Most of the schools in my sliver of the world are back in session. Which means, I’m back to school too. (I’m a dual career gal – reading teacher and photographer). This is the time of year where I become obsessed and immersed in figuring out how to help children become better readers and writers. Let me tell you, that is no easy task. But it is so worth it because I believe reading is vital to a child’s life and future.
I was skimming a book I had gotten towards the end of the previous school year about effectively teaching the beginning stages of reading. In the introduction, it talked about how the written language is not a skill that we randomly acquire. It is only attained through intentional instruction both at home and school. No random magic involved.
We know that one of the precursors to reading (besides knowing letters and sounds) is being able to hear, produce, and manipulate the sounds in our language. Rhyming is a very important aspect in the early stages of reading. Teaching, singing, reading, and rereading Nursery Rhymes with your children is one of the tried and trued ways to tune children’s ears into the sounds of our language.
The little girl holding up The Teeny Weeny Tadpole is my niece, and she became a first grader today. I am sitting at the edge of my seat to see how she will grow as a reader this year. She picked out the book she wanted to showcase in these photos. I have a teeny weeny suspiscion she likes this books because it rhymes. Happy reading!
