exploring the latest in parent and childcare information.
In this course, you will learn how a child becomes literate from the moment of birth. First, you will investigate the many things a child's growing mind must do to make sense of the written word and create writing. From there, you will explore the development of reading and writing from infancy to the early school years. You will know what problems to look for and how to assist a struggling reader. You will see how you can boost literacy growth during daily routines and child's play.
Kt (Katie) Paxton is a certified teacher with a Master's Degree in Education focusing on Learning and Technology. She has more than 20 years of classroom experience and has been an online instructor since 2003. She also owned and managed a home daycare for five years and is the author of More Adventures With Kids in San Diego. Furthermore, Kt has trained and placed tutors with at-risk students in over 100 schools in addition to working with the students herself.
The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.
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Lesson 1
In our first lesson, I'll introduce you to the course philosophy and our objectives. Then I'll provide examples and anecdotes to show you some of the many ways we all interact with reading in our daily lives. We'll explore the history of reading instruction so that you'll understand where research has taken us.
Lesson 2
Just as a child communicates with us before using words, young children initiate many literacy-related activities before they actually read and write. In this lesson, I'll reveal the language skills that have the greatest impact on a child becoming a successful reader and writer. You'll end this lesson with a new understanding of the complexities of language development. You'll also see any child's language skills in a new light.
Lesson 3
We all get excited when children learn their ABCs. But what role does this skill play in becoming a reader and writer? And what does it really mean to know your ABCs? Today we'll uncover the differences between rote memory, knowledge of sounds and symbols, phonemic awareness, and how all these things come together for the early reader.
Lesson 4
While attention and literacy may seem like big words for little people, the way a child's brain is attending to print in his world has a huge impact on reading, writing, and learning. In today's lesson, you'll learn about different types of attention and the importance of having an organized thinking system in order to learn about print. These discoveries may shed some light on your thinking, too!
Lesson 5
Today you'll discover what's happening when a child works to store information in memory. By the end of this lesson, you'll realize how important it is to store information in some sort of order, and also how to get things out of memory again once they're put away. You'll then be able to watch a young reader with a new awareness of how this skill impacts her success.
Lesson 6
You'll understand what understanding is all about in today's lesson. How does a child make sense of what you read to him or what he reads to himself? In this lesson, we'll explore the many skills a child needs to understand text. Just because a child can say a word doesn't mean he knows the word when reading it. After this lesson, you'll know why!
Lesson 7
While we'd never want or expect a child under two to read, much pre-literacy work goes on during the early years before a child is really even talking. In today's lesson, you'll learn how infants grow to become readers. We'll explore the many emerging literacy processes that occur during the first two years of life. Then I'll fill you in on numerous activities that you can do during this period to build literacy skills. Put away the flashcards--these activities are way more fun!
Lesson 8
Today we'll explore the sequence of skills that brings toddlers and preschoolers to the threshold of becoming true readers and writers. You'll learn why you should read that favorite story one more time, with enthusiasm! In fact, once you understand how much this repetition is helping your child's literacy, you'll want to read it a dozen more times. I'll provide examples of pre-writing and reading in this lesson, too.
Lesson 9
Research shows that we all learn literacy skills in pretty much the same order. In today's lesson, I'll show you that order, and then I'll explain why it's okay if your child doesn't meet these milestones by a specific age. This lesson will guide you through the evolution of reading and writing letters, words, sentences, and then complex ideas.
Lesson 10
How do all of these pieces come together to produce an able reader? By the end of this lesson, you'll know what fluency looks like when a young child is successfully reading. We'll also look ahead to a child's future growth. Literacy skills continue to develop so a child can be successful with literacy activities throughout school and life. Today's lesson will help you experience fluent reading through the eyes and mind of a blossoming reader.
Lesson 11
Now that you know all about the mental processes and learning sequences that lead to becoming a writer, I'll show you many activities that demonstrate how the complex skill of writing emerges. You'll learn what to watch for and how to assist a child who's becoming a successful scribe.
Lesson 12
What's going on when a child isn't reading or writing when you expect him to? By the end of this lesson, you'll know how to assist a child who struggles with literacy learning and how to locate resources for assistance. We'll also discuss learning differences to help you enjoy the strengths of a child who may be a little slower to master reading and writing than her peers.
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