And reading CHAPTER BOOKS seems to be the pinnacle of success. You know, chapter books- the ones with the small print?
I’m not sure how this came to be the defining measure of ability to read, but the moment a parent can say, “Oh yes, he/she reads ‘chapter books’” success has been achieved.
Whew! We can relax now – she’s reading “chapter books”!
I’ve been hearing this from parents of 5-year-olds, 6-year-olds and 7-year-olds and then I hear a bit more.
“Yes, but he complains the type is too small.” (from the mom of a 1st grader reading at 3rd grade level)
“ Well, actually, I read a paragraph than she reads a paragraph.” (from the mom of a child reading at grade level)
“He CAN read this chapter book…he just doesn’t want to.”(from the mom of a child reading below grade level.)
Try as I may, I can’t find any official document that says that this should be the measure of success and…the more I look, the more I see that…hmmm…maybe it’s a better idea not to rush.
My burning question:…if children SHOULD be reading chapter books with small print by 1st grade or so…then WHY do they make large print “Easy Readers” for kids up to age 10 or so?
I didn’t get it so a little research was in order – which of course got out of hand so the simple answer is:
.. when the print is bigger children can depict every letter in every word which helps them to sound out words.
Books for older readers have smaller print because adults have a larger vocabulary and don't need to know what each and every letter looks like. For example when you read "because" you don't even need to sound the word out or look at it for awhile before pronouncing it unlike a child.
Well, duh!
Obviously, part of the goal in reading is expanding the child's vocabulary so he or she gets to the "adult way" of reading- that is knowing the word by glancing at a few letters. That of course requires an intimate look at the word and familiarity with the letters- much easier to achieve when the type is large! (I can speak to this since my child has had a recent fascination with a book of Indian folk tales given to us by a friend from India replete with names of characters that I find difficult to pronounce unless I used the tried and true method of uncovering a bit of the word at a time.)
It turns out that there is a science behind this whole big print thing. Easy Readers are printed with heavy leading (spacing between the lines of print), wide margins, larger fonts and simple type (that is, an easier to read serif font).
So we’ll stick to easy readers with large print for now. Hmmm...maybe I'll look for a large print version of the next difficult classic I tackle too.
For More Works For Me Wednesday ideas visit Rocks In My Dryer.
Did you enjoy this post…or at least found it interesting?
12 comments:
I think a child should never be rushed regardless of the school subject. I have found though with my 6 yr old that he wants to move onto more complicated (and therefore usually smaller print)books b/c he finds the large print books too "babyish". I read a combination of easy books and chapter books to the kids and they check out both from the library. As always, let your child be your guide...if he wants to read a more complex book let him...have all levels of books available to him/her. I think it's good to "stretch" the reading skills a bit and not always read or provide books at ONLY their reading level - but above too.
I'm a school librarian and mother of 1 1/2 year old. I hate when I hear parents pushing kids to the chapter books. Some librarians like to call "E" easy reader books "Everybody books" instead - which I love because that is what they are! Kids do often think of the picture books and easy readers as babyish, but in fact the sophistication and artistic expression in these stories FAR surpasses chapter books. They really do serve two specifically different purposes for young readers. Chapter books are typically formulaic and build independent reader confidence, but they often lack the creativity and complexity picture books. I say read both, but don't push. Plus what about non-fiction? This is an area that gets overlooked so often. Boys especially need to feel that their reading is validated when they choose to read about a subject and not a story. My two cents...
I think this post was RIGHT ON THE MONEY! Why does everyone want to rush their children. It's OK that every child is different. Some can be fast and some can be slow and IT'S OK! Thanks for sharing this great post. I hope a lot of mothers read it : )!
Everybody books, I love that. We too have made a rush to early chapter books. Not surprisingly, I saw a growing disinterest in reading aloud. My dd is reading way above age level but I think she enjoys reading her pictuer books the most. Nothing delights me more than the pat pat pat of her little feet late at night, When she tumbles into my room with a picture book to ask me a word. For parents who need to know, Scholastic has a wonderful website that levels thousands of books including picture books. Recently she was reading Harry, The Dirty Dog aloud. A quick check of the website told me that it was a third grade reading level.
Thanks for sharing this.
I think that if you spend the time to consistently read to your children and to support their reading habits by taking them to the library, your children will naturally progress to more advanced books on their own time.
I know there is research on the development of the eye which leans toward a larger font. YOur instincts are right on.
Sue
I think it really depends on what's best for your own individual child. I was reading long chapter books like those by Laura Ingalls Wilder when I started kindergarten and so was my DD. Neither of us had a problem with font size.
On the other hand, my DH didn't learn to read until he was 7. However, we ended up with a similar level of ability. That's what really counts in the long run.
Have you read The Read Aloud handbook by Jim Trelease? I don't think he addresses print size specifically (but I haven't read the latest edition), but he does talk a lot about reading levels and reading confidence. He says there are different reading levels and listening levels and we should keep reading TO our children long after they can read themselves. It's a great book.
The Read Aloud handbook is a great resource. I picked up an older copy at a used book store!
And here we are deliberating trying to get EASY to read books so he will read on his own. I don't mind reading to the kids but he needs to practice reading for school. He gets tired/bored easily if he doesn't know all the words so it is hard to get him reading past the first couple of pages. I wish he was more like his sister who will 'read' books on her own. She is three and can't read a word but she likes to pretend.
So... my son is in Grade 1 and not yet beyond the picture book stage. Part of this is likely due to the fact that English is his second language and he didn't know any English until he arrived last December. Rather than forcing him to read, I am hopefully encouraging his love of stories by reading to him. And my hope is that his vocabulary increases by hearing all these words in English that I am reading to him.
You make a great point about the chapter books and the small print. Our son (7) has recently gotten into the Great Illustrated Classics. He's reading The Swiss Family Robinson and loves it. You might check them out some time. The chapters are easy to read and the type is large.
~Dana
Dana,
I love Great Illustrated Classic. We use them now to develop vocabulary and to sneak in extra reading. I read the page of text; he reads the cpation under the picture that is on every other page.
It's hard as a parent to not want to rush our children, but as ndecrette said, often with boys it is that they prefer non-fiction and there are lots of easy readers out there that...guess what, I learn something from too!
Post a Comment