Hooked On Phonics

I definitely think that phonics is a major aspect to a child's reading development. I know that I learned to read through phonics and I thought that it was extremely helpful. In Chapter 5 of of A Classroom that Works Cunningham and Allington explain that for every one word someone can decipher, one can decode up to seven more that he or she has never seen. This proves even more that phonics is very important. I really love phonics and I think that it is a great way to learn to read.

I plan on using this tactic with my students in my future classroom. I think it is really neat and I definitely think it will help children understand reading more.

In the article "What Can I Say Besides "sound it out?" there are many great examples of different types of ways to help your students with phonics. I think sounding out words is very essential to reading from very young to even in college. I know from experience if there are words that I do not recognize now that I see in textbooks or even articles, I still sound them out. Every child learns at a different pace, and some are always going to be better than others. My favorite was that Kathleen Clark made sure to explain a way to incorporate all of the readers to help the readers that are having more of a difficult time. I think that when students are guided by their teacher really helps the students to enhance their reading confidence. 

Daycare Qualifications

Throughout the IRA/NAEYC the major point that stood out to me was that in a high school diploma is sometimes the highest education one may need to be in the childcare profession. I do not like the idea that a high school graduate that may not have any or little experience with children would be helping my child one day. I completely disagree with this qualification and I definitely think it needs to be changed. Most students that only graduate from high school do not have a professional and serious attitude about a career.  For example, they may have inaccurate pronunciation and the child would in turn start using the language they would hear everyday in daycare. I think the best education earliest in life is very important to a child and I definitely think that someone should have more than a high school diploma and much experience and knowledge about children to be involved in the childcare profession.

Reader's Influences

              As I read the article, “The Jones Family’s Culture of Literacy,” I found that the major idea that sticks out is how much the article stresses on what kind of literary experiences a child has before he or she begins school. I think it is very important that a child has practice reading before he or she does start school. Children come from many different types of backgrounds and cultures. Each different background has different ways of how they view their child’s literary experiences. I think it is so crucial that a child starts being aware of books, how to read, and how to write at the earliest age possible I do understand that all households are different, but this is a major aspect of a child’s developmental growth.

          The child’s family members, neighbors, or even caregivers give these literacy experiences. Each of these individuals that help the child have a crucial role as a reading role model.  In the Jones Family article, it stuck out to me when the extended family all came together to help Kiki. When a child such as  Kiki, has such a strong and large support group, he or she will be well on their way to becoming academically successful. Children definitely look up to adults that read or read to them daily. Children always look up to the close ones that are older than them, even teachers. Teachers are major models to their students, especially through reading and writing. This concludes that people should definitely care more about their actions of reading and writing around children.