My first reader

Facts About Reading

With desire and confidence most anyone can learn to read.  The key to keeping the confidence and building on that confidence is having books to read at a level that brings immediate and continual success. You wouldn't learn to ski very well starting on the advanced slopes before learning how to stand on skis. The same is true with reading. Start at the beginning and go as far as your confidence will carry you. It may take more than one try at the bunny slope. Here are some other facts about reading that you might not know:

• Building Vocabulary - Preschoolers need to build vocabulary to be successful readers in Kindergarten or 1st grade. Reading to children develops vocabulary at a much faster rate than regular conversation. Although talking to children is also a main ingredient to becoming a good student.

• Practice - Just a few basic skills and lots of practice is needed to get non-readers on their way to cracking the code. The more often they see a word the easier it is for them to remember what each word looks like.

• Repetition - Rereading books that children like not only reinforces vocabulary but builds a love for books.

• Thinking and confidence - These are probably the most important elements necessary for someone to learn to read. Someone who is confident abouy their reading skills is more likely to continue reading.

• Variety - Using a variety of reading strategies is the secret of excellent readers. This gives readers more than one way to figure out a dificult word or phrase. If one strategy isn't working for them they can try another one.