Literacy has long been a critical measure of success in later life. However, many children and adults are not able to read fluently, a fact which often results in poor school performance and limited job options.
In fact, many experts believe that literacy is the greatest determinant of success. There are several reasons for this: learning differences, lack of phonetic and phonological skills, limited vocabulary development, poor spelling, or even low comprehension and processing abilities. There are also outside factors to consider, such as the amount of exposure to books during childhood, family dynamics, and parental involvement. Although these are traditionally common traits among weak readers, they are often not discovered until it is too late for the student to “catch up.”
New complications
The pandemic has further complicated this issue. Due to the massive amount of school closures as a result of COVID-19, many primary school students (grades 1-3) were forced into virtual learning at a time when they were learning basic reading skills and needed a teacher’s input and feedback. In addition, parents or other caregivers were not always available to monitor or assist children with schoolwork which led to a large number of students not fulfilling the academic requirements.
Herein lies the problem. Research has proven that if a student is not proficient in reading by the end of third grade, there is little chance that they will be able to overcome future academic challenges as the curriculum becomes more difficult and intense. The pandemic has exhausted the country with side effects that could not have been anticipated. Teachers are facing unprecedented difficulties within their classes because of the students’ lack of participation in their preceding virtual education, which has had a tremendously negative impact on reading development, especially for primary school students.
Suggestions to improve literacy
The overarching fact remains that students need to have the ability to read fluently by the end of their third-grade year regardless of disruptions or mitigating circumstances. Here are some suggestions to help young children develop confidence and fluency in their early literacy development:
- Read to children often. Nemours suggests that reading to children as young as 3 - 12 months can enhance responsiveness, support social and emotional development, help with thinking skills, and improve language skills.
- Try to keep as many books as possible in the home. There is a theory that the number of books that are in a home correlates to the child’s interest in reading.
- Visit the library as often as possible and let your child choose their own books.
- Play word games with your child. This could allow for spelling practice or even vocabulary.
- Take advantage of preschools and even home tutoring so that your child will be exposed to direct instruction of beginning phonetics and phonology as well as relevant vocabulary.
Early childhood reading education is key to setting a firm literacy foundation for young children. The success, or lack thereof, of children, could likely be traced back as far as third grade. It is within our grasp to make a difference in the minds of preschoolers and primary grade kids. No child should be left behind.
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