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Read Out Loud!

October 30, 2017 -

The most common question asked of me by parents is “How can I prepare my preschooler to be ready for Kindergarten?” or “What can I do to help prepare my child’s transition to a Great Hearts school?”  My answer to parents is always, “Read out loud to your children, everyday, for as many minutes as you can spare.”

Mr. Weinhold and I, quite often in our tours, explain to prospective families that Great Hearts schools focus on the art of communication.  One of our goals is to develop competent communicators, both in conversation and the written word.  As parents, you play a significant role in the development of your child’s language acquisition and their ability to communicate well.  In fact you are one of the top four sources of language that children are exposed to.

According to Andrew Pudewa, Director of Institute for Excellence in Writing, there are four main sources of language that children are exposed to on a daily basis.  They are:

  1. Television/media – including magazines, billboards (Got Milk? Just Do It!)

The average American child watches 26 hours of television each week.

  1. Peers – primarily same age

However, the lowest level of language is used when children of the same age communicate with one another.

  1. Parents – busy parents
  2. Books – this is good

Once a child learns to read, they can choose to read and many students read a lot.  But unfortunately when a child reads to themselves, they read fast, in the same way that they watch a movie.  Children’s books are written to be “page turners” and children easily skip over large chunks of text and are still able to understand the main points of the story.

Complete audio presentation can be heard at http://iew.com/help-support/resources/mp3-resources/nurturing-competent-communicators

Unfortunately, the top four sources of language acquisition for modern-day children do not adequately fill their brain with sufficient knowledge to become competent communicators.  You cannot pull something out of the brain that is not there.  You cannot expect a child to write well when they do not have a solid foundation of reliable and sophisticated language stored in their brain.

So, what is the answer?  READ OUT LOUD! READ OUT LOUD! READ OUT LOUD!  Make it a habit, a ritual, a daily routine.  Read to your children at a level that is above their reading level, stop and talk about what is happening, investigate the meaning of unfamiliar words.  Don’t stop reading when a child begins to learn how to read.  This actually is the most important time to keep reading to your child.  There is a bond that is shared between a parent and a child when reading together that surpasses even the language acquisition that is taking place.

Quick personal story – My oldest daughter, Brianna, learned to read just after her 4th birthday.  When I put her to bed after she read to me earlier that day her first Bob Book in its entirety, and after celebrating with ice cream, she began to cry.  I asked her what was wrong and why she was upset and she said, “Now that I can read, does that mean you won’t read to me anymore?”  My heart swelled a bit and I assured her that I would keep reading to her for many, many years.  Little did I know that I would continue to read to her on a regular basis into her teenage years.   She is now 22, a college graduate, working in Italy as an English teacher to 1st – 5th grade students.  I received a text from her the other day that included a picture of a page out of a Harry Potter book.  I couldn’t read the words.  When I asked her if she was reading it in Italian.  She said, “Yep. I bought it here and downloaded the audiobook (in Italian) so I can listen while I read.  Trying to replicate how I learned my first language by reading.” My heart swelled again as she is absolutely right – the best way to learn a language is to hear it through the reading out loud of good literature.  Although it isn’t mom reading to her, it is the next best thing and it will do exactly what she hopes – it will build the database of language in the brain that she needs to be a competent Italian-speaking communicator.

On Friday, we will be reading out loud all day (half-day schedule) to the students of Archway Classical Academy – North Phoenix.  We will be doing this for all the reasons above and in celebration of raising $50k to establish the North Phoenix Library.  Please join us by doing the following:

  • Sponsor your child during the Read-A-Thon (sponsor sheet was sent home last Tuesday).
  • Encourage them to seek additional sponsorship from family and friends.
  • Visit the future home of the North Phoenix Library and purchase books for your child’s classroom library on November 3rd.
  • Schedule a time with your child’s teacher to come and read out loud to your child’s class during our Read-A-Thon from 8 am – 11:30 am on November 3rd.
  • Visit our website for all the information related to the Read-A-Thon and North Phoenix Library Fundraiser and follow the link to donate online at https://archwaynorthphoenix.greatheartsamerica.org/news-events/read-a-thon/
  • Consider partnering with another family or two to participate in a commemorative gift for the library. Please reach out to Ms. Rachel LeBeau at rlebeau@greatheartsaz.org