Developing Reading Skills in the Early Years

Leading
Change
with Parents
Samantha Jaspal Steed, B.A. (QTS)
Headteacher, Berkhamsted Pre-Prep

Learning to Read
Ik heet Irene en ik lees graag.
Ik lees graag longe boeken.

What do we mean by Progress?
Learning to Read
Ik lees graag korte boeken.
Ik lees graag boeken met plaatjes.

Learning to Read
Ik lees graag verrietige boeken.
Ik lees graag grappige boeken.

Reading Challenge
Reading Task: The Krinklejup
A krinklejup was parling a tristlebin when a barjam
stipped. The barjam then grupped the krinklejup.
The krinklejup zisked zoelly.
Comprehension Exercise:
What was the krinklejup doing?
What stipped?
What did the barjam grup?
How did the krinklejup zisk?
parling a tristlebin
a barjam stipped
the krinklejup
zoelly

Reading Challenge

Reading Challenge
Comprehension Exercise:
NOUNS: krinklejub, trislebin, barjam
VERBS: was parling, stipped, grupped, zisked
ADVERBS: zoelly

Reading Challenge
Comprehension Exercise: Questions that probe deeper
Describe what a krinklejup/ a tristlebin / a barjam looks like.
Why you think the barjam grupped the krinklejup?
Describe how to stip, grup and zisk?
What would make you zisk zoelly?

How to Challenge in the Pre-Prep
Reading Task: The Wolf
A wolf was chasing a little girl when a huntsman
appeared. The huntsman then shot at the wolf.
The wolf ran away frightened.

Reading Challenge
Reading Task: The Wolf
A wolf was chasing a little girl when a huntsman
appeared. The huntsman then shot at the wolf.
The wolf ran away frightened.
Comprehension Exercise 2:
Describe what a krinklejup/ a tristlebin / a barjam looks like.
Why you think the barjam grupped the krinklejup?
Describe how to stip, grup and zisk?
What would make you zisk zoelly?

Five Building Blocks of
Literacy
PA
MGR SA
MA
OPA
1. Phonological Awareness
(PA)
2. Orthographic Pattern
Awareness (OPA)
3. Mental Graphemic
Representations (MGRs)
4. Semantic Awareness (SA)
5. Morphological Awareness
(MA)
Rhona Stainthorp

Block 1 – Phonological Awareness
• Phonological awareness is the ability to think
about, talk about and manipulate (for example,
sound blending and segmentation) speech
sounds;
• It is a strong predictor of spelling and word level
reading.

Block 2 - Orthographic Knowledge
 Orthographic knowledge is the knowledge required to
translate language from spoken to written form. It involves
both:
 orthographic pattern knowledge (i.e., spelling
patterns/conventions)
 mental graphemic representations (i.e., pictures of written words
in our heads).
 To be adequate at word-level literacy, we must be aware of
both these aspects of orthographic knowledge.

Mental graphemic representations are the “pictures in our
heads” of words or parts of words. Spelling and word-level
reading are aided and become more fluent when clear
MGRs of words or morphemes are established. MGRs are
part of orthographic knowledge.
MGR knowledge is needed specifically when learning words
for which knowledge from the other blocks can’t be used:
• bucket
• leap
Block 3 - Mental Graphemic
Representations (MGRs)

Block 4 - Semantic Awareness
• Semantic awareness is the awareness of the
effect of spelling on word meanings and vice
versa:
 Homophones
“rows” vs. “rose”
“won” vs. “one”
“which” vs. “witch”

Block 5 - Morphological Awareness
Morphological awareness is the awareness and
manipulation of the smallest units of meaning in
language (morphemes), which include base words and
affixes (prefixes/suffixes):
◦ awareness of morphological units (cats has 2 morphemes);
◦ knowledge of morphologic forms (ly, ed, tion);
◦ knowledge of modification rules (hope/hoping);
– knowledge of compound words (green + house = greenhouse)
◦ knowledge of the relationship between words and their derived forms
(magic, magician);

The Pre-Prep Learning Brain
and Pupil Profiles

Early Brain Development
Blooming and Pruning
In the first 3 years a child’s brain has twice as many
synapses as it will have in adulthood.

Blooming and Pruning
Why create more synapses than needed?
A brain will fine tune itself according to the input it
receives from the environment
(clip)

Sad Kitten Story
X

The Pre-Prep Learning Brain – Early Years
Hothousing
Hothousing “is the process of inducing
infants to acquire knowledge that is
typically acquired at a later developmental
level.”
Sigel 1987, p.212

Hothousing
“One can teach very young children a lot of
material that can be learned in a rote,
mechanistic fashion but without their
understanding. Why bother to spend the
time and energy to teach material earlier,
when the probability is very high that most
children will learn it all later anyway, more
easily and with understanding?
“In sum, my basic argument derived from research on
cognitive development is that acquisition and use of
knowledge involve understanding because understanding
allows for generalisation of acquired knowledge to various
contexts.” Sigel 1987 p.215-6

Learning Words
12 months Children move from sounds to words.
18 - 24 months Vocabulary of 20 – 50 words
5 years old Vocabulary of 2000 words

The Pre-Prep Learning Brain – Pre-Prep
Learning to Read and Write
“As vocabulary and grammatical
competence increases, children
become able to give a continuous
account of events – to “tell a story.”
This narrative form of talk is related to
the independent expression of
language need for writing.
Children who have competent
narrative skills learn to read and write
more readily than those who have not
established these skills.” p.48

Enabling Environments in Schools
Communication Friendly Spaces

The CFS approach focuses on the role of the
environment in supporting speaking and listening skills,
emotional well-being and general engagement.
“It is critical to understand how the physical space
should connect with its intention.”
Elizabeth Jarman, Founder of CFS

Speech sounds stimulate activity.
If the amount of input increases (if more speech is
heard) synapses will be activated more often.

“Reading and writing flow on a sea of talk.”
James Britain

How to Develop Mastery:
Austin’s Butterfly

It is too easy to think that a
young child has grasped a topic,
idea or skill.

How to Challenge in the Pre-Prep

Case Study: Drawing Butterflies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqh1MRWZjms

Case Study: Drawing Butterflies

Hothousing Reading and Writing
Summary of Lessons Learned
1. Pictures help children learn to read.
2. Answering questions rote does not
mean understanding.
3. Children develop language skills
through creative role play.
4. Nursery Rhymes help children learn
sound, rhythm and rhyme.
5. Some children will not have
developed sufficient motor skills to
write at a young age.

Further Reading and References
• Blakemore, SJ and Frith, U. The Learning Brain, 2005
• Lindon, J. Reflective Practice and Early Years Professionalism, 2010
• Sigel, I. ‘Does Hothousing Rob Children of Their Childhood’ Early
Childhood Research Quarterly, 2, pp. 211-225 (1987)
• Wallace, B. Teaching Thinking Skills Across The Early Years – A Practical
Approach for Children Aged 4-7, 2002
• Austin’s Butterfly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqh1MRWZjms

Samantha Jaspal Steed, B.A. (QTS)
Headteacher, Berkhamsted Pre-Prep and Day Nursery
Email: preprephead@berkhamstedschool.org
Twitter: @preprephead
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/samanthajaspal
Blog: www.preprephead.blogspot.com

Developing Reading Skills in the Early Years

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