5 Elements of Learning to Read Online

When learning to read online, there are five key elements that your child needs to master in order to become a fluent reader that reads for meaning. These 5 key elements are:

1.Phonemic Awareness

Phonemes are the units of sound that make up a word. For instance, the word ‘hat’ is made up of three phonemes, /h/a/t/. When a child develops phonemic awareness, they are able to hear, identify and manipulate these individual phonemes. Developing phonemic awareness is the first critical skill young readers need to attain in order to progress on their journey toward reading fluency.

2. Phonics

Once a child has developed phonemic awareness, the next step in their reading development is understanding phonics, that is, how letters link to particular sounds (phonemes). By developing this fundamental skill a child is able to recognise a letter from its graphic form and instantly know what sound it makes.

3. Vocabulary

Regular reading of different kinds of books is essential to developing a child’s vocabulary. The more varied your child’s reading, the more words they will be exposed to. As your child learns to recognise and pronounce an increasing bank of words, they will be able to dedicate less of their mental efforts toward deciphering individual words and focus more on deriving meaning from what they have read.

4. Fluency

Fluency of reading develops once a child has made some inroads towards mastering the above three skills. By reading to your child, you can also provide them a resource critical to their reading development, that is, a vocal model of a fluent reader. By having this vocal model your child can learn how to pronounce words correctly as well as learn when and how to emphasise for punctuation and changes in tone.

5. Comprehension

Comprehension of a text’s meaning is the end goal of reading. Strategies for assisting readers with text comprehension include teaching children how to:

• answer questions about a text

• ask questions of a text

• monitor their own comprehension

• use graphic organisers of a text (otherwise known as putting a jumbled-up text back in order)

• recognise story structure

Learning to read online can be fun and motivational for your child with Reading Eggs. The programme instructs children in all five of these critical literacy areas with lessons, games and activities brought to life with colourful visuals and animations, catchy music, fun sound effects and heaps of exciting rewards. Try a FREE Trial today!