#readingfluency Archives - Reading Therapy & Literacy Support

Is it ever too late to step in and help them learn to read?

Imagine how a 13 to 18 year old child feels at school if they are still unable to read fluently? Put yourself in their shoes and try to imagine how it must feel to have to go on with your academic schooling even though you do not have adequate knowledge and skills in place to cope? The one most important skill, reading, is one of your biggest daily challenges. You duck and dive to avoid doing it.

The minute the teacher starts calling on students to read aloud in class your anxiety skyrocket. You start to sweat. Your eyes water as your heart rate increases. You are so focused on your fear that you cannot listen to the lesson. You can only think about what would happen if the teacher calls your name. It is fear-inducing. It is distracting. It is debilitating. Each year gets harder and harder for you.

This person may feel…

humiliated
embarrassed
inadequate
stupid
frustrated
overwhelmed
shy
anxious
burdened
hopeless
resigned
excluded

These types of emotions are a burden. These are all very negative emotions and when felt continuously, on a daily basis for a prolonged period of time, they could have a damaging effect on a child’s sense of self-worth, their confidence levels, their dreams for the future as well as their sense of social standing. More importantly, it also makes it more difficult for a child to stay the course and remain in school until their final year.

It is never too late to learn to read

By the time a child reaches high school, it seems that everyone, including themselves, has given up on them ever being able to improve their reading skills or to catch up with their peers. They often get unfairly labeled as someone who can’t be helped. The beliefs behind giving up are …

it’s too late to learn to read in high school
he/she is slow / stupid / not the brightest
if he/she was capable of reading they would have learned to read already
if everyone else managed to learn to read why couldn’t they do the same
primary school is when you learn to read, not high school
there isn’t time to focus on developing reading skills now

In contrast to these beliefs, I believe that it is never too late to learn to read. I have taught several adults and teens to read or improve their reading and it has completely transformed their lives. Their image of themselves and their sense of place in this world transformed too. In the same way, improved reading fluency can change the trajectory of a child’s life.

Ensuring that a child is literate and fluent in reading is worth every moment of time spent teaching them and every cent spent in getting them there. It is an invaluable gift that can never be taken away from them. It opens doors, creates choice and possibility and completely changes the learner’s perspective.

How to help a teenager that cannot yet read at grade level?

Be sensitive to their self-consciousness around reading.
Be honest with them about what their inability to read means for their future.
Brainstorm ideas with them about how increased reading fluency can make life easier for them and open doors in the future.
Connect reading with their dreams, passions and interests to motivate them.
Find examples for them of role models who have dyslexia and have managed to overcome it (Baigelman, L.)
Stress the fact that, as their parent, you believe that with the right help they will be able to improve their reading fluency.
Knowing that someone sees potential in you is very powerful and motivating.
Hire a reading specialist/reading therapist whose work is based on the science of learning to read and who will focus on building their self-confidence.
Ensure that the lessons are one-to-one and not as part of a group.
Read aloud to your teen and ensure that this time is bonding time, relaxing and fun. There is evidence that reading aloud to teens has many benefits.
Never criticize their reading. This way they’ll know that you’re on their side.
Never give up on them – everyone can learn to read.

The Science of Reading

2 July 202020 May 2021 Lianne Bantjes

References to ‘The Science of Reading’ are popping up all over the place. Globally there is a push to have the science behind learning to read brought into teacher training, classroom practices and professional development. This is because on an international scale we seem to be failing children in developing their literacy skills at a time when it has become more important than ever. READ MORE about how literacy is defined today and why it is even more essential than before by clicking HERE.

Reading fluency and strong literacy skills are developed in a child when there is cooperation between the school and home environment. For things to be optimal, both places have to play their part. Being able to read does not happen as a result of 30 minutes of phonics instruction per day. It takes much more than that – it takes exposure to books, storytelling and people reading in a child’s everyday environment as well as the opportunity to practice and access to reading material.

If a family shows an interest in books and reading then their children get the message that reading is important and not solely a school-based activity with little practical application in the real world. This message is very powerful to a young learner who may be struggling to learn to read.

The Science of Reading involves not just regular phonics instruction but instruction in all the types of knowledge that forms the foundation of skilled reading. It also advocates for exposure to language and text in a multitude of ways, both at home and at school.

Written language is a code

It is generally accepted that written language is a code for the sounds that we make when speaking a language. Letters, or letter combinations, represent our spoken sounds – they are pictures or symbols that represent these sounds. Mastering this code allows learners to read words. Reading words, however, is not enough as the reason for reading is to seek meaning. Therefore, the process of reading to learn goes beyond this. The Science of Reading stresses five keys to learning to read effectively.

The Five Keys to Reading

Phonemic awareness
- It is the ability to hear, identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.
Phonics
- Phonics is knowledge of the relationship between sounds and letters.
- Phonics instruction requires a good foundation in phonemic awareness.
- Phonics instruction, without sufficient phonemic awareness in place, results in slow progress, frustration and ultimately a disinterest in reading because it becomes too difficult.
Fluency
- If children cannot decode what they see on the page, they cannot become fluent readers.
- Fluency is when they move beyond decoding and are able to recognize words automatically, accurately and quickly.
- When recognition and understanding connect it results in fluency.
Vocabulary
- Children need to gain meaning from the words they read otherwise it is pointless.
- Reading vocabulary refers to the words that can be read AND understood.
Comprehension
- This refers to reading comprehension
- Reading comprehension is the sum of a child’s decoding ability, their vocabulary knowledge as well as their language comprehension.

There are two essential components of reading instruction:

Instruction must be explicit
- Clear and straightforward instruction is necessary when exposing learners to the code.
- Direct modeling of skills making use of ‘I do’, ‘We do’, ‘You do’ practice to move towards mastery.
Instruction must be systematic and sequential
- The presentation of sounds must be in a logical order.
- Easier skills must be mastered before moving on to more difficult ones.
- New learning must build on prior learning.

Working memory

While learning phonics children make use of their working memory. This is a higher order skill and forms part of our executive function. Phonological memory is essential for learning phonics and decoding skills. Children need to be encouraged to expand the use of their working memory.

Auditory processing

Children who cannot distinguish small changes in sounds tend to struggle with phonics instruction. When teaching reading it is often assumed that auditory processing skills are fully developed. However, this is not true for all children, especially those that are learning English as a second or third language. This often means that they have not yet had enough exposure to the English language and therefore their brains are not wired to process these sounds. In mixed classrooms, it would be wise to build in compensatory activities giving additional exposure based on the use of numerous information processing techniques.

Two sides of the same coin

When reading you decode and when writing you encode. They are two sides of the same coin using the same code. Improvement in one of these two skills usually has a positive effect on the other.

Links & references

How the Brain Learns to Read by Sousa, D.A
https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Learns-Read-David-Sousa/dp/1483333949#:~:text=A%20modern%20classic%2C%20updated%20for,the%20Brain%20Learns%20to%20Read.

The Science of Reading Research by G. Reid Lyon and Vinita Chhabra
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar04/vol61/num06/The-Science-of-Reading-Research.aspx

Lyon, G. R. (2002). Reading development, reading difficulties, and reading instruction: Educational and public health issues. Journal of School Psychology, 40, 3–6.

Moats, L. C. (1995). The missing foundation in teacher preparation. American Educator, 19(9), 43–51.

Moats, L. C. (1999). Teaching reading is rocket science. Washington, DC: American Federation of Teachers.

Shaywitz, S. E. (2003). Overcoming dyslexia. New York: Knopf.

Why we should all be reading aloud to children – all children | Rebecca Bellingham | TEDxYouth@BeaconStreet

4 August 201920 May 2021 Lianne Bantjes

Rebecca Bellingham, dressed in a blue dress, addresses her audience.

In her TED Talk, Rebecca Bellingham tells us, “As a teacher and a mom, I cannot think of many things that matter as much as reading aloud to our kids, at home and at school.” I completely agree with her. Being read aloud to stimulates the brain, triggers the imagination, transports you to another world, broadens your horizons with experiences that you may never personally have, triggers your emotions, allows you to put yourself in another person’s shoes and escape your own life, if only briefly. It is magic!

Rebecca passionately states, “Reading aloud gives kids a special kind of access to the transformative power of a story and the experience of what real reading is all about, which is to deeply understand, to think, to learn and discuss big ideas about the world, about the lives of others and about ourselves.” If you are reading aloud to your child daily, as you should be, these BIG conversations occur naturally. They are so important to the process of growing up.

What struck me most in this talk is that she puts forward the idea that reading aloud to groups of children makes it possible for some children to “get inside a book” in a way that they’ve never done before. For some children, this is their only opportunity to “get inside a book” and to see that movie inside their head. If no one is reading to them at home, this is it.

“Getting inside a book” is one of those very important stepping stones to reading. Children eventually want to control when and how they have this experience for themselves and therefore are motivated to pick up a book they may be dying to read because their friends are talking about it.

Reading aloud could be a catalyst to life-long reading and high literacy levels. The power of reading aloud to children cannot be underestimated.

Links

Why we should all be reading aloud to children | Rebecca Bellingham | TEDxYouth@BeaconStreet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBuT2wdYtpM

What are the PROS and CONS of reading to your child daily?

15 March 201920 May 2021 Lianne Bantjes

A Grandmother reads to her two grandchildren.

I covered “Why you CAN’T skip reading to your child for 20 minutes per day” in a previous post. Today I want to focus on the pros and cons of reading to your child daily.

The PROS of reading to your child daily are that it...

fosters parent-child bonding
will help him/her to associate reading with emotional comfort and enjoyment
prepares him/her for sleep if part of a bedtime routine
improves motor skills when opening the book, turning pages and gripping with thumb and forefinger
boosts brain development
helps him/her to master language
builds vocabulary and understanding
develops sound recognition
acts as a stepping stone for conversation
develops the skill of logic when reading a story repeatedly
teaches him/her about prediction
develops the imagination
develops and improves attention span and concentration
is the start of understanding sequences, which is important for math, science and writing
encourages a love of reading which is invaluable
promotes discussion (which can contribute to dinner time conversation)
promotes the development of healthy habits
is relaxing and soothing and is good for stress reduction
improves emotional and social development
will become an activity that YOU can’t do without
promotes cuddling, snuggling and sharing

This list is not exhaustive.

The CONS of reading to your child daily are that…

you have to find time in your already busy schedule
you have to be disciplined no matter how you feel on the day
you have to manage your feelings of boredom due to monotony
you have to get your child to bed before they are too tired for story time

It’s a no brainer. Are you convinced yet?

Join a public library in South Africa today.

22 February 201920 May 2021 Lianne Bantjes

Bookshelves filled with books with the word READ written in front.

Join a public library- it’s easy.

What you will need to join a public library

ID documents
Proof of residence
A legal guardian must accompany a child who wants to join
Children will need to show their birth certificates

If you have all the correct documents

A library card will be issued to you.
In some provinces you have to wait for 5 days after application before you can collect your library card.
For those wishing to take four or less books at any one time, membership is FREE.
For those wanting to take more than four books, it will cost +/- R30 per year for membership.
The librarian will explain the rules to you.

Libraries improve community literacy levels

Libraries are community hubs that allow for leisure & education, giving community members access to books, magazines and in some cases audio-visual materials. In communities where residents are unable to afford books, the local library can play a very important role in developing and improving literacy levels within the community. Libraries are an invaluable resource and they are often under-utilised.

When you join a public library you will discover that many libraries run reading and storytelling sessions on a weekly basis as well as during during the holidays. Find out where your local library is and what activities they offer.

I’d like to tell you a bit about some of the wonderful libraries I have experienced.

Sandton Public Library

I personally love the Sandton Library, located on Nelson Mandela Square. It is a beautifully lit, multi-storey space with lots of interesting nooks and crannies. A variety of seating and tables to work at throughout the building, make it the perfect place to spend some down time or do some research.

There is a separate section for children. Pre-school children have their own enclosed room with a conveniently located bathroom right there.

The staff are wonderfully friendly and helpful. As libraries go it is well worth a visit. They do run special events for children during the holidays, which they advertise on their entrance boards.

Emmarentia Public Library

The Emmarentia Library on Barry Hertzog Avenue is a small, almost quaint space with convenient parking. I love this library. It is frequented by many children living in the area.

The librarians are friendly and are very keen to get community involvement going. Speak to them for further information or if you have fantastic ideas to share.

Check opening times here.

Johannesburg Main Library

Johannesburgs public library – known as the Johannesburg Main Library – is based in the city centre, in Market Street. It has over 1.5-million books in its collection and has a reported membership of over 250 000. It was first opened in 1935. Due to planned extensive upgrades it closed in 2009 for three years, and was opened again in 2012.

When visiting you will see a beautiful, Italianate structure sitting across the road from the ANC’s Luthuli House. There is a coffee shop located on the premises. The toilets, lifts, electrics and air-conditioning were upgraded in 2009. The new library contains three floors. Of the three floors, the first two floors are a literacy and numeracy centre. There are desks to work at and free internet access is available.

Check opening times here.

Port Elizabeth City Library

This library is one of my all time favourites. I spent much time here as a student and later as an adult, mainly because I loved the building so much. Each time I return to Port Elizabeth I make a point of popping in.

Unfortunately, for now, it is being renovated, and renovations should be completed in 2021. It is the only historic building built as a public library that is still operating as a public library today.

Currently closed for renovations.

Develop a culture of reading in your home.

20 February 201920 May 2021 Lianne Bantjes

Dad reads a story to a baby to improve literacy.

Experienced teachers share things parents should do to set their kids up for success – Part 3 of 10

Developing a culture of reading in your home is one of the greatest gifts that you can give your children. If a child develops a love of reading, everything from that point onwards, in terms of their education, is that much easier. Experienced teachers will tell you that those children who read daily, and who read for leisure, are usually academically stronger than their peers.

No book and no reading taking place!

As teachers, it is often reported to us by children that there are no books in their homes – none owned and none on loan from a library. In addition, they also report that no one in their family reads, and more importantly, that no one reads to them. It breaks my heart to hear this. Read! Read anything and everything you can lay your hands on and let your children see you do it. Even if you struggle to read – let them witness it – they will respect you more in the long run. By watching you face up to the challenge they will know that reading is something worth struggling over.

Foundations for a love of reading

The foundations for a love of reading and reading fluency are set when a significant adult regularly reads, or tells stories, to a very young child. This is why, in so many families, it is called a bedtime story as it forms part of a nightly routine for approximately 365 days of the year. See my article on ‘Why you CAN’T skip reading to your child for 20 minutes per day‘ click here.

If you have not been doing regular bedtime stories, do not fear, as research tells us that it is never too late to start. If you do not have a book in your home right now, start making up stories as part of your nightly routine.

I know of families who write and illustrate their own stories on paper, folding them into books. The whole family gets involved and the stories grow and evolve through the laughter, imagination, knowledge and creativity that is brought to the table after dinner or on a Sunday afternoon. They treasure these family creations along with the few books they have, re-reading them every so often.

Another activity which has proven to work well for generating stories is this game:

Each family member gets a scrap piece of paper to write on.
Each person writes down 10 words.
Of these 10 words at least one word must be a name, one a place, one an animal and 3 words can be objects. The rest can be random words.
I always try to introduce one made up word for a bit of fun e.g. Oligonk.
When the lists are complete, put them in a hat and take a draw.
You have 20 minutes to write a story based on the 10 words provided.
These stories can then be read aloud, passed on or read silently and provide a variety of reading material.
Young children can work together with a parent. Older children can work independently.
For a fun additional activity, each person can illustrate the main character of their story e.g. What do you think an Oligonk looks like?

Read by example

If South Africa is going to improve its literacy levels, as it needs to, we have to start introducing regular reading into our homes as a matter of urgency. With a family culture of reading, children will start to read by example. They won’t feel that reading is only a school activity or a homework chore. I believe that reading is supposed to be fun, exiting, comforting and stress free. It should be one of a child’s favourite activities. Think of stories around a campfire in the old days.

In order to feel motivated to read for themselves, children should see adults reading around them on a daily basis. Things such as…

newspapers
magazines
non-fiction books
fiction books
recipes
pamphlets
newsletters
documents

A child who sees the adults around him / her reading will know that reading is important and that literacy is important. A child that never sees people reading will believe that reading is only a school activity and is only for children. Unfortunately, if none of the adults in your family are book worms, you’ll just have to fake it. The school curriculum of today does not allow as much time for reading in the classroom as my generation had growing up. Therefore, if you want your children to be literate and fluent in reading, you had better start playing your part.

South Africans spend twice as much on chocolate each year than they do on books.

Before you mention that books are unaffordable in South Africa, as a reason for why we lack a culture of reading, consider this: South Africans apparently spend twice as much money on chocolate each year than they do on books (see Further reading – Literacy: Once upon a time, parents taught their children to read). Based on this alone, I think we as South Africans can afford to start a culture of reading. Buy books, instead of sweets, and save money by not paying the dentist.

Libraries are an underutilised resource in South Africa

There is a library of some variety in every community in our country, which is practically free. I’ve looked up libraries across Johannesburg on Google Maps for my students, in an attempt to prove to them that there is a library on their doorstep.

As a child I visited the library every week, along with my mother and my two sisters. It was just something that we did and we never questioned it. The expectation that we would read was no different to the expectation that we’d would brush our teeth, take a bath or do our homework. My mother spent hours reading to us, until we could do so for ourselves. It paid off as we are all avid readers today. Our family culture of reading is stronger than ever. My retired parents read for a minimum of 6 hours a day on average, sometimes more.

Advantages of reading

Reading and a family culture of reading leads to…

a wider vocabulary
greater exposure to good grammar, spelling and punctuation
improved visual memory
improved writing skills
development of the imagination
improved analytical thinking
reduced stress
improved verbal skills
greater general knowledge
being able to educate yourself on any topic

What’s not to love about reading?

Advice:

No matter your own level of literacy, find things to read and read them in front of your children. Be the example!
Read with your children whenever you can.
Even if your own reading fluency isn’t perfect, never be shy to try reading to younger learners. You can use pictures and voice animation to tell the story. They’ll love every minute.
Reading pictures is part of the pre-reading strategies that need to be encouraged in young children.
When children see adults trying to do something that they are not good at or find difficult, they start to believe that it must be important and that they should also try. There is never any shame in trying and this is a life lesson that children should learn.
Ask older children in your family to read stories to the younger children or even to the whole family. It is good practice for them and they can play a part in developing your family’s culture of reading.
Join your local library and visit regularly, along with your children.
Teach your children how to take care of books. Have a special place in your home where library books are safely kept.
Collect free magazines from stands outside the shops and scatter them around your home.
Bring home the newspaper if possible.
Create a print rich environment.
Ask friends, family and work colleagues to collect old magazines for you.
If there is someone in your family who is unable to read, ask them if they would be willing to make up stories for the children – it will help to spark their imaginations and will go a long way is helping you to develop a culture of reading and storytelling in your home. Old people are usually very good at this and as such they are a great resources.

Tag: #readingfluency

The plight of older children who can’t (yet) read fluently.

Is it ever too late to step in and help them learn to read?

It is never too late to learn to read

How to help a teenager that cannot yet read at grade level?

Further reading

The Science of Reading

Written language is a code

The Five Keys to Reading

There are two essential components of reading instruction:

Working memory

Auditory processing

Two sides of the same coin

Links & references

Further reading

Why we should all be reading aloud to children – all children | Rebecca Bellingham | TEDxYouth@BeaconStreet

Links

Further reading

What are the PROS and CONS of reading to your child daily?

It’s a no brainer. Are you convinced yet?

Further reading:

Join a public library in South Africa today.

Join a public library- it’s easy.

Libraries improve community literacy levels

Sandton Public Library

Emmarentia Public Library

Johannesburg Main Library

Port Elizabeth City Library

Further reading

Develop a culture of reading in your home.

Experienced teachers share things parents should do to set their kids up for success – Part 3 of 10

No book and no reading taking place!

Foundations for a love of reading

Read by example

South Africans spend twice as much on chocolate each year than they do on books.

Libraries are an underutilised resource in South Africa

Advantages of reading

Advice:

Further reading: