Making The Case For Phonics Instruction

For years, I’ve worked with struggling readers of all ages. One thing these struggling readers all had in common is a gap in phonemic awareness skills.  Phonemic awareness refers to the ability to manipulate individual sounds or phonemes in words.   Students who lack phonemic awareness skills tend to have trouble with spelling (encoding) and sounding out words (decoding). The National Reading Panel recommends that students receive explicit and systematic phonics instruction. Explicit phonics instruction means that students are directly taught sound-spelling relationships. Systematic phonics instruction follows a scope and sequence that allows students to encode and decode words.  

For decades, the “Reading Wars” have divided educators into those who believe in whole language and those that believe in phonics instruction. Whole language advocates believe that children should learn to read naturally as they learned to speak. Students are taught to read whole words rather than learning to read words through manipulating sounds. Whole language focuses on understanding text structure, making meaning of the text and writing.   

On the other hand, phonics advocates believe that students learn to read by learning the sound-spelling relationship of the 44 phonemes in the English Language. The casualties of the Reading Wars are the countless numbers of students who have not received one of the key skills necessary to become literate readers. The Reading Wars didn’t leave room for neutrality.   Literacy instruction does not have be an either-or scenario. Literacy instruction should be balanced and include instruction in phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency and writing.  

Phonics instruction prepares students to decode words. Students who have strong decoding skills can use their knowledge of letter-sound relationships as well as their knowledge of spelling patterns to attack and pronounce written words. The English language is made up of 44 phonemes or sounds. Those 44 sounds can be spelled using 250 different spelling patterns.  For instance, the /ā/ sound can be spelled using eight different spelling patterns.

/ā/ Spelling Patterns

a	apron
a-e	rake
ai	rain
ay	hay
eigh	neighbor
ei	vein
ey	obey
ea	break

In order to build decoding skills, students must be taught these 250 spelling patterns explicitly and systematically.

Students who cannot decode words often struggle to comprehend written text. Struggling decoders are not able to read text fluently.  Reading fluency is the ability to read text accurately and at an adequate pace. Strong decoders are fluent readers thus spending less time sounding out words which allows them to focus on comprehending and making meaning of the text.   Whereas struggling decoders are not fluent readers and must focus their attention on figuring out the words, leaving them little attention for comprehending and making meaning of text.

Explicit and systematic phonics instructions also allow students to become better encoders or spellers. Encoding is the ability to use knowledge of letter-sound relationships to spell and write words. For students to compose sentences and paragraphs they must be able to spell words using their knowledge of letter-sound relationships. Decoding and encoding skills can be built through phonics awareness and phonemic awareness instruction.  

As we continue to think about improving the educational outcome for all students, we must look at how we are teaching students to read. Schools must adopt curriculum that teach students phonemic and phonological awareness skills explicitly and systematically. They must provide professional development to teachers to build their understanding of how students learn to read as well as how to support struggling readers. Teacher preparation programs must include courses on how to teach reading so that future educators are equipped with the skills necessary to teach students to be proficient readers.  

Improving Reading Comprehension

Statistics show that 60-70% of students in third grade or beyond read below grade level.  37% of adults read below a fourth grade level.  There are many causes for these reading gaps.  Some students struggle to read due to lack of phonological awareness.   These students have trouble decoding unfamiliar words.  Some students have trouble comprehending what they have read.  There are many issues that can cause reading comprehension difficulties.  Some students have a limited vocabulary and do not have the skills necessary to understand the meaning of unfamiliar words.  Some students have limited background knowledge as well as limited understanding of text structure and or literary elements.  Whatever the cause, reading interventions have to be explicit and target the missing skills.

Build Background Knowledge

Think of the human brain as a file cabinet.  In the file cabinet are files that contain our memories, experiences and associations.  As we experience things or learn new things, we add new files to the cabinet.  These stored experiences are called schema.  When we read we access these stored experiences to help us understand the concept.  For example, if a student is reading a selection about dogs, they will access their stored knowledge about dogs.  If they learn something new about dogs, they will add to their schema.  If they have no schema or stored knowledge about dogs, they will create a new file.  The more stored files a student has the better they are equipped to comprehend.  Schema can be built by having kids read and learn about various subjects, take field trips, view demonstrations, as well as view instructional videos and documentaries. 

Teach Students to Decode Unfamiliar Words.

One important skill students need in order to comprehend, is the ability to decode words.  Decoding is the ability to sound out words.  In order for a reader to successfully comprehend a text, a reader must decode the words to gain meaning of the sentences.  Decoding requires that students use phonological awareness skills.  Phonological awareness is the understanding that sentences are made up of words, words are made up of syllables and syllables are made up of sounds.  Students who have not received adequate instruction in this area will have a hard time decoding words due to the complex nature of the English language.  There are 44 sounds in the English Language.  These 44 sounds can be represented by approximately 250 different spelling patterns.  For example, the long /A/ vowel sound can be spelled using the following letter combinations:  /ai/, /ay/, /ea/, /ay/, /a-consonant-e/and /eigh/.  In order to decode and spell, students need to know all of these sound patterns.  Students must receive explicit and systematic instruction in the area of phonological awareness in order to effectively decode words and comprehend text.

Teach Students to Use Context Clues

When we read, we come across words in which we do not know their meaning.  Those who are effective readers will use the words or sentences around the unfamiliar word to understand its meaning.  This is called using context clues.  Many students have issues with comprehension due to limited vocabulary.  Teaching students to find the meaning of unknown words using context clues will help them comprehend the text they read as well as comprehend more complex texts.

Teach Students to Identify Text Structure 

As students read more nonfiction texts, they will become familiar with the text structure or the way the text is organized.  When students learn to identify text structure elements such as main idea, sequence, cause and effect relationships, author’s purpose, comparing and contrasting, they are more likely to comprehend nonfiction text.

Teach Students to Analyze Literary Elements

Mostly all fiction texts are organized in the same way.  All stories have characters, a setting, a plot and most times a theme.  When students understand these literary elements, they are able to comprehend the story better.  Children who are read to as well as those who read on their own have a better sense of story elements than those who seldom read outside of school.

Teach Students to Make Connections

When reading a text whether fiction or nonfiction, part of comprehending the text requires that the reader make connections to other texts, their own experiences and the world.  A text-to-self connection is when the reader makes a connection to what they have read to their personal life or experiences.  A text-to-text connection is a connection made to the material being read and other texts that they've read.  A text-to-world is a connection made between what they read to something that has happened in the world.   It is important that readers be taught to make these connections so that they can comprehend the text they are reading.

Encourage Recreational Reading

One of the biggest things I encourage all parents to do is make sure that their child reads for recreation.  Academic reading is the reading that one does for school or work.  Recreational reading is the reading that we do for our own enjoyment.  Children who read more have bigger vocabularies, more background knowledge and better comprehension skills.  Allow children to go to bookstores or libraries to select books that may interest them.  Children should read daily for at least twenty minutes.  

Nia Educational: Five Reasons All Children Should Have Access to Qu...

Nia Educational: Five Reasons All Children Should Have Access to Qu...: Recently, President Obama proposed an initiative to expand access to quality preschools for all children.  Decades of research has shown ...

Five Reasons All Children Should Have Access to Quality Preschools

Recently, President Obama proposed an initiative to expand access to quality preschools for all children.  Decades of research has shown that access to quality preschools can have a lasting impact on a child’s future.   One in three children will enter kindergarten unprepared.  Children who live in poverty often enter kindergarten one to three years behind in language and other kindergarten readiness skills.   If you ask any kindergarten teacher, they will tell you that many children enter kindergarten unable to identify letters or write their name.  This is especially true for children who live in poverty.  

In the United States, 76% of children aged three to four receive education and or care from someone other than a parent.  58% of these children attend a center-based program defined as preschool, childcare, or Head Start.  Unfortunately, not all of these preschools are considered high quality.  Not only is it important that these children attend preschool, but it is important that these environments offer high quality instruction and learning environments.  Ensuring that all children have access to high quality preschool not only benefits the child but it benefits schools and the communities these children reside in.

        Children gain the phonological skills necessary to become good readers.

Phonological awareness is a skill that is necessary for children to read and write.  Phonological awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate the sounds of the English language.  Children at risk for reading difficulty often have lower levels of phonological awareness skills. Children who do not attend preschool often enter school without the phonological skills necessary to begin literacy instruction. Quality preschools prepare children to become readers by building their knowledge and understanding of the alphabetic principle, which is necessary to acquire phonological skills. Children who attend quality preschools participate in activities that teach them to identify, name and write letters. Children's reading development is dependent on their understanding of the alphabetic principle. Children who cannot identify letters will have difficulty learning letter sounds and recognizing words.  Children who cannot identify letter sounds will have difficulty learning to read and write.

   

         Preschool education programs produce long-term benefits for children.

According to the National Institute for Early Education Research, children who attend quality preschools are more likely to score higher on achievement test, graduate from high school as well as go on to attend college.  Children who attend preschool have lower rates of retention and referrals for special education services.  There has been evidence that links quality preschool programs with reduced delinquency and crime in childhood and adulthood.  Children of all socioeconomic backgrounds especially those who are economically disadvantaged benefit from quality preschool programs.

  

        Preschool education programs can allow school districts to save money.

Special education services account for a large portion of a school district’s budgets.  In a report issued by the Center for Special Education Funding, in 1999 schools in the United States spent $78 billion dollars on special education services.  Current research shows that on average schools spend an additional $10,000 dollars per student for special education related services.  Studies suggest that children who attend preschool are less likely to be referred for special education services.  In a time where many schools face shrinking funding, quality preschool can save school districts money by reducing the number of students requiring special education services.

       Preschools prepare children to enter school.

On average 40 percent of children, enter kindergarten one to three grade levels behind.  Children who enter school behind their peers will more than likely never catch up with their peers unless they receive intense intervention services. The implementation of the Common Core standards has raised the expectations for kindergartners. In order for children to be ready to learn these new rigorous standards they must enter school prepared to learn. Quality preschool programs ensure that children will enter kindergarten with the skill necessary to achieve.

      Preschool helps to build cognitive, language and social skills. 

Early Childhood education data compiled by the Rauch Foundation found that 85 percent of the brain is developed by the time a child is five years old.  Quality preschools have been linked to the development of cognitive, language and social skills.  Research has shown that economically disadvantaged students who attend quality preschools have higher IQ’s than those who did not attend preschool. Quality preschools help students to develop oral language skills.  As children grow, they use their environment to build their oral language vocabulary.  A child’s vocabulary is learned through exposure to language. By age three, children have acquired an oral language vocabulary of about 1,000 words.  By age five or six, students may have 5,000 or more words in their oral language vocabulary. The major influence on the size of a child’s vocabulary is the quantity and quality of the exposure they have had with oral language. Quality preschools expose students to learning that will build their oral language skills as well as increase their vocabulary.

Homework Tips For Parents

Recently a friend and I had a conversation about student learning and homework.  My friend said that her child’s teacher did not want parents to “sit and do” homework with their child.  The teacher asked the parents to allow the child to work alone while completing the homework.  I of course operating under the traditional paradigm of parental involvement totally disagreed with this.  In my mind, I felt that parents should sit with the child and not necessarily give answers but facilitate in order to ensure understanding. After our friendly discourse, I decided to research the concept of homework.   I must say that Google is a perfect tool when trying to convince a person that you are right and they are wrong.  After searching the internet, I realized that the resolve of our debate lay somewhere in the middle.  Most of the research and articles had the same reoccurring themes.   Here are some tips to help support your child’s homework completion.

 Understand the different types of homework.

Not all homework assignments are the same.  Homework assignments can typically have one or more purposes.  Some homework assignments are for students to practice and reinforce learning or help the student master a specific skill.  Some homework assignments are preparation assignments, which are assigned to prepare students for a future lesson.  Some homework assignments are extension assignments.  Extension assignments are assigned in order to have the student apply skills they have already learned to new situations.  Integration homework assignments usually require the student to apply many different skills to a single task such as a book report, project or writing assignment. Talk with your child’s teacher to understand the purpose of the homework they assign.

Make sure your child has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework.

Children need to work in a place that is free from distractions and noise.  Dedicate a space in your home where your child can do their homework.  It is helpful to have a desk where they can store materials needed to complete homework such as paper, pencils, calculators and dictionaries.  This area should be clean and free from clutter so that students can organize their materials.   All televisions in or around the designated workspace should be turned off so that your child can focus on their assignments.  Cell phones, computers and other technology should be put away unless they are needed to complete the homework assignments.

Help your child with time management.

It is important that children manage their homework time efficiently.  Establish a set time each day for doing homework.  Ensure that your child has enough time to complete assignments.  Do not let your child leave homework until late evening.  It is best to do homework immediately upon arriving home in order to ensure that they have enough time to complete the assignment.  Do not let children wait until the last minute to prepare for test or complete projects.  Children should review notes and assignments daily in order to prepare for tests.

Reinforce the importance of homework.

Emphasize to your child the importance of completing homework and making good grades in school.  Your attitudes about school and grades will be reflected in your child’s attitude. Your beliefs about schoolwork will directly influence your child’s homework habits.

Provide your child with guidance not the answers.

Many parents make the mistake of being hoverers.  A hover is a parent that hovers over the child while doing their homework.  Hovering hinders the child from understanding the assignment.  Too much parental involvement can prevent homework from having a positive effect as well as prevent the teacher from knowing if the child has mastered the skill. Let your child work alone but be in the vicinity in case your assistance is needed. When they ask for help, instead of giving them the answer, ask guiding questions that help them find the answers on their own.  Show your child how to use resources such as dictionaries, internet sites, computer apps, textbooks and notes to help them complete homework assignments. 

Be the example.

Research shows that when children witness their parents reading or studying they are more likely to pick up those habits.  When your child does homework, you do homework.  This shows children that the skills they are learning are related to things that adults do in the real world.  Homework time is a perfect time for parents to balance checkbooks, read newspapers or magazines, read online sites and other materials. 

Check homework once the child is finished.

Homework is sometimes counted as a grade.  Parents should go over homework assignments once the child has finished their homework to make sure that they have completed the assignments correctly.  Teach your child to do a self-check of assignments before bringing them to you to check.  Have the children correct errors.

Communicate with your child’s teacher.

In order for children to be successful in school, it is important that there is a school-home partnership.  Talk with your child’s teacher in order to know the teacher’s expectations, grading requirements and ways that you can support learning at home.  Many schools provide parents with online websites that allow them to monitor their child’s progress.  These website are usually linked to the teacher’s email.  Check your child’s progress daily.  If you see that, your child is struggling contact the teacher immediately.  

                                                                                References

Education, U. D. (2003, May). Retrieved from www.2.ed.gov/parents/academics/involve/homework/homeworktips.pdf.

10 Things Every Parent Should Demand Before Deciding to Retain Your Child

  

  I receive calls from many frantic parents who are upset because they have received letters stating that their child is failing or is in jeopardy of being retained. In the old days, they called it being “held back”.  I ask all the parents who call me with this situation the same question, what interventions were put in place to help the child?  Many people associate academic interventions with students who have learning disabilities or Individualized Education Plans (IEP). Targeted classroom interventions can benefit all kids and should be put in place before considering retaining any student.

     The definition of an intervention describes in a nutshell, what should be happening in the classroom for struggling students.  By definition, intervention means to intervene or hinder a course of action.  In this case, the course of action is the student failing.  Interventions should be put in place to prevent the student from failing.  Only after targeted interventions have been put in place and effectively implemented, should parents consider retaining a child in their current grade. There is a vast amount of research on the pros and cons of retention.  I strongly advise parents to research this topic so that they can make informed decisions.

              10 Things Every Parent Should Demand Before Deciding to Retain Your Child

1.  Communication

Every parent should expect that their teacher communicate with them whether the student is making good grades or failing grades.  If your child is failing then you should be aware of it.  Most school districts require that teachers document parent communication before failing a child.  If you notice that your child has failing grades on their report card, immediately contact the teacher to set up a meeting.  Ideally, teachers should make parents aware that their child is failing before the end of the quarter. Many school districts have online database systems that allow parents to access their child’s grades and information about classroom assignments.  All teachers should have email addresses.  Communicating via email allows you to keep documentation of conversations.   You can also send notes to school or leave messages with the secretary.   It is never acceptable to fail a child without attempting to contact the parent.

2.  Intervention Plan

An intervention team should be assembled to figure out what strategies can be put in place to help the child achieve.  This team should include the parents, the child’s teachers, the appropriate specialists (school psychologists, speech pathologists, nurses) and any tutors or mentors who work with the child.  The intervention team should identify areas of concern and then create targeted interventions that will help the student achieve in the classroom.  It is important to identify the cause of the student’s failure.  Students who are failing due to lack of participation or behavior require different interventions than those students who are failing because of lack of ability.   The intervention plan should include short term and long-term goals, an action plan to implement and monitor these goals as well as a method to monitor the effectiveness of the plan.  If you realize that the plan is not working then a new intervention plan should be created.

3.  Targeted Interventions

Interventions are not effective if they are not targeted to meet the needs of the individual learners.  Studies have shown that no two learners are the same so therefore there is no such thing as a “one size fits all” intervention.  Interventions should be research-based and targeted to meet the needs of the child. Targeted interventions include things such as having the student pulled aside for small group instruction or individual instruction, providing students with audio versions of assignments and texts, peer tutoring, differentiated instruction.  There are many different interventions that when coupled with effective instruction can help the child succeed in the classroom. 

4.  Documentation of Intervention

Before retaining a student, a teacher should have documentation of all of the strategies that have been put in place to prevent the student from failing.  The documentation should include work samples, phone logs, report cards and data on the interventions.    

5.  Data

In order to assess the effectiveness of the plan, a teacher must collect data.  This data can include teacher observation notes, grades on class assignments and assessment scores.  Parents should not rely solely on state standardized test scores.  Proficiency cut scores vary by state.  In some states, students only need to get 30% of the test correct to be considered proficient meaning proficient really equals failing.  State test are summative tests which means students take the test at a certain point of the year to determine what they do or do not know.  Often times state tests result are received too late to implement interventions.  Data collection should include formative testing which occurs while instruction is taking place and is ongoing.  There are companies who publish short curriculum based assessments that can be done on a regular basis as well as give the teacher standardized results.

6. Implementation of the Plan

Every plan is only as effective as the implementation of that plan.  Once a plan has been created, it has to be effectively implemented.   During the initial meeting, the details of how the plan will be implemented should be put in place. Parents should schedule conferences periodically to discuss the implementation of the plan and the data that has been collected.

7.  Small Group Instruction and/or Individual Instruction

Every student can benefit from small group instruction and/or individualized instruction.    Parents can request that their child be pulled out for small amounts of time during the school day for small group instruction.  Small group instruction includes no more than five students.   During this time, concepts that the student did not master can be re-taught or practiced.  Teachers can also build small group instruction into their daily lessons.   Effective schools will have this type of specialized instruction in place for struggling students.  This small group instruction can be done by instructor assistants, other school staff and volunteer tutors that work in the building.   Parents can also request additional instruction to take place before or after school.     

8.  Progress Reports

I often tell parents documentation is the key.  Parents can request that their child’s teacher complete daily or weekly progress reports. Parents and teachers can communicate by writing notes on the progress report.  These progress reports can provide a snapshot of the student’s performance on a daily or weekly basis.   Progress reports allow parents to receive feedback about effort, behavior and progress on daily assignments.  As well, it allows parents to have record of progress to make decisions pertaining to retention of the child.  Parents should also require that their child keep all graded papers in an organized binder or folder.  Parents should keep a binder organized by date with all communication, student assignments and test scores.  This allows parents to see progression as well as tell the story of what is being taught in the classroom.  Students can also track their own progress in addition to the tracking that is being done by the teacher.  This helps the student be an active participant in their learning experience.

9.  Monitoring of Intervention Plan

As I said above a plan is only as successful as the implementation of that plan.  Parents should expect that there is a procedure put in place to monitor the effectiveness of the plan.  The plan should include specific timeframes to regroup to determine if the plan is producing the necessary results. The meeting should contain the same persons who developed the intervention plan.  During this meeting, the group should analyze the data that has been collected.  This data should include teacher observation notes, grades on class assignments, assessment scores and work samples.  The group should assess whether the student is achieving based on classroom grades and curriculum based measurements.  If the intervention plan is not producing results then the team needs to evaluate if a new plan needs to be put in place. 

10.  Cooperation

Parents should expect full cooperation from the staff at their child’s school.  In order for struggling students to receive the necessary support, there must be collaborative planning between the parent, teachers and school administration.  As the old adage says, “it takes a village to raise a child”.  The village has to move past the point of blame and focus on helping the child.  Teachers and other school staff should be willing to fill out necessary paperwork in a timely manner, attend meetings and work with parents to implement the intervention plan.  Parents should expect to feel involved in the process and should feel as though their voice is being heard.   All parents should understand their rights as a parent.  Most school districts post this information on their district websites as well as other pertinent information.  An informed parent is a powerful parent so be sure to read the information posted on the district’s website so that you understand what to expect from your child’s school.  Parents must also provide the support to teachers so that the plan can be implemented.   If you feel that, you are not getting the support you need begin by contacting the principal.  If the issue is not resolved, contact the appropriate district personnel using the complaint procedure established by your school district.

Brandi Steagall

Nia Educational

Five Benefits of Reading to Your Child

Five Benefits of Reading to Your Child

I often receive calls from frantic parents who are looking for ways to help their children become better readers.  When I make the simple suggestion to read aloud to the child each day for twenty minutes, some parents give a look as though they are offended that I assumed they were not already reading with their child.  I have concluded that many parents are embarrassed to admit that they are not regularly reading with their child. I do not fault those parents who do not regularly read to their children. Some parents are unable to do this because barriers such as work schedule and other responsibilities do not permit them to do so. There are also those who are unaware of the important role that reading to their child plays in the child’s growth and development. There are many organizations that promote the act of reading to children, but these organizations do not do a good job of explaining the importance and the benefits of reading to children.  Parents should read to their children daily for a minimum of twenty minutes.  Children who are read to benefit in many ways.  Below are five ways that children benefit when parents read to them.

1.    Reading to children helps build vocabulary and language skills.

Literacy development begins long before children enter school.  The quest for literacy begins at birth. As children grow, they use their environment to build their oral language vocabulary.  Research has shown that vocabulary is not learned through direct instruction.  Vocabulary is learned through exposure to language. By age three, children have acquired an oral language vocabulary of about 1,000 words.  By age five or six, students may have 5,000 or more words in their oral language vocabulary. The major influence on the size of a child’s vocabulary is the quantity and quality of the exposure they have had with oral language. Reading aloud is an effective way to develop oral language and expose children to the high quality oral language needed to build their vocabularies. Reading aloud to children teaches them new words and concepts. Children who are read to have highly developed language skills, larger vocabularies and are able to communicate more effectively.

2.  Reading to children builds the experiential background knowledge necessary for comprehension skills.

For a moment, think of the human brain as a file cabinet that stores memories, experiences and knowledge.   These files keep the knowledge that we have acquired organized in the human brain.  These organized knowledge files are called schema.  When we have to comprehend or understand a concept, we have to rely on the schema or experiential knowledge we have stored to make sense of the concept.  If we have no stored schema for a concept, our brain naturally develops one that will be stored with our other knowledge files.  As we learn more and have more experiences, we are constantly refining and altering the knowledge we have stored.  As you read to children, they are constantly activating prior knowledge, constructing new knowledge and refining and expanding prior knowledge.   Reading to children allows them to build the experiential knowledge necessary to have good reading comprehension skills.    

3.   Reading to children helps develop thinking skills.

Being read to and discussing books builds thinking skills.  The quality of the child’s thinking skills is determined by the quality of discussions and questions presented to the child as they read with their parent.   While reading to the child, parents should ask open-ended questions that require the child to make inferences, draw conclusions and express their thoughts and understanding of the book or concept.  Parents should be sure to include non-fiction books in their child’s library.  Reading non-fiction books in addition to fictional stories, helps develop students understanding and thinking skills.

4.  Reading to children helps them develop a sense of story.

Reading to children aids in developing a sense of story.  The term “sense of story” simply means that the reader understands the types of language that is used in stories and as well as story elements such as plot, setting and characters.  As children are read to regularly, they become familiar with story elements and are able to better comprehend and retell the stories.   As they develop their sense of story, they are able to create and write their own stories.

5. Reading to children provides pleasant association with books.

If you were to ask the average child or adult about reading, many would respond that they dislike reading.  Many people associate reading with tasks that they dislike.  Many people only read for academic purposes (reading for school assignments) rather than recreational purposes (reading for enjoyment).  Reading to children helps children have positive association with books and encourages recreational reading.  Research shows that recreational reading improves literacy skills.  As children are read to regularly, they begin to have a love for reading and stories.  Children who are read to will less likely look at reading as a negative and cumbersome task.  Children who are read to, can readily tell you their favorite book and are more likely to develop interest in topics they have learned about through books that have been read aloud to them. 

Written by

Brandi Steagall

Nia Educational