Latest / 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids. / Helping Your Child with Reading Skills

Transcript

Helping Your Child with Reading Skills · 5–Minute Parenting: Tips to Help You Raise Competent, Godly Kids.

• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to today's podcast, Helping Your Child with Reading Skills.
• 0:36
  SPEAKER_00: In today's podcast, I'm putting on my teacher hat to share some info about reading skills.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm sure every parent is concerned about the reported losses and academic gains due to COVID, but there are some things you can do to help your child improve his or her reading skills.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: I was a special education teacher for many years and I have a master's degree in special education.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: I worked with children with learning disabilities and or ADHD.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: I work mainly with younger children, although I also taught high school English for a year and a self-contained middle grade class for a couple of years.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: My suggestions today will be geared more for early childhood and elementary age students.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: I will also be sharing some statistics and studies about reading skills.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_00: So let's get started.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_00: According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, if a child is a poor reader at the end of first grade, there's a 90% likelihood that without some sort of additional help, they will remain a poor reader when they reach the end of fourth grade.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: And according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 32% of fourth graders aren't reading at a basic level.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: COVID shutdowns have not helped these statistics, although we still don't know the long-term effects academically on our children.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Today I want to share two ideas that have been shown to help children improve reading skills.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: Strategy number one.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Reading aloud to your child is a proven way to promote cognitive development.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: Young children who have had lots of stories read to them enter kindergarten as much as 14 months ahead in language and pre-reading skills.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: While listening to stories, children pick up grammar, syntax, and general knowledge.
• 2:42
  SPEAKER_00: They also take in more sophisticated vocabulary.
• 2:46
  SPEAKER_00: There have even been studies to show that when teachers read novels to 12 to 13 year olds in class, their comprehension improves as well as their engagement and motivation.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_00: So snuggle up before bed and read, read, read to your children.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_00: They will definitely benefit from it throughout their educational years.
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: Strategy number two, reading out loud to a dog.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: This strategy is geared for elementary age students who are having reading difficulties.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: Research has shown that reading out loud to another person can improve overall reading performance in poor readers, but reading out loud to a dog improves reading comprehension even more.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: This strategy is particularly helpful because poor readers become painfully aware of people around them watching and judging them when they stumble over words, mispronounce words, or stop and start frequently.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: The real casualty here is that their self-esteem suffers, and so does their motivation to read.
• 3:55
  SPEAKER_00: This is where your family dog comes in.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't have a dog, perhaps you can borrow your neighbor's dog.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: So how does this work?
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, your child chooses a book at their current level of reading competency.
• 4:09
  SPEAKER_00: Your child's teacher should be able to tell you what that is if you're not sure.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: Also, librarians can directly direct you to different level reading books.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: Number two, he or she sits and reads to the dog out loud.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: The dog provides a non-judgmental and socially supportive presence, which improves your child's self-esteem and motivation to read.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, while your child is reading to the dog, you or another doll sits next to them and offers help if they need prompting or support with unfamiliar words.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: You can also offer encouragement as they read.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: These reading sessions don't have to be long sessions.
• 4:55
  SPEAKER_00: Even 15 minutes a week over an eight-week period has shown positive results.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_00: This study, which is listed in the notes for this podcast, showed that while reading improved by both reading aloud to an adult and a dog, the canine assisted reading contributed to greater gains in both oral reading and reading comprehension scores.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: So grab your four legged family member and cozy up for a reading session.