NEW YORK, NY. AUGUST 15, 2006 -

DID YOU KNOW

. . . that a young child's spoken or oral vocabulary is about two years ahead of their reading vocabulary?

. . . that three-year-olds who are read to, whose parents love and value reading, and take special care to explain the meaning of new words to their children, have a lifelong advantage?

. . . that research has demonstrated that these youngsters come to preschool with more advanced vocabularies than the parents of three-year-olds who don't share this passion for reading? In fact, these three-year-olds have heard 30 million more words than the non-reading parent group.

So, while the challenge is real, the good news is that parents and teachers can make a difference, according to Dr. Camille L.Z. Blachowicz, professor in the National College of Education, National-Louis University, and a program author for Pearson Scott Foresman's elementary reading program, Reading Street.

While the variance in vocabulary knowledge may seem to be bad news, the good news is that this imbalance is not without remedy nor is it an indication of a child's mental capacity. It is directly related to the young child's home experience and early education. Studies have discovered that young ones' deficits can be reversed when children from low-literacy homes are placed in literacy-rich classrooms. Teachers who incorporate vocabulary instruction as part of learning to read will teach the words students need to know to be successful readers.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Dr. Blachowicz offers these tips to stimulate reading in your child:

• Reading aloud to children is a proven way for giving them opportunities to develop new and meaningful word knowledge. Listening to books read aloud helps children to go beyond their existing oral vocabularies and exposes them to new words and new concepts.
• Think about reading interactively. By this, we don't mean stopping to ask questions all through the piece, but just throw in a word meaning as an aside ("Oh, stupefied, that means he was just really surprised"). Help the child understand the few words that might not be familiar to them. After reading, the youngster can use these words in retelling, acting out, or other playful ways. ("Show me how you look if you are stupefied").
• Books provide the gist for great vocabulary learning. And, this growth continues throughout their elementary years.
• Select a topic to read that will interest your child and stimulate and challenge their learning.

DID YOU KNOW

. . . that a fifth-grade student who reads independently for 10 minutes a day reads 622,000 more words per year than a child who doesn't engage in independent reading?

Start some fun. Read a book together today!

ABOUT DR. BLACHOWICZ:

Dr. Camille L.Z. Blachowicz is a Professor, National College of Education, National-Louis University, and a Program Author for Pearson Scott Foresman's Elementary Reading program, Reading Street.

Contacts:

Pearson Education Communications
1-800-745-8489
communications@pearsoned.com