The Resource Room, Cebu

"Get Ready, Get Set, Read!"
Gretzel Nismal

When really young children visit the center for the first time, I always give them a lot of room. I take a step back and observe them with care. How do they talk? Can they listen? Does their silence mean they have quiet inner conversations? The first few exchanges I have with preschoolers suggest a lot about their reading readiness skills.

Speaking requires skills in word knowledge, listening, verbal expression, and reasoning. It is so cute to hear toddlers saying, “tablet”, “low bat”, “download”, “delete”, and “subscribe”, but I am careful to also look for real talking which happens during activities like nature walk, finger painting, cooking, or playing a game.

Many parents who come to the center want their children to know how to read and write. Research and experience tell us that speaking is a crucial predictor in reading readiness of children. Students in TRR who have adequately developing oral language skills often find it easier to learn to read and write. On the other hand, our students who struggle in reading and writing are also the students who had a history of speech delays.

Activities like reading aloud stimulate the oral language of young children to the maximum. We introduce a book by mentioning the title, author and illustrator. Right away, the child copies this. Talking about the part of the story that we like best is one of the best ways to sharpen and extend their reasoning. Moreover, play books and song and rhyme books are also great starters.

Little ones enjoy songs, jingles, rhymes, and poems. Songs have a lot of phonological information that is fundamental to the development of word level reading skills. Sing in any language children appreciate. I am a fan of our beloved “Bahay Kubo”. It tickles me when preschoolers try their best to copy “sitaw, hataw, bataning, sundol, tinola, utot, kabalasa”. And at the end of the song, they complain about how incomplete “Bahay Kubo” was because there was no hotdog!

Another game-based task that children love in TRR is phonological awareness activities. Unsuspecting learners often think they are taking a break from “reading” when we prompt them with, “Let’s play!” It is fun time indeed to be asked to jump when they hear rhyming words, clap at each syllable of their names, relay a secret silly message, or shout the last sound they hear in a word. The bonus is, after being active, children are more ready and satisfied to sit down and do their task quietly.

It is natural for young children to be squirmy. They just need us to acknowledge and use their energies to be ready for learning and reading. Teachers and adults play an important role in providing children with rich and appropriate literacy experiences.

For young learners and reluctant learners, I find it very effective to be natural about listening to, singing, and telling stories with them. Sometimes, it is more fun to join them in their squirminess and restlessness and say “let the wild rumpus start!” Oh, how those delightful little “wild things” would love this.

Children working on their reading and math skills with learning intervention specialists.

Welcome to The Resource Room page!
Enabling everyone to learn.
Ginza Compound, Banilad, Cebu City.
Text/Call: 0991.3901627
Viber: 0917.308.517
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