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Today we are hearing from Dr. Amanda M. Butler – assistant professor at Charleston Southern University at the College of Education – on how parents in South Carolina can help their children avoid reading problems during the coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 has changed the structure of classroom instruction, and it’s too early to know if, or to what extent, student learning will be impacted. Lowcountry literacy rates were low before the pandemic, such as South Carolina Literacy Assessment suggests a mere 50% of students from the third to the eighth grade it is struggling to read + understand the text of the series. (2019-2020 state assessments were suspended.)
Parents’ fear of your children falling behind are completely justified. Well, good news, parents. You can play a vital role to avoid reading setbacks and keep your little ones on the right track.
Research shows that the knowledge acquired from previous experiences can significantly increase a poor reader’s understanding text. How does it work? Let’s say your child’s class is reading about stalactites and stalagmites and your family visited a cave this summer. Your son Text comprehension it will probably be taller than students who have never set foot in a cave, even if the other students are more proficient readers.
Charleston is full of history, art + culture, then stop and smell the roses, read the landmarks and go exploring.
If one local adventure it is not an option for your family, offer a mental retreat instead, and transport your little ones reading to them. This may seem very simple (and maybe a little mushy)but decades of research showed that reading to children and talking about the story while reading is one of the best ways to teach about personal values, culture, the world around youand other complex ideas. Bonus: children we read to regularly have broader vocabularies than their peers.
Skip the bookstore and go to your Local library. Some libraries have reopened with limited hours or have been fully restored and even offer collection on the sidewalk. You may even be able to build your own home library for free through Start with books, an Charleston County Affiliate of Dolly Parton’s imagination library.
When choosing books to read, focus on age-appropriate content. Don’t worry about getting books that are too advanced for your child to read because you are the readerand they are the listener.
Parents, we cannot worry about what we cannot control. (Believe me, your child’s teacher is worrying enough for the two of you anyway.) Explore with your little ones and read with them why this is within your controland will have a significant impact on your child’s education – wait and see.