Early Family Literacy

After doing the readings for the week, it seems that the overall message is that the earliest literacy experiences (or lack thereof) are very important to an individual's life of literacy development. Cunningham and Allington (2010)  highlight that "Through early reading and writing experiences, children learn why we read and write." Even before a child learns to read and write conventionally, they are picking up ideas and beliefs about the worthiness and usefulness of learning literacy skills. They are also informally acquiring foundational literacy skills before they even begin school. This is very important for teachers to remember, especially teachers such as myself, of young children. Teaching and supporting the beginnings of formal literacy development can have lasting impressions on children long after they leave your classroom. For this reason, it is important to also share this vital information with the family members and caregivers of the children in your classroom. It will take assistance of many people in children's lives to help them develop healthy, advantageous relationships with literacy as a whole. Reading, writing, listening, and speaking in an efficient and beneficial way takes support from not only teachers, but family, friends and community as well. I have even seen the difference play out in my own extended family. My siblings and I received a lot of support from an early age with reading and writing which lead to our more successful literacy learning than some of our relatives who received much less support from their family and community. This difference can be seen in many different types of classrooms, which is valuable for all teachers to keep in mind. One question to consider is how do your early literacy experiences compare to those in the readings? Also, for those who have observed or worked with young children, how do you think foundational literacy skills are being supported in the classroom?             

Welcome!

Welcome to my Reading Education Blog! I will be using this blog to reflect on material I learn in Reading Ed 430 as it may (or may not) apply to teaching emergent readers and beginning readers. Hope you enjoy and find this helpful in some way!