Diverse books, decodable books and libraries. They are all part of innovative community literacy solutions!
We’re So Much More than Phonics
The science of reading, structured literacy, direct instruction, systematic, explicit instruction. It all sounds severe and not that much fun. The fact is, nothing is more thrilling than reading with automaticity. Automaticity happens when a child learns to decode. Some kids will need less instruction on decoding, while others, especially those who struggle with reading issues like dyslexia, will need a ton of practice. There is no love of reading when a child cannot read the words, and that is why teaching decoding is part of the love of reading. Still, all of that work decoding is nil if a child doesn’t understand what they are reading.
Diverse Books
Here’s the shocker! Those of us advocating for the science of reading advocate for content and context. If children learn to decode and do not understand what they read, they will not become skilled readers. Access to books and content is an important way to help children improve reading. We call it “books that teach, and books that tell.”
We are passionate about diverse literature so that children can engage with books that show families and communities that look like our world. According to The Read in Color program, less than 25 percent of children’s literature shows non-white characters. As a parent in a nontraditional, mixed-race family, I can attest to the excitement of finding books that look like your family. It’s natural to want to see yourself in books, media, advertisements, etc.
The Road to Reading Starts at the Library
Let’s go to the library! Everyone benefits from free access to books and recommendations about improving literacy. Parents and caregivers go to the library when their kids are learning to read and struggle to read. At Teach My Kid to Read, we want libraries to provide access to diverse literature and librarians, teachers, and parents to let children read whatever they want without limiting book choices to arbitrary reading levels.
We also want libraries to provide access to books that all kids can read. For all kids, that starts with decodable books that enable children to practice the phonics skills they have just learned. Natural readers will need decodable books for less time, but all kids learn to read by well, learning to read the words. It also means for older kids, the library stocks decodable books that are at specific skill levels so children striving to read can still access age-appropriate content.
Early Literacy Book Collections
It’s hard to believe that most early literacy book collections do not include a lot of books that children can read. The upside is that most of the books are great for read alouds and discussions. Still, wouldn’t it be nice to check-out books that children love and children can start to read.
Most early literacy sections of bookstores and libraries stock predictable or leveled texts. These types of books include very few words that children can pronounce, and they encourage children to guess or predict what the story is about. Leveled readers help build language skills, and once children are fluent, they serve a purpose. Decodable books teach kids to read the words. So why wouldn’t we want to start that way? Why shouldn’t all early literacy book collections include decodable books? There’s no reason we can think of, and it’s one of the tiny aspects of the culture of literacy we would like to see changed.
Community Literacy Solutions
Of course, we can’t create change overnight. Still, we can support community literacy solutions that provide access to books that kids can relate to and books that help all kids learn to read. We like to partner with libraries and help them on their journey because librarians are literacy-first- responders, and libraries provide equitable solutions. In addition, libraries create awareness and offer outreach in various settings.
At Teach My Kid to Read, we host a little free library/ impact library in a high-needs neighborhood in Albany, New York. The library provides access to diverse literature and select decodable books. We have yet to provide the programming piece, but we go through as many decodable books as authentic literature. We discovered high usage from the BRI (I See Sam) books on our website, which means parents and guardians are trying to help their kids learn to read.
Access to diverse literature and decodable books are two important strands that help kids become skilled readers. We never said we were only about phonics! To learn more about our work to educate librarians and provide community literacy solutions, visit us at www.teachmykidtoread.org