Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.

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Get Ready to Read!

A screening tool for parents and caregivers of four-year-olds

"Get Ready to Read" is a fast, free, research-based, and easy-to-use screening tool. It consists of 20 questions that parents and caregivers can ask a four-year-old to see if he or she is on track for learning how to read.

Step-by-Step

Because skills with sounds, language, and letters are so important, we encourage you to take a few minutes to use this tool to screen the four-year-olds you care about – children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or students. We recommend that you screen each child twice, first in the fall (a year before entering kindergarten) and then again before kindergarten starts.

To use the tool, all you do is read the question that appears on the screen. Your child will answer by pointing to one of four pictures. When you're finished with all 20 questions, a score will appear. This score will show if your child's pre-reading skills are weak, strong, or somewhere in between.

To begin, first read the directions and then start using the screening tool with your child.

This tool was developed by Grover J. Whitehurst, Ph.D. for the National Center for Learning Disabilities and its Get Ready to Read! program. The tool was generously donated to Reading Rockets by Pearson Early Learning. Many thanks to both organizations.

Schools, preschools, and childcare centers may want to purchase the print version of the screening tool and other related materials from Pearson Early Learning.

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Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project that offers research-based and best-practice information on teaching kids to read and helping those who struggle. It is an educational service of public television station WETA in Washington, D.C.

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© Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Reading Rockets is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. Reading Rockets® is a registered trademark of WETA.

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