Emergent Literacy Skills Through Storybook

¶ … Emergent Literacy Skills through Storybook Reading, found in the November 2003 issue of Intervention in School and Clinic, (39, 2: pages 72-80), by Allor and McCathren, describes strategies for teachers using storybooks to assist children in bringing out their ability to read and understand what they have just read. The article first explains background information regarding the areas of literacy that are covered, including oral language, phonological awareness, and print awareness. Oral language consists of vocabulary and narrative development; phonological awareness is the understanding that oral language is made up of sounds or groups; and print awareness can best be described as the knowledge that print corresponds to speech, and the manner in which individuals read. After this brief background and explanation, the authors describe the method that teachers can utilize to facilitate the development of those three areas through purposeful, fun, age and developmentally-appropriate, storybook reading activities.

The authors set the tone and importance for this subject by describing that as literacy becomes more necessary in our current times, illiteracy rates continue to grow in the United States. Since reading problems begin in the very early ages, these issues are rarely overcome, and a solution to this is for children that display reading problems to receive assistance as soon as possible to correct this problem. The reading activities that are described by the authors are ideally appropriate for children in kindergarten or early first grade, when they are learning to read. However, the authors note that primary grade students that are struggling with reading, for example students with learning disabilities or communication disorders, are also good candidates.

The authors explain that reading is a language-based skill that shares many of the processes and the knowledge used in understanding oral language. Many children who have difficulty learning to read also struggle with developing good oral skills. The authors suggest the use of interactive reading, a process that involves the child, the teacher, and the storybook. After reading each page of the storybook, it is also necessary to discuss the page with the child, in the form of asking questions, making comments and responding to the child's impressions of the pictures that correspond to the words of the story. The authors then explain the process of phonological awareness, which begins when a child recognizes that speech is composed of words. It is mentioned how one of the early phonological tasks is to learn to recognize and generate rhyming words. However, the authors note that there is currently no available research that specifically analyzes the effectiveness of using storybooks to enhance the phonological awareness of young children.

The article explains that providing direct instruction of phonological awareness skills using words found in storybooks has two advantages: it assists children in understanding how phonetics, or the way in which words are pronounced, relates to print; and the use of familiar storybooks can serve to motivate the children, resulting in more and more reading. The authors include an observation checklist to assist teachers when they are observing or "grading" the children. This list includes such checklist items as: sentence length identification, identification of compound words that are made up of smaller words, recognition of syllables, and correct pronunciation of three phoneme words. The article also offers a few guidance techniques on various words that teachers should use with the children.

Print awareness is also discussed as the third factor of importance, which consists of the understanding of certain basic insights and observations about the forms and functions of print. The authors mention that these observations include: knowing the difference between graphic displays of words and nonwords; knowing that print corresponds to speech; understanding the function of empty space in establishing word boundaries; and understanding that reading occurs from right to left and top to bottom. Recognition of the visual shapes of letters before reading is mentioned, as well as the fact that letters can be exposed in different ways, such as by the use of blocks and magnetic letters. The authors then discuss how storybook reading can be used by teachers to facilitate learning in early students.

Storybook Preview is used to introduce a new book or a follow-up activity, and consists of teacher interaction with a small group of students. This assists teachers in interacting effectively with students, responding to and expanding on each child's language. Storybook Read Aloud is also explained, which can be used in a large group of children, where the teacher reads the book aloud in a manner that captures the children's attention. Storybook celebration is where teachers have the children respond to the book through an activity such as making a craft or drawing pictures. Storybook Sounds focuses on the development of phonological awareness as it relates to specific storybooks. For example, in this stage, children could listen for specific beginning sounds, and then point to pictures in the book of items that begin with that sound. Storybook Letters and Words includes activities that focus on pre-reading skills, such as building basic words such as "hop," "mop," and so on.

Finally, the authors conclude by summarizing their main point in the article: that storybook reading can be used by teachers as a tool to assist in reading, letter and word recognition, and vocabulary development. All of these skills will assist the child in being able to read and understand what is read, in a manner that is fun and interesting for them. The end purpose of this task is to improve literacy skills, at an early age, where such skills can be either mastered lost. I believe that the authors subject material was presented accurately and interestingly, and research did exist to support their points, with the exception of their theory that storybook reading facilitates phonological awareness. This was the only point in the article that seemed a bit weak, because I believe that there would be other better methods of teaching phonological awareness, but this awareness can be loosely tied to reading. The authors made their point successfully, and their presentations were very logical, and proof of their theory exists in the fact that children that do poorly in school early on never seem to improve. Also, their point is made in that reading and interpretation is one of the most important skills to be learned early on in school. This is because if reading is problematic, then every later subject becomes difficult, because everything is based on the ability to read, with the exception of early math.