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Reading Rockets' children's literature expert, Maria Salvadore, brings you into her world as she explores the best ways to use kids' books both inside — and outside — of the classroom.
What did you say?
Children absorb what's around them, including — or maybe especially — language. Words are absorbed at an incredible pace, but just look around; you'll probably see how often adults talk at children rather than with them.
We all do it, it's frequently necessary and certainly speeds things up. But I can't help but notice how few words all of us use in daily conversation.
So, how can we introduce children to language is rich and varied? By sharing books with them, of course.
When my son was very young, we were out and about one day when we overheard someone use the word "odiferous." My son exclaimed in his huge four-year old voice: "ODIFEROUS WRETCH!" (The looks around us ranged from amazement to horror.)
He'd heard that word when we read (and reread) one of his then favorite books — William Steig's Amazing Bone (Farrar).
Rich language is a hallmark of Steig's books. Pearl, the heroine of the book, goes out not on a sunny day, but rather one that is "brilliant." The cheerful pig doesn't call her captor, a villainous and hungry fox, simply a bad guy, he becomes an "odiferous wretch."
More than one book for children has sent me to the dictionary to figure out what a word means or how to pronounce a word. And that's a good thing. It means that these books can build vocabulary for adults as well as children while making a time shared memorable.
Hear, hear! I can't agree enough with the need for our kids to READ, and for us to read with them!
Posted by: christine | August 27, 2008 05:38 PMYou thought that only Indian education system has faults and problems. However, just go through the links below and you find out that the UK education system is equally bad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/7542176.stm
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Teens_marking_SAT_papers_in_UK/articleshow/3247143.cms
http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2008/jul/28/sats.fiasco
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d89a3aec-49f6-11dd-891a-000077b07658.html
Maria is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland, reviewer for School Library Journal and Capitol Choices, and former member of the American Library Association's Notable Children's Book Committee.
Comments
Hear, hear! I can't agree enough with the need for our kids to READ, and for us to read with them!
Posted by: Christine | August 22, 2008 02:28 PM