Reading is undoubtedly the most crucial requirement for any literate person. Without knowing how to read something, can you imagine how you would have understood and studied anything at all? Would any of the breathtaking inventions and gadgets be possible? In order for educational propagation and advancement, proper and dedicated emphasis on reading practice is required. And these steps have to be introduced right from the school level, because it is the school which serves as the first stepping stone.
The First Step Towards Literacy
It is very important that small children, who are at the kindergarten level understand the importance of reading and that their guardians, be it the teachers or other family members, impart the same on them. The reading curriculum for kindergarten focuses primarily on introducing the 26 letters of the English language to the students, associating sounds with the letters and covers the basics of word and sentence formation. The curriculum should at no point of time overwhelm the child or lead to confusion.
Needing Special Attention
Not everyone is gifted the same way. Some require special attention and a lot more reading practice than what other groups of students may easily understand in a couple of days. The main point of concern is that the reading curriculum for struggling readers and the reading curriculum for special education has to be formulated in a different manner than the reading curriculum for the remaining students.
Usually such a curriculum is designed using an iterative approach which varies with the student. Struggling readers are given special lessons on how to recognize groups of alphabets, how to combine them using the phonemes (i.e. raising phonological awareness) and then formulate words and sentences efficiently and quickly. Such a reading curriculum for struggling readers requires continuous assessment and has to be adaptive so that it can be modified as per the individual’s requirement in contrast to the reading curriculum for elementary schools where a fixed syllabus is covered, with little or no modifications required.
The Parent’s Role
Make sure that it is not just the teacher involved. You as a parent or guardian must also sit down with the child, find a book which you both will enjoy and read together. Correct the mistakes, but in a supportive manner. Every child, no matter how gifted, requires continuous reading practice, and it is highly important considering the fact that if proper reading is ignored today, it will not vanish on its own. It will follow the child throughout the student life, and may lead to a lower self-esteem and discrimination among fellow students.
If your children needs reading help, then do not deny it, or be stern about it. Support them, help, read with them, and make sure to continuously motivate them. Yes, it can be a little irritating at times, but it is a highly important step in order to ensure a better life ahead. You are the parent and this falls under your leadership responsibilities.