Preparing people to read and write

If people have had little or no exposure to reading, they must learn certain skills before they begin learning to read. This early step toward reading and writing is referred to as reading readiness training.

Research of educators in Western countries shows that children who experience success in learning to read typically come from homes where reading and writing are valued and practiced. Their parents usually

• read to the children
• draw their attention to print in the environment
• provide materials for informal reading and writing play, and
• demonstrate the purposes of reading and writing by using it themselves.

Children who experience problems in learning to read often have not had these experiences before entering school.

These studies have shown, however, that training improves their results on reading readiness tests and their reading ability later.

Things to do to prepare learners

• Expose people to reading and writing.
• Motivate people for literacy.
• Teach reading readiness skills.
• Teach some concepts and conventions of print .

Things to do to prepare yourself

• Review how certain reading programs handle reading readiness .

  See:	Current instructional programs

• Design a reading readiness program.
• Review activities to help prepare people for reading and writing.

• Instructional programs

• Dechant 1991
• Clay 1991

• Task module: Preparing people to read and write, by Delle P. Matthews, Anne Klaassens (contributor), and Leah B. Walter (contributor)
• In task module: Implementing a literacy program, by Carole P. Spaeth (compiler)
• In modular book: Implement a literacy program, by Carole P. Spaeth (compiler) and Leah B. Walter (compiler)
• In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 25 October 1999

© 1999 SIL International