About the Reading Process
Subtopic Summaries
Reading and writing skills are two aspects of
Literacy Skills; they are two sides of the same coin. In this section we will present several aspects of literacy skills. Each of the following links accesses an in-depth discussion of that particular topic.
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The Nature of Literacy Skills: What Do Reading and Writing Involve?
This question is answered by first looking at the factors that influence the acquisition of reading and writing skills. Deficiency or defect in any one of the factors can impede the acquisition of literacy skills. These factors are presented within the framework of a model, the Component Model, which categorizes the factors that play a role in literacy acquisition into three groups or Domains. These are the
Cognitive Domain, the Psychological Domain, and the Ecological Domain.
Detailed explanations of each of the factors are presented in the in-depth discussion accessed through this link.
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Acquisition of Literacy Skills
This area discusses the old and new views of literacy acquisition.
Before the 1950s, it was thought that children should not be taught to read and write until they were intellectually mature. Such a maturity was generally reached by the first grade. Any attempt to teach children literacy skills before that time was thought to be harmful.
Recently, however, researchers have reported that literacy skills "emerge" in children as young as 3 years of age. It is argued, therefore, such an emergent literacy should be fostered and nurtured in very young children. This, of course, does not mean that formal literacy instruction should begin at the age of 3.
This section attempts to answer the question "When and how should I promote literacy skills in my preschooler?"
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The Nature of Spelling Skills
There is no one-to-one correspondence between spelling and pronunciation in the English language. This poses some difficulty for beginning readers. Some linguists, however, argue that English spelling is not that chaotic.
Like many other things, English language has evolved and changed over the centuries. Spoken English has also been influenced by several other languages such as French and Danish. This has increased the disparity between spelling and pronunciation.
This section includes the nature and history of English spelling, assessment, and spelling instruction.
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