Reading Wars

When I was little, I learned language in a variety of ways. I believe that the number one way to learn language as a child is to simply pick it up from adults and by interacting and hearing other people. When I babysit and observe young children, it is amazing to me to see how much they can easily pick up just by listening. They expand their vocabulary each and every day just by hearing new words. I also learned language because my parents always kept our house filled with books and I can remember my parents reading to me every night before bed. This not only helped me expand my language, but it also helped me to learn how to read as well. I don’t think learning language ever stops because I am constantly learning new words through classes, books, and every day conversation. Language is one of those tools that anyone can always improve on.

I think that as time goes along and children learn how to read, they do end up creating sight words. Because sight words are some of the most frequently used words in the English language, children pick up on these words more easily. I think it is a great idea to have “word walls” in the classroom especially for the younger grades, because it gives them a reference of some common words. A teacher that I observe has one of these and the students do use it when they are writing in their journals. I also think it is a great idea to pick one or two sight words per week to focus on because it helps the students to better understand these commonly used words.

I believe that symbols are one of the most important tools to impact literacy learning because children are able to connect words through pictures. I always loved looking at picture books when I was younger because it gave me a sense of the word was and for visual learners, symbols are a great tool. I think that this reinforces new words and old words for children who are beginning to read and it will help them remember it easier. I have seen in various classrooms, specifically preschool classrooms, teachers will label things around the classroom, so the children are learning the words and symbols at the same time. Everyone learns literacy in different ways, but I think that using symbols is very effective.