Kindergarten: But My Child Can Already Read (3)

Parents, we’ve been talking about what to do if your child can read before he enters kindergarten (applies to first grade also). Here’s the final installment on this question.

The proverbial rubber meets the road. The first thing that needs to be said is that teachers have lots of children coming in with all levels of skills and abilities in reading and math. This is nothing new for kindergarten, or for first grade teachers, especially since the advent of academic preschools. So, it won’t be a surprise when your little wizard is presented at the schoolhouse door knowing how to read and/or add and subtract. Here are some questions a parent might ask. I’m not sure that asking these questions will endear you to the teacher or the school. But it will make the system aware that you are interested in your child’s education. It’s important to maintain good relations, so be thoughtful about how you pose the questions. You might want to think about how to rephrase them. Another piece of advice is to wait a couple of weeks so that the teacher can get to know your child a little, giving the teacher an opportunity to assess and get into the classroom routine. These are the things that I would want to know in order to make informed decisions:

(1)  How well is my child reading in relation to the rest of the class? I would want to know what skills my child has in phonics as well as what level my child is reading. Some schools require beginning of the year assessments. For example, one assessment that is commonly used for reading is the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA2). It is not the only assessment that is used. There are many others that can give very good information.  It’s  important to have this information because it will give you a  gauge for determining the amount of support that your child needs for success.

(2)  Ask what reading program is used in kindergarten (or first grade) and what it looks like. What does it teach?  If the teacher has developed the program, ask for specifics. Know what is expected at different points in the year. I might even want to know what is the expected outcome at the end of the school year.  

(3)  Ask how the next grade builds upon your child’s current grade? This is important because you want to know how well articulated the program is from one grade to the next and between grades (I can go on for hours about this point, but you don’t want me to. Come to think of it, this might not be a question that will help our child at this time. Maybe it's one you want to hang onto and think about for a later time. Then think about how to phrase it.) 

(4)  If your child is ahead of the rest of the children (or behind),  how is the teacher going to differentiate instruction. That means, how is the teacher going to plan for providing instruction that is appropriate for your child’s skills.

(5)  Ask the teacher how you can help at home.

Parents, please remember that the school and home is a partnership in teaching. It is not just up to the school or just up to you. Developing and maintaining relationships and not appearing adversarial is an important piece of cooperation.  There are many, many fine teachers out there with lots of years of experience. Go into this process with good intent,  open-mindedness, willingness to work together, and expecting the best. Hope this helps. 

Kindergarten: But My Child Can Already Read (2)

Is Knowing How to Read an Advantage or Disadvantage upon Entering Kindergarten?

David (one of my sweetest, smartest grandchildren the world has ever seen) visited us during his kindergarten year while his family settled into a new area. Well, there was no way that this ole teacher wasn’t taking advantage of one full month of teaching time (like manna from heaven). 

By the time he enrolled in his new school, he was reading way, way past typical kindergarten skills. The problem was that David did not fit the norm. He was clearly bored, well behaved, but bored. The teacher recognized his reading skills but did not address it with any type of differentiated instruction. Now, you would have thought that this little guy would have just languished, even perhaps regressing toward that mean - no, not David, not that bright inquisitive little soul. Three months later David read a passage to me that was far, far beyond what I had taught him. How did this happen? How did he miraculously bridge that heavy reliance upon the code characteristic of beginning reading to magically automatizing words and translating them into fluent connected text, that means real reading? And that’s what the transition looks like  - magic.

This is what I think happened. I, as a teacher, laid that foundation for phonological and phonemic awareness. I taught him letter/sound correspondence and how to sound out words and then apply that knowledge to larger units of sound, such as syllables. (Remember those posts about the importance of phonological awareness?) He then took that knowledge and applied them to unknown words. In effect, once he had the basics, there was NOTHING that could get in the way of him teaching himself how to read (There's a theory of reading acquisition called the Self-Teaching Hypothesis. So this explanation does not come out of thin air.) He went way, way beyond anything that I did or didn’t do. He is a fluent reader beginning first grade. Now, David is not necessarily typical of all kids. He really is very, very smart. Really! (Oh, no, did I really say that!). I think that David figured it out so fast because he understands phonology: phonological awareness. That’s why I think he could apply those principles. So, is there an advantage or not an advantage for children knowing how to read before entering kindergarten, or at least having some reading skills? I clearly think that there is an advantage. I think it helps this self-teaching process along. And again this depends upon the situation.

Ok, I’m through talking for now. I still need to address that last and third question, but I’d better get back to work before the powers that be insist upon me doing my job. And - woe upon David’s first grade teacher. This ought to be fun to watch. He starts next week. 

Kindergarten: But My Child Can Already Read

Ben starts Kindergarten Wednesday! I have done home "pre school" with him. He is reading pretty well and writing his letters and name and words. For me, I like the fact that he is ahead, so that school will be easy and enjoyable for him. But Dan has concerns that he will be too bored. What are your thoughts about teaching them to read before they start school?

That’s what I like. Let’s get parents and grandparents involved in these discussions. I think I see three questions here: (A) What are my thoughts about teaching children to read before starting school,  (B) Is my child at an advantage or disadvantage by knowing how to read before entering kindergarten, and (C) Now that my child can read, what should be considered as he starts kindergarten?  Let’s take the first one today.

I think a parent considering teaching his/her child to read should ask themselves a couple of questions. The first is: Am I aware of the component skills that need to be addressed? It is best to lay a solid foundation without skipping important pieces that makes for a successful reader. For example, one important component is the ability of the child to hear and manipulate individual sounds in words. Often parents do not know that this is a critical step. Now, when parents, or teachers for that matter, do teach children, not everything will be ideal. There are likely to be holes. That doesn’t mean that all is lost. It just means that the holes will need to be filled in and kindergarten can take care of that. So parents, if I've raised your anxiety levels and now you are worried, lighten up.

The second question a parent should think about is the following: Can I be both a parent and a teacher to my child? Sometimes the change in roles adds a different dynamic to the relationship, thus making the process of teaching of reading stressful on both the parent and the child.

So, I guess my answer to what do I think about teaching children to read before starting school is  - it depends. It truly depends upon the particular parent and child. Some parents can and will do a fine job of teaching their children and still maintain what is most important in their lives – their relationships. I say kudos to those parents. If you have any doubts, however, let the school do the job. If we extend the question further to ask whether a child is at an advantage or disadvantage by knowing how to read, at least somewhat, upon entering kindergarten, that is also important to think about. I will address that part tomorrow along with the answer to the last question: Now that I’ve done a really good job and my child can read (or has at least some skills),  how can I help him and the new kindergarten teacher? And that is another very good question. 

Kindergarten: A Waste of Time?

When I was a little girl (And I’m not telling you how long ago that was!), we played house and store and finger-painted in kindergarten. And then we napped. Even as a five-year-old, I thought my time was wasted. I could play at home. Most kindergartens now are academically oriented. Some programs are more rigorous and provide even more instruction, and children end the year reading at end of first grade or even at higher levels. This can be true for half-day programs as well as full-day kindergartens. Both can effectively lay the foundation for future learning depending upon the quality of the instruction. It is really important to ensure that the program in your school is high quality, especially and consistently throughout the early grades. One of the questions a parent might investigate is what children will know by the end of the year. A parent may want to see end-of-year samples of work in reading and math. Kindergarten is the first step in the education process and should be taken seriously. Now, the only thing I miss about kindergarten from years past is the nap. I could use a nap.