Early Literacy
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Six early
literacy skills
to
help your child
get ready to learn to read |
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Every Child Ready to Read
classes
are generally offered in the spring.
Register via the Boise Public
Library
events calendar.
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Print Motivation
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Print Motivation is the enjoyment of books and reading. Being familiar
with printed language helps children feel comfortable with books and
understand that print is useful.
Try it at home:
- let your child see you reading
- let your child pick out books
- make book sharing fun
- visit your library for lots for great reads
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Phonological Awareness
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Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and play with the
smaller sounds in words, like hearing rhyming words and being able to
clap syllables or parts of words. Researchers know this is an important
skill when children start to sound out words.
Try it at home:
- clap syllables of words
- sing songs
- play rhyming word games
- say nursery rhymes
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Vocabulary
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Vocabulary is knowing the names of things. The more words children hear
and understand, the more ready they will be to read on their own. Books
offer vocabulary that conversation, television, and computer games do
not.
Try it at home:
- read to your child everyday
- talk to your child
- use big words
- explain new words
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Narrative Skills
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Narrative skills are the expressive part of language, being able to
describe things, to tell what happened, to retell stories. This skill
helps children later understand what they read.
Try it at home:
- retell stories
- ask questions
- talk about things
- be a patient listener
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Print Awareness
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Being familiar with printed language helps children feel comfortable
with books and understand that print is useful.
Try it at home:
- point to words
- let your child write notes & lists
- let your child hold books & turn pages
- point out signs
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Letter Knowledge
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For young children, letter knowledge means knowing that the same letter
can look different, that letters have names, and that letters are
related to sounds.
Try it at home:
- look at shapes
- point out letters
- make letters from playdough or spaghetti
- let your child write & draw
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More Information
To learn more about these skills and the national Every Child Ready
to Read project click
here. To learn more about the state of Idaho's participation in this
program
click
here. |
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Last Updated:
04/22/2012-thh
