Learning+to+Read

=**Learning to Read...** =

 When we read, we are constructing meaning from the print and from other symbols. But reading does not only involve print and illustrations, but also bringing to the process their knowledge of the world and past experiences (Hill, 2006 p140).

Most children become aware of print before they enter school. They are surrounded by print on signs, storybooks, labels, newspapers and magazines. So by the time they enter school they have already been immersed in a language- rich environment.

Children learn to read not only through their eyes, but also through their ears. Parents lay a foundation for success in reading, by talking to a child and reading storybooks and rhymes. This makes reading easier to learn because they have had some experience in a no pressure environment.

When a child looks at print they use several sources known as Cues. According to Clay (2002 cited in Hill 2006 p140), "all readers need to find and use different information in print to combine with what they carry in their heads from their experiences with language". Reading Cues:
 * Semantic
 * Syntactic
 * Grapho-phonic

Information sources that children use to identify unfamiliar words could involve Phonics. Letter and sound relationships and letter identification which is part of the Alphabetic Principle, are important for both reading and writing, and are therefore important for children's literacy development.



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