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Early Readers and Academic Success
Early Readers and Academic Success
Importance
of Literacy
There
is a wealth of knowledge available to people in today’s world. A person can
learn anything they desire to learn. Thanks to modern technology information can
be accessed by anyone. There is one stipulation; that person must be able to
read. Without good literacy knowledge is useless. Literacy is defined as a
person’s ability to read and write, but this essay is going to focus on the
reading aspect of literacy. The ability to function in today’s society requires
literacy. A person can’t order food at a restaurant without being able to read
the menu. A driver must be able to read the road signs to get through traffic
safely. Most people have the minimum required literacy skills to get through
life, but how likely are they to succeed in a secondary or post-secondary
environment? Ideally literacy is taught at a young age: while in
pre-kindergarten or kindergarten. There are a few questions that need to be
considered when it comes to childhood literacy:
1.
Does focusing on literacy in early
education increase the likelihood of academic success in secondary and
post-secondary education?
2.
What
can educators do to help improve early childhood literacy?
3.
What
can parents do to help improve early childhood literacy?
4.
What
can adults do now if literacy was a difficulty during childhood?
Each question will be discussed
throughout the paper. There is strong support that early childhood literacy
will help ensure academic success in secondary and post-secondary education.
Childhood
literacy is separated into four stages according to Sophia Huang in her study
of early childhood literacy. According to Huang, Stage 0 is achieved in
preschool and kindergarten. At this age a child mimics reading, and can
recognize the letters in the alphabet (Huang, 13). Children learn this skill by
being read to by others, most commonly their parents or caregivers. Stage 1 is
achieved in grade 1 and 2. At this age, a child begins to recognize a
connection between letters and sounds. Reading simple words is achieved. A
child also begins to sound out words to figure out reading more complicated
words (Huang, 13). Grade 2 and 3 is when a child achieves stage 2. The child
can read more fluently with an increase in the word bank, and vocabulary (Huang,
13). By stage 3 (grades 4-8), reading helps a child learn new skills, and
develop new viewpoints (Huang, 13). What happens to a child if he or she falls
behind in any of the four stages? That child will struggle significantly in
school. If a child doesn’t achieve success in each stage, literacy is poor.
Later years in secondary school (grades 9 to 12), and post-secondary, critical
thinking and the ability to form independent ideas are crucial to success.
Without achieving stage 3, a child will be less likely to succeed in school. A
child cannot achieve each step without first mastering the stage before. To
succeed in stage 1 for example, a child must master the skills taught in stage
0. That begins as early as possible. Below is a summary of the table presented in
Huang’s study.
|
Summary of Early Childhood Literacy
Development
|
|||
|
Stage Age & Grade
|
Skills Acquired by the End of Stage
|
How Acquired
|
Grade Reading Requirement
|
|
Stage 0: Pre-reading
Grade Range: Preschool to
Kindergarten
|
· Child “pretends” to read
· Names letter of alphabet
· Recognizes some signs
· Prints own name
· Plays with books, pencils and paper
|
· Being read to by an adult or older child that is
encouraging
|
· Letter recognition
· Beginning and ending sounds
|
|
Stage 1: Initial reading
Grade Range: 1-2
|
· Relationship between letters and sounds
· Read simple text
· “Sound out” new words
|
· Direct instruction
· Reading of simple stories
· Being read to at a higher level from what a child can do
independently
|
· Beginning and ending sounds
· Sight words
|
|
Stage 2: Confirmation and Fluency
Grade Range: 2-3
|
· Read simple familiar stories
· Consolidating the basic decoding elements, sight
vocabulary, and meaning context in the reading of familiar stories
|
· Direct instruction in advanced decoding skills
· Being read to at a higher level from what a child can do
independently
|
· Comprehension of words in context
|
|
Stage 3: Reading for Learning the New
Grade Range: 4-8
|
Reading is used to:
· Learn new ideas
· Gain new knowledge
· Experience new feelings
· Learn new attitudes
·
|
· Reading and studying of textbooks
· Systematic study of word and reading through discussion
and writing
|
· Extrapolation
· Evaluation
|
(Figure
1. Huang, Shu Yu Sophia.
"The Influence of Kindergarten and First-Grade Literacy Instruction on the
3rd- and 5th-Grade Students' Reading Achievement: Findings from the Early
Childhood Longitudinal Study - Kindergarten Class, 1998--1999.")
Develop
Early Reading
How
early should a parent or caregiver begin literacy training with a child? Many
professionals claim that the earlier a child is exposed to reading, the better
it is for that child. A paper published by Kristal Sommer, titled “The
relationship between parenting styles, parental reading involvement, child
behavior outcomes, child classroom competency, and early childhood literacy”,
discusses parental involvement and its impact on childhood literacy. Sommer
states, “reading involvement with a caregiver significantly increases the
child’s cognitive level, specifically early literacy skills, when compared to
children who were not read to frequently. It appears that reading to a young
child is an exercise that can benefit the child’s outcomes” (Sommer, 18). Early
literacy skills are greater when there is significant reading involvement,
compared to children who were not read too. Parent or caregiver involvement is
crucial in the development of early childhood literacy. A child will most
likely become interested in reading if that child is exposed to reading at a
young age. When a parent participates in literacy activities such as shared
reading, book ownership and frequent library visits, a child is more likely to
develop good literacy skills (Nowak,
Evans. Parents' Goals for and
Perceptions of Alphabet Books, 2000. 1267). A child who is read to on
a regular basis will most likely develop an interest in reading. Children learn
better when they are interested in the subject.
When
the foundation of literacy interest is established, the next step is finding
and utilizing resources. For young readers between the ages of three to five, a
good start is utilizing alphabet books. According to a study done by Sarah
Nowak and Mary Ann Evans in 2012, the use of alphabet books exposes young readers
to literacy. Nowak and Evans stated, “Alphabet books are one way in which
emergent readers can gain valuable reading experience” (Nowak, Evans. 1266).
The alphabet books expose the children to basic literacy principles that will
help them understand more complicated principles later. The books introduce
children to phonics, which help children build their literary understanding and
their vocabulary. Nowak and Evans support this claim in their research. They
state “Studies of young children have shown that the use of alphabet books can
be beneficial in learning fundamental reading skills such as phoneme awareness”
(Nowak, Evans. 1267).
Another
valuable resource is a public library. Access to a public library is a helpful
resource in developing early literacy. A child, who has access to a library,
has access to a world of books at a low cost. Many children lose out of
beneficial literary experience because of poor social economic status.
Communities that have public library’s help improve the literary ability of
children who cannot afford books any other way. A library has a wide variety of
selections that can peak the interest of early readers. Variety helps children
learn more and make more connections. The more exposure to different stories,
the increase of skill a child will develop. With access to libraries, children
have access to the required variety of reading necessary to develop their
skills.
Once
a child has access to the resources, early reading can begin. Learning sight
words is important to the development of literacy skills. A child can learn
sight words by constant exposure to them. Words such as: and, as, the, said,
like, and are can be learned when integrated into picture books. A child is
able to read sight words during the pre-alphabet phase by connecting a visual
cue with the word (Nowak, Evans. 1266). When a child sees a word connected to a
picture, the child will remember the word better. By building on a strong foundation,
a child can build stronger skills as the reading becomes more complicated.
Academic
Success
Children that learn
at a young age develop confidence in their reading, as they grow older. Such
confidence helps in their academic success. If a child believes he or she can
learn something, that child will do the work to learn what is needed. As a
child progresses in school, the learning material increases in difficulty. As
the difficulty increases the child is pushed to learn more, and with a strong foundation
the child can learn more. A child who feels like they can learn, will learn.
Such confidence will also carry that child into secondary and post-secondary
school.
Strong
literacy skills increase the likelihood of graduating from high school, and continuing
on into college. Strong literacy is a foundation block to further knowledge.
With strong literacy skills a student can study and understand philosophy,
psychology, science and math better. When the student is required to dig deep
into understanding and academic concept, it is their ability to understand
literacy that will give them the skills to do it. Secondary and post-secondary
school is difficult as it is. If a student is trying to learn to read better as
well as master the more complicated concepts, the student is more likely to get
overwhelmed and give up. On the other hand, the success is more likely if
literacy is mastered at a young age.
Literacy
Issues
Not
every child develops the required literacy skills that are optimum for academic
success. Some children struggle with learning disabilities such as dyslexia,
attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), or similar issue that makes
learning to read difficult. A struggling child might feel of low worth, and
might even acknowledge their shortcomings in a way that suggests giving up.
Expressing phrases such as “I can’t read”, or “I am no good at this” are
indicators that a child a given up on themselves. Intervention is required in
such cases, and is optimum at a younger age. Teacher, parents, mentors and
communities can work together to support struggling children. Individualized
intervention plans can be implemented to support a child, and help him or her
succeed.
Many times literacy
issues are not recognized in early childhood, and the issue carries on well
into adulthood. Students that struggle with reading may struggle more as time
goes on if they do not get sufficient help (A case study of principals' knowledge of early childhood
literacy, LeBlanc. 2). The adult in question might feel
like they did well enough without strong literacy skills and found ways to
compensate. Not all cases lead to a poverty stricken adult with no prospect of
independence. Some adults can find ways to compensate for low literacy skills
by strengthening other talents. Cases like that are very rare. Is it worth the
risk of ignoring such disabilities? On the other hand, some adults who have
struggled with reading since childhood might feel of little worth. Such
feelings of inadequacy usually stem from feelings of inadequacy in childhood.
It is best to recognize a literacy issue and work to over come it.
For
an adult who recognizes an issue within them, what can be done? While literacy is best learned as a child, it
is not too late to begin as an adult. Starting from the beginning and learning
basic phonic skills can help anyone at any age develop better literacy. Just
because something is learned late, doesn’t mean it can’t be learned at all.
Conclusion
Reading
is best learned at a young age, and is a contributing factor for academic
success in secondary and post-secondary school. Early childhood education needs
to focus on developing literacy skill. A child will be able to master more
academic skills when literacy isn’t an issue. Educators need to make sure that
class time is focused on developing reading skills. Parents or caregivers should
make the time to read with their children, so that children can develop strong
literary skills. Communities need to ensure that public libraries are
accessible so that all children have access to great books. By making literacy
a priority in education, children will grow up enriched and enlightened with the
hope of a brighter future.
Works Cited
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Implications for Canadian Social
Policy." Canadian Journal of Education 25.2
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Nowak,
Sarah N., and Mary Ann Evans. "Parents' Goals for and Perceptions of
Alphabet
Books."Reading and Writing 26.8 (2013):
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David, et al. "Evaluation of a Multi-Site Transition to Adulthood Program
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