The Best Emergent Readers
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For homeschoolers (and others who lack that big classroom library!)
We all want our little ones to become readers. Most of us, though, have been deeply shaped by our own experience as students -- experiences that may lag decades behind modern research!
Research in literacy and educational psychology suggests that children learn to read by using multiple cueing systems. That's a fancy way of saying that phonics and sight words are important, but so are contextual clues.
If a child is struggling to read more than 10% of the words in a beginning reader, chances are s/he is reading so slowly that comprehension is lost. Successful intervention programs like Reading Recovery use text at the instructional level (as opposed to frustration level) and include integrated cueing in their "bag of tricks".
The public schools often have wonderful sets of "Rigby" leveled readers so that even very beginning readers can have "just right" books. Even if you're a parent educator, you can still find quality emergent readers from Amazon -- or at your local library. The Brand New Readers series is my favorite of these. I have used these beginning readers with pre-kindergartners and kindergartners and also with primary students who are at the earliest stages of literacy. Brand New readers uses multiple cueing systems. What's more, the series brings a smile to little one's faces.
Research in literacy and educational psychology suggests that children learn to read by using multiple cueing systems. That's a fancy way of saying that phonics and sight words are important, but so are contextual clues.
If a child is struggling to read more than 10% of the words in a beginning reader, chances are s/he is reading so slowly that comprehension is lost. Successful intervention programs like Reading Recovery use text at the instructional level (as opposed to frustration level) and include integrated cueing in their "bag of tricks".
The public schools often have wonderful sets of "Rigby" leveled readers so that even very beginning readers can have "just right" books. Even if you're a parent educator, you can still find quality emergent readers from Amazon -- or at your local library. The Brand New Readers series is my favorite of these. I have used these beginning readers with pre-kindergartners and kindergartners and also with primary students who are at the earliest stages of literacy. Brand New readers uses multiple cueing systems. What's more, the series brings a smile to little one's faces.
But Won't My Child Memorize The Text?
This is a common concern of parents: If a book has a pattern that makes it easy to predict what comes next, then won't children just memorize the words? Many bright children do memorize the books after repeated readings. But thanks to the little introduction that is included in each story, even very beginning readers can often read the story the first time around -- especially if the parent or tutor reads a page or two first. Memory won't be enough. You'll see the children working hard to decipher words here and there,staring intently at the letters... and also the pictures. And if you rotate books frequently, children will continue to do that, though multiple readings. Ideally, a child is working hard to read some of the words -- but only some.
There's still learning to be done, though, even after children have begun to memorize. There's a reason so many literacy coaches and reading curricula ask children to do repeated readings of the same text. The practice builds fluency, and fluency is a crucial building block to comprehension!
There's still learning to be done, though, even after children have begun to memorize. There's a reason so many literacy coaches and reading curricula ask children to do repeated readings of the same text. The practice builds fluency, and fluency is a crucial building block to comprehension!
Using Cueing Systems to Teach Beginning Literacy
Research and Practical Strategies
Here are links to pages that discuss integrated cueing and other guided reading strategies. Most of these are pretty user-friendly (ie not so heavy in jargon from the college of education that a lay person would have trouble with them). They can be useful for homeschooling families as well as educators.
- Integrating Use of Cueing Systems Into Daily Reading
- Using patterned text and other strategies.
- Cornerstone Lit
- Guidelines for coaching beginning reading.
- Reading strategies
- Includes link to a related video.
- Research basis
- Theoretical basis behind using multiple cueing systems.
- Reading Fluency
- Distinguishing between independent level, instructional level, and frustration level books.
- Guided Reading
- This is a good general introduction to guided reading -- grounded in research, but written in a way that's accessible to those outside the education field.
Brand New Readers: Boxed Set
Brand New Readers Blue Set
Amazon Price: $7.09 (as of 01/28/2012)
Mouse, Monkey, Dinah Dinosaur... Children love these characters, and want to read the stories again and again. Boxed set includes paperback stories, stickers, an incentive chart, and an additional story book that children can design themselves.
Try Brand New Readers Online
My six-year-old niece has been reading these online today. She especially enjoyed the one about the monkey who popped the balloons, which she read half a dozen times. She said it had the easiest words. She proudly read all three to her parents (my brother and sister-in-law).
- Winnie Wakes Up
- Read about a little girl and her big dog.
- Pop Pop Pop
- Read about mischievous monkey and the balloons he sees!
- The Chase
- Tabby cat successfully catches... a plant.
Reading Levels For Brand New Reader Series
- Reading Levels
- Gives guided reading and early intervention levels by title. (Guided reading levels range from A to C.)
More Online Reading
- No Tail Cat
- A tailless cat knows he's fine the way he is! This charming little book from Starfall uses just 70 words.
- If I Could Touch the Sky
- This patterned book uses just 38 words.
Printable Mini-Books
- Progressive Phonics
- Leveled mini-books.
You May Also Like: Rigby Readers
Rigby leveled readers are widely used in kindergartens and primary schools around the world. You probably won't find them in you local library or bookstore, but they can be ordered online.
Wake Up, Father Bear (Rigby PM Benchmark Collection Level 3)
Amazon Price: $6.93 (as of 01/28/2012)
A set of Level 3 benchmark books for beginning literacy assessment and instruction -- colorful and engaging.
Are Brand New Readers For Everyone?
No series is for everyone. Children differ in their processing style and in their profile of strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, some families from very Orthodox Judaic or Muslim backgrounds may find animal characters that they object to in the stories. However, I have known quite a few children between pre-kindergarten and second grade -- English language learners and native English speakers from various cultures -- who have taken joyous first steps into literacy with these books.
Thoughts on Integrated Cueing Systems?
Is it important to teach multiple cueing systems?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes
JackieHiggins says:
Absolutely important. If a child decode a word but can't understand the meaning, it's useless. On the other hand, if he can't visually discriminate and decode the word quickly, fluency will fall apart which will cause meaning to fall apart. I think it's all linked together and we have to teach the children to rely on more than one thing to get at a word.
Posted October 20, 2011
pacrapacma says:
I think teaching multiple cueing systems is fine for beginning readers. It gets them started and they can read fun books like Brand New Readers. (These are some of my favorite early reader books. The price can't be beat.)
I wrote a lens called Good Books for Beginning Readers. You can read my ideas about combining phonics books with authentic text books like Brand New Readers there.
Posted October 19, 2011
No -- phonics is plenty!
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Highlights of Brand New Readers
- Strategies are in line with research on beginning reading
- The series includes engaging characters kids love
- There are colorful pictures
- Boxed sets include fun extension activities
- It's an economic alternative to guided reading sets
- The books include instructions to make it easy for parents to teach beginning reading.
Brand New Readers: Boxed Sets and Individual Titles
Brand New Readers Blue Set by Various
We've taken our most popular Brand New Reader titles more...0 points
Brand New Readers Green Set by Various
Included in BRAND NEW READERS GREEN SET:CAMPING and more...0 points
Brand New Readers Purple Set by Various
Another Brand New Readers collection packed with kid-, more...0 points
Wow, It's Worm!: Just Right, Worm Watches, Worm Is Hot, and Worm Builds (Brand New Readers Boxed Set) by Kathy Caple
Visit www.brandnewreaders.com to learn more about this more...0 points
Brand New Readers Red Set by Various
Unlike most reading programs, Brand New Readers are more...0 points
Thoughts on Emergent Readers?
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pacrapacma
Oct 19, 2011 @ 8:06 am | delete
- I think emergent readers like Brand New Readers and Rigby's books should be combined with some phonics books. I see you've added a link to free books from Progressive Phonics. Isn't that nice that someone shares this for free? Starfall is also a free site with some phonics. DLtk has free printable mini books with predictable text and picture clues. You'll find a link on my Good Books for Beginning Readers lens.
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franstan
Aug 10, 2011 @ 5:34 pm | delete
- Great work on this lens
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tutor1235
Jan 17, 2011 @ 4:49 pm | delete
- Nice job! Keep up the good work and spread the word!
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windygig
Mar 31, 2010 @ 12:38 am | delete
- most informative.
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guardianstar77
Mar 28, 2010 @ 10:44 pm | delete
- I am not familiar with any of the literacy help devices you have mentioned here. I have been blessed that both my sons and all of my grandchildren have a passion for reading, and all became very good at it very quickly. However, I do believe that children who have difficulty reading should have every tool possible made available to them. Your material is presented in an excellent format and should be a real help to home-schooling parents and all others who are seeking to help a child read. You are to be commended for bringing these resources to light. 5*
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by KarenTBTEN
KarenTBTEN
Hi. I'm a teacher and a writer. One of my passions is stringing words together -- and another is reading them out loud! I enjoy recording audio (publi... more »
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Beginning Readers: Levels 6-7
A Friend for Little White Rabbit (Rigby PM Collection: Platinum Edition: Yellow Level)
Amazon Price: $5.09 (as of 01/28/2012)
