Development of childrens higher order reading skills - Essay Example

Development of children’s higher order reading skills: The world of a 10-year old child is way different from that of ours, who decide their curriculum being teachers or in charge of the educational setup. This difference of maturity level hinders the way toward development of an interface between our own and a child’s approach toward understanding of the literature. Therefore, such educational systems come into being which do not assist a child in developing himself/herself as a proficient reader, the results of which are seen in the lack of general understanding of text, and the ultimate lack of interest toward studies. Children are always the same, it’s the educational setup that needs to be adapted to their needs for a good nation building. Knowledge is extremely important for every individual in order to keep up with the rapidly modifying dynamic nature of the modern world. Books are among the key sources, that children can develop knowledge from. Learning starts from the day the child is born. He keeps on developing an understanding for the world as he/she experiences matters of daily life. Every child starts the journey of speech from broken words. Then the child starts to link words to express his/her meaning effectively. These broken words are aided by actions. A child may not be structuring the sentence correctly, but is careful about acting enough so that the meaning gets delivered. With due passage of time, with careful attention and regular practice, the child unintentionally starts to construct the sentence in the right way. It is the nature of every creature to adopt ways to communicate, and this urge is inborn. A child’s psychology is greatly influenced by colors. A child’s world is a world of colors and fantasies. That is why in our life, at a later stage, we find things, that once we used to fancy in our childhood, very absurd. So the delicate child-nature needs to be dealt with immense care to develop good reading skills in the child. Books: A child’s nature does not allow him to get involved in stuff that goes against it. So if a child finds studies boring, he would simply not study, because he is too young to understand the importance of reading books. Therefore, there is an immense responsibility on the part of the board of education to design the curriculum in a way that a child finds interesting to involve in. A child’s perception of the language is greatly influenced by fictitious stories. In addition to that, stories keep a child engaged in the process because of his interest in learning what would happen next. And he would not be bored of it, though he may have been listening to it for hours. To gain a child’s interest, books should necessarily be very expressing in terms of color, choice of words, text font, style and effects. Text accompanied with figures will capture the attention of a child-reader in no time. Many children idealize famous characters. Those who are about 10 years of age are mature enough to watch and comprehend characters other than cartoons. Spiderman can be one example of such a character. There is no doubt about the popularity of such characters among the majority of children. After the release of movie, many children were seen in Spiderman costumes. Spiderman costumes are worn by children at parties, birthdays and Halloween. “Spiderman Themed Costumes are always hot choices this Halloween because of their popularity.” (Pennymena, 2009). Children tried to dress like Spiderman, they started to move and speak like a Spiderman. Spiderman became the flavor of the season for every child. Many of them would be seen uttering Spiderman dialogues from the movie. Concluding all what is mentioned above, a book about a famous character would provide young children with a platform where they would love to read and comprehend literature quickly. If the major part of text in the book is in the form of a dialogue between the beloved character and others, nothing would be better. Recommended text for children’s reading: Harry Potter: In my view, if we analyze the literature written for children, Harry Potter has been by far the most favorite novel which has brought children and adults on the same grounds of interest. Due to its immense popularity across the globe among different cultures, Harry Potter has been translated into forty languages according to Nancy K. Jentsch, as cited in the book “The ivory tower and Harry Potter: perspectives on a literary phenomenon”  by “Lana A. Whited”. Its copies have been stolen before release. “Thousands of copies of the new Harry Potter book were stolen from outside a warehouse just days before the latest installment in the popular series were to go on sale around the world”. (Police, 2003 as cited in redOrbit.com) People have read full books overnight. A brief explanation of the character: Harry Potter is a series of novel written by J. K. Rowling. (Imbornoni, 2007). The author of Harry Potter has introduced a world of magic, very unlike the concept of conventional magic and the evils associated with it. All of the characters in the novel are fictitious. Type of the story presented in Harry Potter is a beautiful combination of thrill, suspense, horror and adventure. The author has portrayed an imaginary magical world so nicely that children fancy it and wish there had really been a world similar to the one introduced to them through Harry Potter. The story in a nut-shell: Harry Potter is the name of an 11 year old boy who lives with his uncle, aunt and their child. One day, he suddenly comes to know he was a wizard. His dead arents, who were a witch and a wizard, had been killed by Voldemort, the dark lord who is an evil magician. Because of being a wizard through genes, he is treated very badly by his uncle and ant, who are normal people, the Muggles as the novel suggests. A wizard from the magical world takes him to Hogwarts, a school in the magical world where he belongs. Harry Potter learns magic in his school. He is shown as a very noble wizard who would rescue the world of magic from the evil powers of Voldemort. “Every book represents one school year. Books 1-5 have been published so far, and book 6 and 7 are still to be published. Here follows a short summary of the five books.” (book-summary.net, 2004-2006). Summary of these parts can be accessed at the same. Later, part 6 and 7 had also been published. Why Harry Potter: Children love it. They are likely to get very good grades. A major portion of all parts of the novel are written in the form of dialogue. No text can over-shine the one in dialogue form when it is meant to make children learn the complexities of language. In Harry Potter, both dialogues and feelings are expressed in words, which make children compare it to the dialogues they require in their everyday life. People from all age-groups find Harry Potter equally interesting. Children are likely not only to learn to read, but also secure very good grades because of their interest in the subject. With Harry Potter included in their curriculum, children would stop thinking about studies as a burden, they would rather enjoy them. Harry Potter would serve as an interface between children and their formal learning career. This would bridge the gap between children and books, and children are likely to start taking interest in studies. The teaching methodology: The reading model: A successful reader has the capability to see individual words in the background of the whole concept and link the whole concept to individual words and portions simultaneously. Citation needed He needs to understand what is the role of individual words in developing the concept and comprehend their gravity. A number of words can be used to deliver a specific meaning, but to select the most appropriate one for the current situation is a skill, teachers need to work upon to inculcate in the little readers. A competent teacher has to work out ways that would adjust with the psychology of each child. One of them is the selection of the right text for the children to read. The novel “Harry Potter” fulfils this requirement. Another factor that plays a role in effective reading is reading-practice. It may not be possible for a child to comprehend the text if he is not used to reading books. Children can be made to read books by providing them with books popular among them in their Mother-languages. Preferably, the text being taught to the students should be available in different languages to let the children develop basic association with books. “Harry Potter” serves the said purpose because of being available in 40 languages as mentioned before. A child who reads books in any language automatically develops all the basic skills required for effective reading. Next thing a teacher needs to work upon is inculcating cognitive learning and reading skills in the children. There are a number of ways to achieve this. One such approach is to ensure equal participation from each individual through delivering multi-activity lectures. These activities should be rich enough to develop interactive reading skills in the children where they can learn the top-down reading, in which they can understand the part of individual words in context of the whole theme with some primitive knowledge about the same in mind, along with the bottom-up reading, where they can gradually develop the sense of the whole text by recalling systematically read words. “These models also tell us that successful readers do these two things simultaneously: they decode and interpret as they read.” (Eskey, 1997 as cited in NCSALL). Lewis (2003) pointed out that the Primary National Strategy (PNS) was launched with the publication of a strategy for primary schools. In the same report, Lewis noted that PNS provides a way for the teachers to make children learn through the use of different ways, where the PNS would collaborate with the Department for Culture Media and Sport to ensure learning on the part of children through added trips to museums and art galleries. Readers are likely to understand the text in lesser time if the teacher would summarize the essay for them before making them read the same. This would facilitate the development of top-down reading skills in the children, and make them think on the same lines as the teacher. The bottom-up reading skills can be enhanced through introducing key words, and their meaning and sense to the children before they read them in the text. This way, they would become familiar with the new words before reading and would be interested in watching them used in sentences, which would ultimately boost their spirit for reading. Another advantage of selection of “Harry Potter” as the reading book for children at school level is that Harry Potter movies are readily available in the market. The teacher can easily benefit from these movies to enhance the readers’ perception toward a particular character they consider difficult to imagine. In addition to that, a movie shown to the little readers at the end of what they have been reading will give a nice full stop to the whole course and the children would love that. All it requires to display a movie in class is a computer and a multimedia device. In addition to that, the teachers themselves need to gain advantage from the research and development projects like The Power of Reading by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) and Teachers as Readers by the United Kingdom Literacy Association (UKLA). These projects aim to build good teaching skills in the teacher which directly influences the quality of education. According to Collins and Safford (2008), the Power of Reading would help teachers develop their grip on powerful texts and teachers would learn to develop and extend the reading repertoires for themselves as well as their child-readers with the help of the Teachers as Readers project. Planning of the lessons: Part-1 of the “Harry Potter” series named “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” comprises 17 chapters as noted by Silvester (2002). There will be 8 sessions conducted from March 1 2010 to April 30 2010. Each session will be based on 1 week. Detailed session plans for the first three weeks and a medium term plan are given below: Medium-term plan: Curriculum area / theme: Reading books Term: 1st Year group: 5 Number of sessions: 8 Pupil numbers: 25 Previous experience / knowledge in this are: The teacher has been member of Teachers as readers, and The power of reading. Overall aims: (Skills, Knowledge, Concepts and Attitudes) It is a course of 8 sessions covering duration of 2 months. There will be 8 weeks with 5 working days per week. The children will be fully equipped with the knowledge of reading-skills-development projects like the power of reading. In this course, children will undergo a thorough analysis of language, they will learn how to construct a sentence, learn new words, their meanings and use. They will be taught dialogue-delivery through Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, which they are likely to find very interesting. The course will be run with a very positive attitude where the children will learn the concepts of reading literature. They will be taught how to overcome barriers in reading. The teachers will maintain an extremely friendly behavior with each and every child. National curriculum/ PoS / EYFS/PNS Frequent trips to museums and art galleries will be arranged for the children as per the policy of PNS, where they will be shown Unicorn models and pictures. The children will love to see things they read about in their book, this will boost their interest in books. Opportunities for display: Children will be able to practically feel like studying at Hogwarts, the school in which Harry Potter studied. Their classroom will be furnished with colorful furniture. Each child will be given a magical hat, a wand and a magical costume very much similar to the one shown in the Harry Potter movie. In addition to that, each child will be allotted a computer. They will need computers for learning reading skills, as they will be taught reading softwares like RocketReader Kids. “RocketReader Kids is a software reading program that helps children learn to read.” (www.rocketreader.com, 1996-2009). Inclusion / PSHE / Citizenship/ Spiritual, moral, social and cultural links: The admission will be open to children (9 to 10 years old) from all backgrounds who are beginning to learn how to read. These children will be undergo mental and physical activities which will make them feel like studying at Hogwarts and they will be psychologically attracted towards reading, style will be conforming to the standards of PSHE (Personal, Social and Health Education). Specific individual needs: A speech therapist will be there to guide children with lower abilities or those suffering from Autism. Links with literacy, Mathematics and other subject areas: Learning to read will be the first step toward the development of the children’s career. Though the children will be reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, but they will also me taught Mathematics, History and Geography in the same style and context. The children will think of these subjects as a few of those that were taught to Harry Potter apart from magic, so they will happily accept it. ICT Opportunities: Computer systems. Internet facility. Multimedia. Audio sound system (to produce magical sound effects). Session plans: Session plan-1: Theme: To inculcate top-down learning skills in the children. Year Group: Year 5 (9 to 10 years of age) No in children: 25 Date: 01-03-10 to 07-03-10 Specific learning difficulties and disabilities this session is designed for children who have difficulty in visualizing individual words in the context of the story they originally have an idea about. Resources Book - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Summarizing software. Previous learning/experience to be built upon: book-reading practice in any language Learning Objectives Children will learn how to summarize the text. Children will learn to understand the role of small paragraphs in developing the story. Activities (inc. differentiation and use of ICT, key vocabulary questions) There will be five classes in a week with a duration of 55 minutes each. Out of them, first 10 minutes will be spent on questioning children about the previous day’s lecture, 15 minutes will be dedicated to development of children’s association with the next keywords, each child will speak the word properly. Then the children will learn their meanings by heart in 10 minutes. Rest of the 20 minutes will be dedicated to reading. Children shall be asked to give meanings for the words just introduced to them. Classroom will be decorated with colorful seats, air-fresheners, and Harry Potter’s posters, broomsticks and wands. A maid will be there to nurse a child if needed. Children, who fail to give meanings for the words asked will be seated in the front row, and will be treated with special care and love, and be given more time if the parents feel so. Assessment: What: the children will be assessed to show their skills for summarizing text. How: children will be taught to summarize the text through summarizing software. Who: this software will specially be helpful for the children with Autism and lower ability children in that their learning process will be aided through the use of technology. Evaluation/analysis of pupils’ learning: Children will be tested once a week to show text summarizing skills they have learnt. Note how assessment and evaluation will influence your planning: Children will be told to analyze the text through the overview provided at the last cover page of the book. This will help them gain a general idea of the whole text prior to reading the text. Session plan-2: Theme: To develop bottom-up learning skills in the children. Year Group: year 5 (9 to 10 years of age) No in children: 25 Date: 08-03-10 to 14-03-10 Specific learning difficulties and disabilities difficulty in developing an understanding for the text through word by word, systematic reading. Resources Children’s reading software-Rocket Readers Kids. Previous learning/experience to be built upon: book-reading practice in any language Learning Objectives By the end of this session, children will be able to identify the gravity of different words used in the text, and identify their role in delivering the story. They will learn that right choice of words to express the meaning lends a professional touch to the text. Activities (inc. differentiation and use of ICT, key vocabulary questions) Practice of the child reading software. Word puzzles Speech therapy for children suffering from Autism Assessment What: Children should be able to recall the meanings of words learnt on the previous day. At the end of the session, children should be capable of selecting the most appropriate word to fit in a sentence, among their synonyms. How: Children will be shown the relevant cartoon movies, with their favorite cartoons uttering keywords. Programs like Sesame Street would be suitable. Who: Pupils with hearing and visual problems will be attended specially. They will be taught actions for different words. Evaluation/analysis of pupils’ learning Children will be made to recall the words learnt previously with the help of puzzles that they are supposed to organize. Puzzles will show missing letters in the words, and children will fix right words in the right place. Note how assessment and evaluation will influence your planning: Children will be assessed through puzzles and word games. To enhance their knowledge, different games/procedures will be adopted in different days. Their response will be analyzed through proper statistical procedures, and the one with the largest positive response will be set as a standard to enhance their learning. Session plan-3: Theme: To develop children’s interest in reading books. Year Group: year 5 (9 to 10 years of age) No of children: 25 Date: 15-03-10 to 21-03-10 Specific learning difficulties and disabilities Specially meant for those who cannot imagine the characters of the stories in their minds. Resources DVD – Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone FS/NC/PNS Ref: visits to museums and art galleries. Previous learning/experience to be built upon: book-reading practice in any language Learning Objectives Develop a taste for reading. Activities (inc. differentiation and use of ICT, key vocabulary questions) Children will be taken to museums, art galleries and magical shows where they will be able to see magical stuff mentioned in the book. Children will be told to draw pictures of Unicorns and magical hats as per their imagination after reading text which describes them. Assessment What: Have the children started to take interest in their books. How: Parent-teacher meetings through telephone / e-mail. Who: For those who lack interest in reading. Evaluation/analysis of pupils’ learning Children will be tested for their essential reading by giving them short tests in which they are supposed to answer the questions taken from the text. Note how assessment and evaluation will influence your planning: Tests will be taken before and after their trips to magical shows, and the response will be analyzed, to suggest for increased / decreased number of trips and more / less of class activities. References: Ark, S.V. and Worley, M.L., 2006. Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Chapter by Chapter. The Harry Potter Lexicon. Available at: http://www.hp-lexicon.org/about/books/ps/chapters-ps.html. [Accessed 26 Feb. 2010]. Book-summary.net, 2004-2006. Summary of “Harry Potter Books 1-5”. [Online]. Available at: http://book-summary.net/harry-potter-book-summary.html [Accessed 26 Feb. 2010]. Collins, F.M. and Safford, K. (2008) The right book to the right child at the right time: Primary Teacher Knowledge of Childrens Literature, Changing English, 15: 4, 415 — 422. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13586840802493068. [Accessed 26 Feb. 2010]. Imbornoni, Ann-M., 2007. J. K. Rowling, The story of Harry Potter’s creator. Fact Monster. Pearson Education, publishing as Fact Monster. Available at: http://www.factmonster.com/spot/harrycreator1.html [Accessed 26 Feb. 2010]. Lewis, M. Sep. 1, 2003. In my view, the Primary National Strategy and primary history. The Historical Association. Available at: http://www.history.org.uk/resources/primary_resource_247.html>. [Accessed 26 Feb. 2010]. NCSALL, 2007. “Models of Reading and the ESOL Student: Implications and Limitations” Vol (2), Issue (A). Available at: http://www.ncsall.net/?id=459. [Accessed 26 Feb. 2010]. Pennymena, Oct. 26, 2009. Popular Spiderman Themed Costumes For Children. 2001-2010 Free-Press-Release Inc. Available at: http//www.free-press-release.com/news-popular-spiderman-themed-costumes-for-children-1256608874.html>. [Accessed 26 Feb. 2010]. Rocket reader, 1996-2009. Kick Start Your Childs Reading. [Internet]. Available at: http://www.rocketreader.com/reading/kids.html. [Accessed 26 Feb. 2010]. RedOrbit, June 17, 2003. “Copies of New Harry Potter Book Stolen” [Internet]. Available at: http://www.redorbit.com/news/general/1324/copies_of_new_harry_potter_book_stolen/index.html. [Accessed 26 Feb. 2010]. Whited, L.A., 2002. “The ivory tower and Harry Potter: perspectives on a literary phenomenon”. University of Missouri Press, 2004: p.285. Available at: http://books.google.com.pk/books?id=iO5pApw2JycC&pg=PA285&dq=harry+potter+has+been+translated+in&cd=3#v=onepage&q=harry%20potter%20has%20been%20translated%20in&f=false. [Accessed 26 Feb. 2010]. Read More