Antonio, Heizel J.
MAED-ECE-202 BEGINNING READING INSTRUCTION
Pre-Final Examination
MAED – ECE
1. What is the significance of Phonemic Awareness in early childhood?
(15 pts)
Phonemic awareness is one of many skills that go under the general
term "phonological awareness." Phonemic awareness is one
important measure of pupils' reading abilities throughout their first
year of school, according to the National Reading Panel (2010). The
smallest units of spoken language, or phonemes, are the focus of
phonemic awareness. Syllables and words are created when
phonemes blend. Since most words combine one or more phonemes,
it is crucial that teachers explicitly teach kids how to identify and work
with phonemes using techniques like blending, rhyming,
syllabification, and detecting the beginning and end of words.
Phonemic awareness is important in determining the development of
literacy in learners and is crucial in early childhood because reading
helps learners to express themselves verbally and accurately and
listen to others with understanding. Therefore, it is important that
teachers include these skills in instruction, especially for young
learners.
2. How do you promote language and literacy in Early Childhood
Education? (15 pts)
Language and literacy can be encouraged in early childhood
classrooms through activities such as read-aloud activities that are
aimed at oral language and vocabulary learning before, during, and
after the reading activity. If we’re going to read a book, we can
choose a few important vocabulary terms that we should describe in
front of the class. We can ask the pupils if they are familiar with words
that are similar in their mother tongue or if they can recognize these
vocabulary words in their mother tongue as we teach these words to
help them make connections to their prior knowledge and conceptual
understanding. While reading the book, we can underline the target
vocabulary words and explain their meanings in the topic of what we
are reading. Then, as a follow-up activity, we can do a
retelling activity or play a matching card game using the words to help
them remember what they have learned. Additionally, using fingerplay
and rhyming songs, we may also start introducing phonemic
awareness. Through activities using children's names, we can also
include the teaching of letters and decoding skills as a routine. In
addition, in teaching kids to write, beginning with drawing and
scribbling, teachers can broaden the pupils' understanding of print.
Moreover, when the pupils master letter formation, they can write
their names, labels, and classroom signs.
3. What are the effective ways to increase your child’s reading skills?
(20 pts)
Reading is a crucial part of the learner’s emotional and intellectual
growth. There are many things we as teachers may do to support the
child's development as they learn to read or if they experience
reading difficulties on their own. We can start by establishing regular
reading habits. If the child is still learning to read, including a daily
story time routine into their schedule can help them understand the
value of reading, which they should continue to value as they develop
their independent reading skills. Second, encourage the slow reader
to choose books they will enjoy. It can be possible to ultimately
capture the child's interest by choosing the right genre or type of
story. Also, we can try and introduce the child to a wide variety of
stories. Children will be more motivated to read a book if they are
more interested in the story. Thirdly, continue to be attentive to the
child's education in reading. Potential reading problems can be
addressed before they show by staying engaged and consistently
monitoring the child's progress.
4. What should you do when you have students who are identified as at
risk of reading difficulty? (20 pts)
Teachers often become aware of the said problem when the pupils
fail to master the pre-reading skills, including problems with letter
recognition, letter sounds, sight words, and decoding. We can use a
variety of reading strategies that can help those students that are
identified as at risk of reading difficulty. The strategies that are cited
as helpful by most teachers include graphic organizers, questioning,
story mapping, peer-assisted reading strategy, using different
groupings, thinking aloud, and discussing the text with the pupils.
Most of these strategies are generally in line with those that are cited
by the National Reading Panel (2000) as helpful strategies for
enhancing pupils' reading skills. As a teacher, we can create a
safe environment in the classroom where learners feel free to make
mistakes and show vulnerability. Additionally, we may provide books
for struggling readers that are engaging, age-appropriate, and still
within their abilities, we should also include the pupils’ interests and
strengths in the reading instruction and stay engaged and
consistently monitor the child's progress.
5. Explain the goal of reading instruction. (10 pts)
The goal of reading instruction, therefore, is for students to fully
comprehend what they’re learning as they advance from foundational
reading skills to become confident, fluent readers. It has been proven
by the Science of Reading that effective literacy instruction has to be
explicit, intuitive, systematic, and suited to the unique learning needs
of every learner. It also must make connections between how
learners learn to read and what they should be aware of about
reading.
Reading comprehension happens when the words on a page express
more than just sounds. Reading becomes more meaningful,
interesting, entertaining, and educational when it is understood, and
reading is necessary for success in work, school, and life in general.
6. How is reading instruction during the recovery period of the COVID-
19 pandemic? (20 pts)
The recent global health crisis has revealed some of the weaker
aspects of our country’s education system and has aggravated
the education gap. The younger, vulnerable, and poor children are
among the most affected. The COVID-19 pandemic represents a
remarkable disruption to the lives of learners and learning
experiences, therefore it is perhaps not shocking that enormous
reading declines have been documented during this time. Given the
vital nature of early elementary education for the development of
basic reading skills, it is essential to continue to assess reading
progress for young pupils and align recovery efforts with needs.
The Department of Education adopted and implemented the flexible
approach of blended learning despite many objections, and even as
the country faced the challenge posed by the global pandemic. All
educational levels began using a blended face-to-face and modular
system on August 21, 2022, but as soon as classes started up again,
teachers' and students' complaints and ongoing student worries came
to emerge. Since there have been in-person interactions for almost a
year now, one of the main worries that these pupils have is the
alarming drops in their reading skills throughout the pandemic.
Children's reading abilities in lower classes have had a concerning
impact from the pandemic. Our school’s evaluation of the pupils’
reading skills revealed that, compared to before the crisis, almost
every pupil is falling behind in reading standards. As a teacher, this is
very concerning to know. In a class, excellent pupils are those who
develop an interest in reading. That is because almost all subjects
taught, and class assignments given require reading comprehension.
