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Understandings about print |
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The purpose of this little checklist is to check whether your child is ready to begin reading. It is adapted from Marie Clay's 'Concepts About Print' test. I recommend her test booklets entitled 'Sand' and 'Stones' for a detailed assessment of your child's early print concepts (M Clay, 1985). However, if you cannot get her test this short informal assessment will tell you most of what you need to know. You will need to organise your five year old child with the book (a 'reader') that they are reading at this time. You may need to have other similar books available. The ideal book is one which has single lines of print on some pages and others with more than one line. Read all of this page before you begin, so that you know what to expect, and to avoid 'coaching' your child. You need to say just enough to keep them demonstrating their knowledge or lack of it.
How to Start Give the book to the child to hold and explain what to do. These are the sort of things you should say:
Begin reading slowly and note the pointing behaviour of the child. Even if their finger doesn't move encourage them to go to the next page, and repeat the instruction, "You need to point to the words as I read."
Record what your child can do, and what needs to be learned, and then set about demonstrating, modelling, playing, practising, etc. to teach the required skills. |
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