Friday, December 14, 2018

Reading - Better Late Than Early

picture from Today's Parent

In case you're child isn't reading yet....consider this quote:


It is true that some children can learn to read remarkably early.  But the fact that they can does not mean they should.  Should is another question.  One school district set up an experiment to help decide this question.  Some kindergarteners in the district received extensive instruction in reading.  Others spent the same amount of time learning science.  They melted ice.  They observed thermometers in hot and cold places.  They played with magnets, grew plants, learned about animal life, and so on.  Books and pictures were available for these children if they wanted them, but no formal lessons in reading were held.

And what did the school district learn?  By third grade the "science" children were far ahead of the "reading" children in their reading scores.  The reason?  Their vocabularies and thinking skills were more advanced.  They could read on more topics and understand higher level materials.  The "reading" children, by starting earlier, used up a lot learning time on the skills of reading, while the "science" children spent the time learning real stuff.  And when they did begin reading, they were older and knew more and learned in a fraction of the time that the others took.

Quote by Ruth Beechick- The Three R's pg 6



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