According to research, there are six pre-reading skills that children must learn in order to learn to read.  Research shows that children get ready to read years before they start school.

Parents and caregivers can help babies and toddlers learn these important skills now so they can become good readers.

You can help by becoming familiar with these six pre-reading skills and communicating them to parents and caregivers that attend your storytimes.

Print Motivation

is being interested in and enjoying books

To help develop this skill...

  • Begin reading books early--even when your child is a newborn
  • Make book sharing time a special time--just you and your baby or toddler
  • Let your baby or toddler see you reading
  • Visit your public library often

It's important because...

Children who enjoy being read to will want to learn how to read

Vocabulary

is knowing the names of things

To help develop this skill...

  • Talk with baby or toddler about what is going on around you
  • When baby babbles or child talks, listen carefully and answer
  • Ask baby or toddler lots of questions; even if she does not have the words to answer, she learns that questions are invitations for her to respond.
  • Speak clearly.  Use short sentences.  Repeat yourself when child shows interest.

  • Speak in your native language.
  • Read together every day.  Books have pictures of things you may not see often.  Name the pictures as you point to them--this helps children learn new words.

It's important because...

Research shows that children who have larger vocabularies are better readers.  Knowing many words helps children recognize written words and understand what they read.

FACT: By the time children are two years old, they can understand 300 to 500 words!

Print Awareness

Noticing print, knowing how to handle a book and knowing how to follow the words on the page

To help develop this skill...

  • Use board books or cloth books and have your child read or hold the book
  • If there are only a few words on the page, point to each word as you say it
  • Read alout every day--point out that print is everywhere, on labels, signs, even their clothing

 

It's important because...

Being familiar with printed language helps children feel comfortable with books and understand that print is useful.

Letter Knowledge

Knowing letters are different from each other, knowing their names and sounds and recognizing letters everywhere.

To help develop this skill...

  • Help your baby and toddler see and feel different shapes as you play (Say, "The ball is round.")
  • Read alphabet books
  • Point out letters on toys, food boxes and other objects around the house
  • Talk with your toddler about what is the same and what is different between two things

It's important because...

Knowing the names and sounds of letters helps children figure out how to say written words

Phonological Awareness

is being able to hear and play with the smaller sounds in words

To help develop this skill...

  • Say nursery rhymes and make up your own silly, nonsense rhymes
  • Sing songs.  Songs have different notes for each syllable in a word, so children can hear the different sounds in words
  • Play word games such as, "What sounds like 'ran'?" or "What starts with the same sound as 'ball'?"
  • Say rhymes and sing songs in the language that is most comfortable for you

It's important because...

Being able to hear the sounds that make up words helps children sound out words as they begin to read

Narrative Skills

Being able to describe things and events and tell stories.

To help develop this skill...

  • Listen to your child carefully when he talks
  • Ask your child to tell you about something that happened.  Let him tell you about a picture he drew
  • Share books together
  • Stories help children understand that things happen in order--first, next, last
  • Read a book together that your child already knows.  Switch what you do.  You be the listener and let your child tell you the story
  • Ask "what" questions.  Point to a picture and say "What's that?" or "What's happening here?"
  • Add to waht your child says.  If your child says "big truck" then you say, "Yes, a big red fire truck."
  • Ask open-ended questions like, "What do you think is happening in this picture?"
  • Help your child relate to waht is happening in the story to her own experience, for example, "What happened when we went on a picnic?"

It's important because...

Being able to tell or retell a story helps children understand what they read.

Time for your second assignment. 

Attend and observe a story program at your local library (any program for children who have not yet begun kindergarten is acceptable).  You will observe the program and interview the presenter about the preparation process.  Write up a summary of the program, including the early literacy standards met by the program, the programmer's rationale behind doing the program and the audience's reaction.  Include your opinion of the program and any changes you would suggest. 

Upload your summary (1-2 pages) to our class wiki found here.  Make one high quality response to a classmate.  Your assignment should include each of these aspects to total 15 points.

  • Observed appropriate story time (1 pt)
  • Paper is well-written, follows correct format, grammar, spelling, etc. (1 pt)
  • Interview includes preparation process information (1 pt)
  • Interview includes presenter's rationale (1 pt)
  • Paper includes early literacy standards above that are met (or not met) by the program (1 pt)
  • Paper includes audience reaction (1 pt)
  • Paper includes thoughtful opinion of the program  (2 pts)
  • Paper includes any suggested changes (or a reason why no changes are necessary) (1 pt)
  • Paper was successfully uploaded to class wiki (1 pt)
  • Student responded to a classmate (5 pts)

After you've observed your Storytime, we'll continue on to Storytime Basics.

From: Every Child Ready to Read @ Your Library Parent Guide to Early Literacy, Copyright 2004 - PLA/ALSC divisions of the ALA

Photos by Yvette Couser

Story Observation Assignment from IUPUI SLIS L595: Workshop in Youth Services Librarianship, Topic: Understanding and Promoting Early Literacy, Fall 2006 Syllabus.  Instructors Natalie Arthur, MLS and Michele Farley, MLS, Johnson County Public Library, Indiana.