1. TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
How Do Children Learn
to Read (Ages 0-17)?
Based in part on Ferreiro, E. & Teberosky, A. (1982).
Literacy before schooling. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann
2. Early Literacy Research
Ferreiro & Teberosky, 1970s Argentina
Set up a series of experiments to try to find
out what 3-4 year-olds (low income, middle
income) know about literacy.
Experiments included book handling,
determining what is something to be read
and something to be looked at, guessing what
an adult is reading, and other.
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
3. For example...
They asked, “Is this
something to look at
or something to read?”
The Cat in the Hat
is in the tree.
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
4. For example...
They asked, “Is this WWXL
something to read?”
MMMMMMM
tttttttttt
12679
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
16. They found...
That young children develop very complex ideas
about reading and writing before they can do
either...
In fact, the theories that very young children
can develop before schooling help them to read
and write better and faster when they get to
school...
Children go through at least 4 recognizable
phases...
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
17. Pre-School Stages
Global/Nonanalytic
Name Hypothesis
Syllabic Hypothesis
Alphabetic Principle
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
18. National Reading Panel
The United States has been wracked by “The
Reading Wars” since the early part of the
twentieth century...
Some folks think that the best way to learn to
read is “the natural way”- if children are
surrounded by books and readers, they will learn
to read...
Others claim that children need to learn the
parts and steps to reading in order to experience
success, so...
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
19. National Reading Panel
In 2000, the gum’mint set a panel to decide once
and for all, which method is right.
They were to answer the question, “What is the
one best way to learn to read?”
Guess what they found...
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
20. National Reading Panel
They are BOTH right... they NRP recommended a
“Balanced Approach,” which includes parts of
both methods...
They also identified 5 essentials that all readers
need in order to be successful readers...
Phonemic awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary,
Comprehension
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
21. Adolescent Literacy
Most adolescents- unless they have identified
learning or reading disabilities, do NOT need
instruction in phonemic awareness or phonics
Most adolescents DO need (much) more practice in
order to increase Fluency, Vocabulary, &
Comprehension
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
22. Academic Literacy
What constitutes academic literacy?
The dispositions and habits of mind that enable students
to enter the ongoing conversations appropriate to college
thinking, reading, writing, and speaking are inter-related
and multi-tiered. Students should be aware of the
various logical, emotional, and personal appeals used in
argument; additionally, they need skills enabling them to
define, summarize, detail, explain, evaluate, compare/
contrast, and analyze. Students should also have a
fundamental understanding of audience, tone, language
usage, and rhetorical strategies to navigate appropriately
in various disciplines.
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
23. Reading
to Learn
Learning
to Read
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com
24. Academic
Literacy
Using Reading
& Writing
to Think
4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
TED 406
Spring 2011
Jill Aguilar
www.jillaaguilar.com