Long before young children learn to read, they are hearing lots of words in everyday conversations and through read alouds. Building up a child’s “word bank” from a very young age is great preparation for reading fluency and comprehension later on.
Building a large “word bank” is one of the best ways to help children with reading comprehension. Young readers use knowledge about words to help them make sense of what they’re reading. The more words a reader knows, the more they are able to comprehend what they’re reading or listening to.
Children with vocabulary weaknesses are especially vulnerable to difficulties with reading comprehension from the middle elementary grades onward. Vocabulary weaknesses may affect school achievement in many areas beyond reading, including written expression, mathematics, and performance in content subjects such as social studies and science.
Reading aloud is a common practice in primary classrooms and is viewed as an important vehicle for vocabulary development. Read alouds are complex instructional interactions in which teachers choose texts, identify words for instruction, and select the appropriate strategies to facilitate word learning. This study explored the complexities by examining the read aloud practices of four primary teachers through observations and interviews.
Knowing vocabulary words is key to reading comprehension. The more words a child knows, the better he or she will understand the text. Using a variety of effective teaching methods will increase the student’s ability to learn new words.
The scientific research on vocabulary instruction reveals that 1) most vocabulary is learned indirectly, and 2) some vocabulary must be taught directly.
How can volunteers help build children’s literacy in their communities? Rotary International and IRA developed these questionnaires and teachers’ wish list to help you determine the right literacy project for your community.
Through VolunteerMatch, you can enter your zip code, city, state, keywords describing the opportunity you’re looking for, skills you have (or would like to develop) and be matched with organizations needing help. VolunteerMatch is also a great place to look for summer service opportunities for kids.
Vroom is a set of tools and resources designed to inspire families to turn everyday moments into “brain building moments” by layering activities that are essential to healthy brain development onto existing routines. Parents can add learning to mealtime, bathtime, bedtime, or anytime with 1,000+ fun, free activities.
A look at three pivotal longitudinal studies that clearly show: Late bloomers are rare; skill deficits are almost always what prevent children from blooming as readers.
