A Blog for Grown-ups Helping Little Readers
Greetings Grown-ups of Little Readers!
I’m Mrs. Emmons, Early Learning Specialist at Frankenmuth Wickson District Library. I have been a part of the Wickson Family for a few months now and I am LOVING it! My passion is children’s literature. I was a kindergarten teacher for 16 years in Frankenmuth and have a Master’s Degree in K-12 Literacy. I love helping families with literacy at home and to help little readers grow with their skills and have even submitted a manuscript for a children’s picture book myself.
My plan is to post to this blog twice a month with ideas you can try, literacy tips and even some great new books to read from our library. I will write “Dear Abby Style” with Q and A. I would love for you to send me your questions to: wicksonkids@gmail.com and I will definitely respond back to you.
Without further ado…
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November 1, 2022
Dear Mrs. Emmons,
My daughter’s teacher is sending home little books with predictable, repetitive text. She is not actually reading the words, she is just memorizing them. I try to cover up the pictures so that she has to look at the words, but I’m frustrated because I feel that she is only using the pictures. Help! How can I make sure my child is actually reading the books?
Sincerely,
Frustrated in Frankenmuth
Dear Frustrated,
First off, HOORAY for you helping your daughter to read at home! Reading at home is essential for children to grow with their literacy skills! Your daughter is in what we call, “The Emergent Reader” phase, where she is trying to read print, but can’t read them independently yet. Maybe she can read some words, but needs some help to get the full meaning.
The little books with repetitive text are created to boost your child’s confidence in reading. Here are a few things to know when reading these with your daughter:
It’s OK that she is memorizing! This builds confidence and basic reading skills. Check to see if she can follow along with her pointer finger as she reads and matches each word.
It’s OK that she is using pictures! Please don’t cover them. The pictures serve a specific purpose in reading and that is to help the reader use clues to decipher meaning from. Your daughter is doing exactly what she is supposed to be doing, using everything she has to pull meaning from the story.
Continue to praise and encourage your child for her reading effort. Reading at home should be as positive and non-stressful as possible. Make it fun! Have her call or FaceTime a friend or family member to read her book to them and watch her soar with her excitement to read more.
If you would like to read more about the Emergent Reading stage, click HERE.
Is your child ready for more of the printable emergent readers? Try these on 123homeschool4me.com.
Peace, Love and Books,
Mrs. Emmons
Early Learning Specialist
Frankenmuth Wickson District Library
wicksonkids@gmail.com
Check out these NEW books you can read aloud to your little readers! They are available now at our library!
Wake Me Up in 20 Coconuts! by: Laurie Keller
A Library by: Nikki Giovanni
I Cannot Draw a Horse by: Charise Mericle Harper
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