INFS 431 LITERATURE AND SERVICES FOR CHILDREN Session 4 – Characteristics of Children at the Various Stages of Growth Lecturer: S. Nii Bekoe Tackie, School of Information and Communication Studies, Department of Information Studies Contact Information: snbtackie@ug.edu.gh College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017
Session Overview • It is important for us as parents, teachers and information workers to be aware of the dimensions of growth in children as we guide them in the books that they select to read and those that we select for them to read at home, in school and in the library. • To be able to provide the appropriate literature for children, we need to know them as individuals, their level of development, and their rate of development. We need to know also their varied interests. Slide 2 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Session Outline The key topics to be covered in the session are: • Topic One: Learning to Read • Topic Two: Stages of Growth and Age-Appropriate Reading Materials Slide 3 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Reading List Four Reading Methods – Learning to Read. http://teachingtreasures.com.au/homeschool/reading-methods/reading- methods.htm Lane, H. B., & Mercer, C. D. (2014). Preventing Reading Difficulties : Reading Between the Lines, 9 (1), 45 – 53. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/41824248 . McGlinn, J. E. (2014). Essential Education in the Reading Class. Journal of Developmental Education , 12 (2), 20 – 24. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42775458 Ortiz, V. (2014). Reading Activities and Reading Proficiency among Hispanic , Black , and White Students. American Journal of Education , 95 (1), 58 – 76. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/1209227 . Teale, W. H. (2014). Young Children and Reading: Trends Across The Twentieth Century. The Journal of Education , 177 (3), 95 – 127. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/42742373 . Slide 4 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Topic One: LEARNING TO READ Slide 5 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Introduction It is important for us as parents, teachers and information workers to be aware of the dimensions of growth in children as we guide them in the books that they select to read and those that we select for them to read at home, in school and in the library. Initial studies about the development of children indicated similarities in the patterns of their physical, mental and emotional development. More recent studies have shown a wide variety in the growth rate of individual children. Age trends used to be an important factor in understanding children. Slide 6 S.N.B. Tackie, SICS-DIS
Introduction(Cont.) • Current research is more interested in the biological, cultural and other life experiences that determine the development of children. • Organising children in school by age gives a false sense of homogeneity. • They may have different levels of development. • To be able to provide the appropriate literature for children, we need to know them – as individuals, – their level of development, and – their rate of development. • We need to know also their varied interests. • However, before we begin to look at their levels of development and their interests and march them to the kinds of books that they should read, we need to know how children may be helped to acquire the reading ability. Slide 7 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Learning to Read To acquire a habit of reading and enjoy reading as a life- long activity, children must first learn how to read. • Four main methods that may be used to teach children to read: – phonics ; – look and say ; – language experience approach ; and – context support • Whichever method is accepted requires patience and creativity in order to sustain a child’s interest in what he or she is learning. Slide 8 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Method 1: Phonics The phonics method is by far the best known and widely used method to teach reading and writing in the English language. • It relies on children being taught the alphabet first. • They learn the names of the letters and the sounds they make. • Once they have learnt the letter sounds they will begin to blend them together to make simple words. • First they start with – Two letters e.g.: a-t, i-t, o-n, i-f, b-e, m-e, n-o, go; then – Three letters e.g.: c-a-t, s-a-t, m-a-t, f-a-t, r-a-t, c-a-r, m-e-n; then – Four letters e.g.: f-l-a-t, t-h-a-t, s-p-i-t, g-r-i-t, s-l-i-t, m-o-c-k • and so on Slide 9 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Method 1: Phonics(Cont.) I am sure you can recollect your days in nursery school and kindergarten where you were given constant doses of • s- o = so , • g-o = go etc. • For children to learn the phonics method they need phonically written books using regular words that are interesting to young children. • Each word is sounded out by the child several times in order to achieve the highest level of outcome. • Simple sentences containing two letter words or three letter words as the case may be are used to make the children familiar with the particular letter sound being taught, for example: • The cat sat on the mat. • The hen is in the pen. Slide 10 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Method 1: Phonics(Cont.) • Learning the sounds and their blends may be disinteresting for young children so they should be kept short and entertaining. Often children are so busy concentrating on sounding the words and blending the sounds that they don’t learn the meaning of the word, making it boring for them. • Ensure you explain the meaning or expound on the words to keep interest and enthusiasm for learning. • You can introduce one letter a day or one letter a week but the one letter a day method works quite well and it does not become boring, whereas one letter a week tends to drag out and the child often loses the plot halfway through. • This in turn gives you a sense of failure and you will become bogged down. Slide 11 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Method 1: Phonics(Cont.) • Don’t be disheartened if two or three days or even a week is needed to master one letter; • The children will improve and before long you will find there is no stopping their young brain. • Children are natural learners and are more than willing to please you by doing well in their learning experience. • Using the phonics method, most children will learn to read basic words and sentences within three to six months. Slide 12 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Method 2: Look and Say With the ‘look and say’ method children learn to recognize whole words or sentences rather than individual sounds. • The child will look at a word which you sound, and in turn will repeat the sound (the word). • Flashcards with individual words written on them are used for this method. • Often the words are accompanied with a related picture. • If you don’t use a picture with the word the child may make a wild guess as to what it says trying to remember what sound you made previously. • This is not a good method if you don’t include pictures. • It is also recommended with this method to use whole short sentences rather than individual words. • You write a short sentence representing the picture displayed; then say the sentence and ask the child to repeat it while pointing and looking at each individual word as he or she repeats what you said. Slide 13 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Method 2: Look and Say(Cont.) • By making word cards you can create different sentences again and again. • You can use each word card first to learn individual words and then lay the word cards together to form a sentence. • You may need to make several word cards using the same word in order to form proper sentences, e.g. – the is rat mat the on – the rat is on the mat Slide 14 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Method 2: Look and Say(Cont.) • The look and say or whole-language approach which is also called “psycholinguistics” was developed by modern psychologists. • It denies children the tools used in the phonics system but teaches them to learn through rote memorization. • Children may become poorer readers due to being forced to “learn to read” with the method • If you have the teaching skills to combine both it would be of enormous benefit to the children. Slide 15 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Method 3: The Language Experience Approach This particular method actually uses the child’s own words to help him or her to read. • The child may draw a picture of dad in the car. • In that case you would write underneath the drawing: – Dad is in the car . • You continue to collect drawings your child makes and write a short sentence underneath each drawing. • A picture of a playground would read – – We went to the park or playground . • A picture of a cat could read; – The cat sat on the mat . Slide 16 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
Method 3: The Language Experience Approach(Cont.) • A picture of walking the dog could read; – Mum walks the dog to the park. • When you have collected enough pictures you make them into a book for your child to read again and again. • Write underneath the drawing a description your child gives for the drawing. • This way the child will remember much better what is written. Slide 17 Dr. Richard Boateng, UGBS
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