Library in Action

6 to 5

(Six Skills to Five Practices)

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library Outreach Team with few others CML staff members who involve in Jumpstart project attended the Every Child Ready to Read – New Conversations on Research, Relationships and Partnerships Webinar led by Elaine Meyers, a Consultant from King Ferry, New York last Thursday March 8^th at Beatties Ford Road Regional Library.

From six skills presented in ECRR 1st Edition (Print awareness, Print motivation, Letter knowledge, Phonological awareness, Vocabulary, and Narrative skills) to the new five simple practices to help children get ready to read.

Here are five simple practices that parents and children can enjoy together;

Talking:

Children learn about language by listening to parents talk and joining the conversation.

Books are wonderful conversation starters and learn new words.

Singing:

Songs are a natural way to learn about language. Singing (and rhyming increase children’s awareness or sounds in words. This also helps prepare children to decode print.

Reading:

Reading together with your children is the single most important way to help them get ready to read.

Reading helps children learn less common words.

Writing:

Reading and writing go together.

Writing helps children learn that letters and words stand for sounds and that print has meaning.

Playing:

Children learn about language through different kinds of play such as pretend or dramatic play. Children learn best when they’re having FUN!

One skill--Many practices

One practice – Many skills

Five simple yet powerful practices for the six skills for example talking with children helps develop all six skills featured in ECRR 1st Edition: print awareness, letter knowledge, phonological awareness, vocabulary, narrative skills, and print motivation.

These practices can easily be integrated into everyday activities to help children learn early literacy skills.

To become successful readers, children need to learn a code and understand its meaning.

Reading is learning the CODE.

Decoding is noticing print, knowing letter names and sounds and hearing the sounds that make up words.

Happy Reading to ALL!!!

You can learn more about ECRR 2^nd Edition at www.everychildreadytoread.org