Definitions of Reading and Word Identification

Establishing a clear definition of reading provides an important perspective for evaluating

approaches to teaching word-identification skills. Most educators would agree that the major
purpose of reading should be the construction of meaning -- comprehending and actively
responding to what is read. Two of the most widely cited and agreed-upon definitions of
reading are the following:

Reading is the process of constructing meaning from written texts. It is a complex

skill requiring the coordination of a number of interrelated sources of information
(Anderson et al., 1985).

Reading is the process of constructing meaning through the dynamic interaction

among: (1) the reader's existing knowledge; (2) the information suggested by the text
being read; and (3) the context of the reading situation (Wixson, Peters, Weber, &
Roeber, 1987, citing the new definition of reading for Michigan).

Older, mechanistic definitions of reading as the translation of printed symbols into oral
language equivalents are incomplete, given the progress made in understanding the nature of
the reading process. There is widespread agreement that without the activation of relevant
prior knowledge by a cognitively active reader and the melding of that prior knowledge with
the text information, there can be no reading of text.

Even definitions of reading that emphasize meaning indicate that reading is activated by
print. The reader must be able to translate the written words into meaningful language.
Virtually all four- and five-year-old children can communicate with and learn from oral
language, but very few can read, because they lack the ability to identify printed words.
While simply being able to recognize or "say" the printed words of text without constructing
the meaning of that text is not reading, constructing meaning from written text is impossible
without being able to identify the words.

The terms word identification, word recognition, and decoding are frequently used
interchangeably. The new Literacy Dictionary (Harris & Hodges, 1995) defines both word
recognition and word identification as "the process of determining the pronunciation and
some degree of meaning of an unknown word" (pp. 282-283). For words that are in a reader's
meaning vocabulary, unlocking the pronunciation leads to the word's meaning. If a printed
word is not in a reader's meaning vocabulary, word-identification skills may allow access to
the word's pronunciation, but not its meaning. Being able to arrive at the pronunciation of a
printed word constitutes word identification in the most minimal sense; however, if the reader
is unable to attach meaning to the word, then he or she has not read the word, since reading
must end in meaning construction.
Reading Aloud

What is Reading Aloud?

Reading aloud forms a foundation for the early literacy framework. By having stories read to
them children learn to love stories and reading. Reading aloud involves children in reading
for enjoyment and provides an adult demonstration of fluent reading. Children can respond to
pictures and text, but the teacher provides full support for children to access the meaning of
the story. Reading aloud to children widens their horizon and understanding about books and
the written language. Children develop a sense of story, increase vocabulary, and learn how
texts are put together. Children do not have to take responsibility for the mechanics of
gaining meaning; instead, they are simply able to experience the satisfaction of obtaining
meaning from reading. This will help establish a desire to become readers.

Teaching Methods

A. Strategies for K-2 teachers to keep in mind:

o Read to children everyday for at least 20 minutes throughout the day. (It's easy
to eliminate reading aloud from your schedule, but remember... Reading
Aloud is critical to children's reading and writing development.)
o Read several books a day so children get used to hearing rich language,
various text structures, and a variety of genre.
o Know the book well! You should have read the book before reading to the
children and have a personal connection with the book.
o Choose books that are interesting and engaging.
o Involve the children when reading aloud.
o Establish parameters for reading aloud time. Help children understand what
you expect them to do or not to do during reading time.
o Invite the principal and other people to read to the children.
o Use technologies that allow a child to listen to a text read.
o After reading, be sure to allow students the opportunity to discuss and ask
questions.
o Give children frequent opportunities to hear texts written by others and relate
those writings to their own.
o The text used in Reading Aloud experiences can be used as a base for other
activities. As children relate their experiences and thoughts to those expressed
by authors, they begin to form their own narratives in their heads and thus
become motivated to be readers and writers.

B. Read Aloud Do's and Don'ts

DO

1. Set aside time each day for a story.

2. Vary the length and subject matter of your reading.
 3. Occasionally read above children's intellectual levels and challenge their
minds.
4. Build background knowledge when needed. It is an important factor in
listening.
5. Reading aloud comes naturally to very few people. You may want to practice.
Do not read too fast. Let the kids have time to build mental pictures.
6. Preview the book ahead of time.

DO NOT

7. Don't read stories that you don't enjoy.

8. Don't feel you have to tie every book to class work.
9. Don't select a book that many of the children already have heard or seen on
television.
10. Just because a book has won an award does not guarantee that it will make a
good read-aloud. (See number 6 from above.)