Nearly all children begin first grade with a great desire to learn to read. They come to school (or to their screens) eagerly anticipating the promise and self-realization that “they will learn to read”.
I have often repeated Marilyn Jager Adams’ story, which I must have heard well over twenty years ago, whenever I had the opportunity to converse with teachers and/or parents professionally or even in passing. Adams, a well known researcher in the areas of applied cognition and education, is the author of the seminal Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About Print (1990). She is also wise.
Here is the scene: Dr. Adams could lean against the door jamb of any first grade classroom and be able to tell in just a few minutes which children would become successful readers and which ones, alas, would not…
WHAT DOES THIS STORY MEAN TO ME?
I believe Dr. Adams is right on target here, as I, too, have leaned on the door jambs, been inside the classrooms, and now view students on Google Classroom of more first grade classes than I can count. The students for whom the road to reading is smooth share the following traits:
1-The students are engaged. They are looking either at the teacher, the board, the words, what they are writing, they are sitting up, and they are on-task.
2-The students are speaking. They are answering questions. There is a good deal of ‘give and take’ in terms of conversation between the teacher and the students and between the students themselves. They are chorally reading (reading in unison), and echo reading (repeating a teacher and/or student model). They are practicing sound work orally, and also in conjunction with printed letters, even at the level of single sounds. Emerging readers need the oral motor practice of making the sounds in our language.
3-The students are able to name the letters of the alphabet. The students are able to become competent in their ability to learn and apply sound/symbol relationships when reading and spelling. They are able to blend individual sounds into words (/k/…/a/…./t/ = ‘cat’) and segment words into individual sounds (‘cat’ = /k/../a/…/t/). Students are able to write the letters of the alphabet using correct pencil grip and letter formations. Students are able to demonstrate the ability to learn new vocabulary, read with increasing fluency, and most importantly, understand what is read to them–and what they read.
4-For those students who, for various reasons, are finding learning to read a bumpy road, intervention needs to happen promptly since it is well known that early intervention is far more emotionally and economically effective than waiting until remediation is necessary at older ages. As Sally Shaywitz states, children who are unsuccessful in reading miss out on days, months, and even years of practice as compared to their successful peers.
In my opinion, this state of affairs of the many children on the bumpy road is especially disappointing since Adams’ book is now 30 years old and Shaywitz’s book was first published back in 2003. Look at the two pictures of first grade classrooms above taken decades apart. Have they changed all that much (except for virtual classrooms, that is…and of course, that is a lot different!)? When first graders achieve the promise of learning to read, we have the implementation of the methods prescribed by the Science of Reading likely to thank for many of these successes. I have hope that beginning in 2021, with current perspectives on the National Reading Panel, originally published 20 years ago, the increased knowledge base due to 20 plus additional years of reading research, and the opportunity for educational reflection due to the effects of the pandemic, that more of our nation’s children will become proficient readers. As the saying goes, “knowledge is power.” I hope we can use this increased knowledge and opportunity to reflect to allow for continued positive growth for our students and their teachers. This is particularly important for first grade.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU?
- Parents, be vigilant in terms of paying attention to what I’ve written above. Be sure to be in touch with your child’s teachers, especially if your child/children are moving along the bumpy road–don’t wait and trust your inner voice. Parents know their children best.
- Parents, think about the various skills outlined above on a regular basis. Try to assess your child’s strengths and weaknesses and communicate your thoughts with your child’s teacher.
- Even if all appears well, it’s a good idea to communicate with your child’s teacher–even just for validation.