Reading To Children

THERE'S A LOT to like about home schooling.By definition, home schools are everything the big public schools aren't. They're small, they aren't tied up in regulatory knots, parental participation is guaranteed. (So is homework.) By necessity, they're resourceful.I saw an example the other night at the Arundel Homeschoolers Support Group workshop and used curriculum fair, held at a church on the outskirts of Annapolis.While some parents attended seminars with titles like "Developing Biblical Gender Roles in a Politically Incorrect World," "The Joy of Teaching Science at Home" and "Help for the Struggling Reader," others crowded around tables to barter in previously owned curricula.

A FEW MONTHS ago, I interviewed 8-year-old Caitlin Smith, a Catonsville Elementary School second-grader who had - amazingly - read 1,000 books. A few days after my column appeared, Caitlin's mother, Carol Walter, volunteered one secret of her daughter's voracious literary accomplishment. "I have to admit," Walter said, "that I read to her in the bathtub even before she was born." There's no way to prove, of course, that prepartum reading is linked to postpartum literary interest, but Walter added quickly that she continued to read to - and eventually with - Caitlin virtually every day of her young life.

Advice and strategies to help your children read Editor's Note: Jerdine Nolen concludes her series on language development. Her column appears bi-weekly. Learning to read and write is not a single act but many steps on a developmental continuum. Most children develop the basic concepts of print by the time they are 6 years old. They begin to experiment with language. Some test their independence by reading by themselves. Others read simple stories and write about meaningful topics. Some will use an invented form of spelling, and almost all show their curiosity by asking many questions as they yearn to know more about the world around them.

Children who lag behind in reading skills in kindergarten and first grade will be getting extra one-on-one help starting this spring through a $250,000 federal grant just awarded to Carroll County schools.The money will be used to provide daily tutoring for 15 to 20 minutes for pupils who are in the lowest 25 percent of the class in reading skills."We wanted to advance those lowest-performing children, so they can exit first grade as competent and confident readers," said Dorothy Mangle, director of elementary education.

While many youngsters were lounging poolside, taking advantage of their summer days off, school systems across the region were beginning to make use of federal money designated to help those same children - and others - learn to read. Eight school districts were given millions of dollars last year as part of the Reading Excellence Act, a grant to improve reading instruction allocated to counties with large numbers of children living in poverty. Of those eight - Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Harford, Howard, Prince George's, Somerset and St. Mary's counties - some started work last year; several put the grant money into full swing this summer; and some will start initiatives when school begins.

The principal is coming to Kelsey Kolb's house in the middle of the afternoon.But Kelsey can't be in trouble. She's only a year old and just beginning to walk and talk.And the principal is smiling and bringing a balloon.What's wrong with this picture?Not a thing, says Linda Proudfoot, the principal of Battle Grove Elementary in eastern Baltimore County.Kelsey is at just the right age to be read to, and the school wants to be sure her parents know this. So Kelsey is receiving a "Happy Birthday, Baby" visit from her friends at the neighborhood school.

Martin McCoy stands before a bookcase just able to peek over the first shelf.The 17-month-old toddler is usually energy in motion, but a colorful case of books has his full attention now."You get to choose one," his mom tells him. "Go ahead, let's get one you want."The sweetly round-faced youngster considers his options and then plucks a book from the lowest shelf. "Lets see what you got," says his mother, Danyel McFarlane. Martin holds the book upside down for his mother to see."Oh, 'I Am A Puppy,'" she says, reading the title.

Editor's Note: Today Jerdine Nolen goes back to the basics and discusses why it's so important for parents to pass on the love of reading to their children. With everything that is going on in the world, now more than ever, reading and becoming a proficient reader are so very important for our children. Children who are read to and who read on their own generally do better in school. Reading allows them to open up to new subjects or ideas, which makes learning easier. Reading expands the mind and the imagination.

A $59,000 grant in Baltimore County is expected to make it easier for parents and caregivers to give their preschoolers a head start on reading and will also provide them with activities through the county public library system. The federal grant will be used by Baltimore County Public Library for a volunteer-based program called "Baby Boosters" that will reach out to preschoolers, their parents and caregivers in the community. The project is part of a statewide move by public and private organizations to ensure that all children are ready to learn reading by age 5. "Once kids are school age, there are a lot of things for them to do when it comes to reading," said Kathy Coster, marketing and programming manager for the county library.

The preschoolers were excited even before Mr. Walt and Ms. Val wheeled the big Read Rover van in front of Sandalwood Elementary School in Essex for a holiday story stop."