Reading Programs for Children

Reading Programs for Children
Reading Programs for Children

Reading programs for children: Comprehension
Reading programs for children should focus on the child’s ability to better comprehend the text. Comprehension is the ability to understand the meaning of text. A reader with good comprehension is able to identify with characters and create mental pictures of a story while reading. He or she can follow the sequence of action or thought, distinguish main events from details, and predict the outcome of events. A reader with strong comprehension is able to become completely engaged in reading and draw personal meaning from the story. This experience of absorption in a book is formative for a child and has a lasting impact. They are able to understand what they read, remember what they read and communicate to others what they read.

Reading Programs for Children: Listening comprehension
Reading programs for children also include decoding skills such as listening comprehension. This refers to a child’s understanding of stories and other texts that are read aloud to them (National Institute for Literacy). Well before they are able to read independently, children are able to develop strong comprehension by listening to stories read aloud. As they listen to and discuss books, they gain experience identifying with characters, following story development and predicting outcomes. They become familiar with story structures and build their vocabulary. This listening comprehension translates directly into reading comprehension as children’s reading skills develop. Listening comprehension is one of the most ignored areas of the language arts. It involves the simultaneous collaboration of skills in phonology, syntax, semantics, and knowledge of text structure. Listening comprehension is controlled by the same set of cognitive processes as reading comprehension.

Reading Programs for Children: Phonics
Reading programs for children also involve intensive phonics instruction. This generally begins in first grade, building on the beginning phonics instruction in isolated letters and letter sounds children should have received in kindergarten. Children learn how to blend sounds into words and gain command of letters and words. By the second grade, students face more challenging reading, with longer sentences, fewer pictures, and smaller print. They also encounter longer, more complex words in the books they read and gain greater fluency with advanced skills. Children continue to master these skills as they get older, controlling vowels and silent letters, as well as other more complex phonic patterns. If your child is struggling in any or all of these areas, contact a training center near you or go online to www.learningrx.com.

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