Teachers and parents usually call attention to the pictures when they read storybooks to pre-school children. But a new study suggests that calling attention to the words and letters on the page may lead to better readers.
The two-year study compared children who were read in this way in class with children who were not. Those whose teachers most often discussed the print showed clearly higher skills in reading, spelling and understanding. These results were found one year and even two years later.
Shayne Piasta, an assistant professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State University, was an author of the study. She says most pre-school teachers would find this method manageable and would need only a small change in the way they teach. They already read story-books in class. The only difference would be increased attention to the printed text. “If you get children to pay attention to letters and words, it makes sense that they will do better at word recognition and spelling.” But she says research suggests that very few parents and teachers do this in a systematic way.
More than 300 children aged four and five were observed in classrooms. They came from poor families and were below average in their language skills. For thirty weeks, the children took part in a program called Project STAR--- Sit Together and Read. The project is based at Ohio State. It tests the short-term and long-term results of reading regularly to pre-school children in their classrooms.
There are different ways that adults can talk to children about print. They can point to a letter and discuss it, and even trace the shape with a finger. They can point out a word and discuss the meaning of the print or how the words tell the story. And they can talk about the organization of the print--- for instance, showing how words are written left to right in English.
1.What do we know about the ways pre-school children are usually taught?
A. More attention is paid to the pictures ,with words and letters being ignored.
B. Preference is given to the shape of letters and the organization of the print.
C. The focus of the teaching is on bringing them up to be good readers.
D. Equal attention is paid to the texts and the pictures.
2.What does Shayne Piasta suggest pre-school teachers should do in class?
A. Teach children how to draw pictures to get an idea of what they mean.
B. Change the way they teach and pay more attention to words and letters.
C. Adopt different methods according to the students’ difference in reading skills.
D. Read storybooks to children rather than explain the meaning of the pictures.
3.Which of the following is TRUE about the study on language skills of pre-school children?
A. Many teachers want to change their way of teaching pre-school children.
B. Attention on the pictures has made the children uninterested in reading.
C. Project STAR aims to research into the results of reading books to pre-school children in the classroom.
D. Teachers are often prevented from taking different approaches to language teaching.
4.Which section of a magazine does the passage probably come from?
A. Fashion. B. Economy . C. Entertainment. D. Education.
Approaches To Helping You Learn French
The French language, without doubt, is considered one of the most beautiful and romantic languages in the world. There are thousands of people who would love to be fluent in this popular language and be able to communicate fluently in it. 1.
★Learn it on line
Until a while ago, the only way to learn French was to go to regular classes at a training institute. But now, one of the easiest ways to learn French is to learn it on line! There are many websites on the Internet today that offer various courses in the French language for all kinds of people, right from the beginner level to the more advanced stages. 2. These websites will serve as a good introduction to the language. You also can choose a good-paid program to ensure that you are able to gain enough mastery of the language.
★Try to put French into practical use
It is not enough to attend a French language course and devote a little time each day to learning the language. 3. Consciously making an effort to think and talk to ourselves in French in our heads gives us the flexibility to exercise our French muscles anywhere and at any time.
★Do your homework diligently, read French books and learn French songs
Most online courses will have daily activities or homework assigned to the learner each day. 4.
Also, make it a habit to buy and read French newspapers and simple books that will help you to improve your vocabulary and sentence formation skills. 5. Learning the words of the songs and singing along is a great way to learn French.
A. There are many techniques that can be followed to learn this romantic language.
B. Some people want to learn French just to be able to sing beautiful songs.
C. Some websites offer free French courses.
D. Attempt to find a French teacher online.
E. There are also lots of simple and interesting French songs that you can listen to.
F. Do them diligently, as they are a sure and fun way to learn the language.
G. Learners should also put their new-found knowledge to practical use.
