by Sarah Major, M.Ed
The other night I collapsed on the couch with a book to read. Ahhhh, I really needed to de-stress! It had been a series of heavy-duty days filled with too much to do, too many obstacles, and many hurdles over which to leap.
I’d borrowed what looked like a really great book from my dad and I so looked forward to losing myself in it. I read the first paragraph…and….nothing. My mind was absolutely blank. It shows the extent of my determination to really lose myself in this great book that after reading through the same paragraph multiple times I remained determined to read.
I shook myself figuratively, and then read one sentence silently, very slowly, and force myself to make a mental picture of the words. Even that was hard to do because of how ultra-busy my mind was! But a sentence at a time, I purposely formed images in my head of what I was reading and this time I was able to go on and read the book.
Children, Stress, and Reading Comprehension
I couldn’t help but think of all the times I’ve heard people talk about the great numbers of children who read but cannot comprehend what they read. My own recent experience drove the point home about what happens when your mind is hijacked by life and its stresses. If a child is tired, worried, or stressed out over anything from an upcoming game to worries about not doing well in school, he will experience a drop in his ability to mentally process what his eyes are physically seeing. During my years of teaching school, I frequently saw children enter the classroom in the morning looking like they’d hardly slept, looking upset, nervous, or annoyed; already the day had taken a chunk out of them and class hadn’t even started yet! In many cases, it was impossible to get much out of them until they had had a chance to sit and relax quietly for a few minutes.
Reading Comprehension and Technology
Something else I’ve thought about a lot in the past few months is that our kids spend hours and hours a week with their attention gobbled up by images provided for them by the various forms of technology they are engrossed in. Yes, they are hearing the words, but they don’t have to make mental images – the images are provided for them. Can you only image, then, how difficult it would be for these technology-absorbed children to then turn to a book with printed words and maybe no pictures at all! They may be able to read the words, but if their brains are not forming images of what they are reading, they will come away with nothing. Someone I read recently said that the prevalence of technology is making our generation of children into visual learners. That is not alarming until you begin to think of the role of books as vehicles for learning. Schools are going rapidly in the direction of providing more and more technology for kids, but what about when they graduate and go into the work force? They will have to read and make meaning for themselves.
Children Can Learn to Help Themselves
Children can learn to make images for themselves as they read, but just telling them to do so will not do the trick. You will need to guide them into the practice of turning words into pictures for themselves. You can start small by playing a game. Make it light and funny. Make up a short sentence with descriptions in it, and have your child close her eyes and be very calm until she can “see” what you said in her mind. For example, say, “I see a hairy monkey holding a red balloon that is floating up in the air.” When she says she can “see” it, ask her to describe what she sees. Another great activity to do with a child who loves to draw is to play the same game, but instead of asking him to picture what you've said and then tell you about it, let him draw what he “saw” in his head.
Children need to practice purposefully making mental images as they read, but the more often they do it, the more practiced they will become, and the great outcome is that their reading comprehension will improve! The best news about strengthening reading comprehension by encouraging your child to visualize is that you can do this in little bits of time-- riding in the car, going through the aisles of the grocery store--just about anywhere, you can help your child with reading comprehension!
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled. As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director and program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from fulltime teaching in order to devote more time to Child1st, publisher of the best-selling SnapWords™ stylized sight word cards. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
The other night I collapsed on the couch with a book to read. Ahhhh, I really needed to de-stress! It had been a series of heavy-duty days filled with too much to do, too many obstacles, and many hurdles over which to leap.
I’d borrowed what looked like a really great book from my dad and I so looked forward to losing myself in it. I read the first paragraph…and….nothing. My mind was absolutely blank. It shows the extent of my determination to really lose myself in this great book that after reading through the same paragraph multiple times I remained determined to read.
I shook myself figuratively, and then read one sentence silently, very slowly, and force myself to make a mental picture of the words. Even that was hard to do because of how ultra-busy my mind was! But a sentence at a time, I purposely formed images in my head of what I was reading and this time I was able to go on and read the book.
Children, Stress, and Reading Comprehension
I couldn’t help but think of all the times I’ve heard people talk about the great numbers of children who read but cannot comprehend what they read. My own recent experience drove the point home about what happens when your mind is hijacked by life and its stresses. If a child is tired, worried, or stressed out over anything from an upcoming game to worries about not doing well in school, he will experience a drop in his ability to mentally process what his eyes are physically seeing. During my years of teaching school, I frequently saw children enter the classroom in the morning looking like they’d hardly slept, looking upset, nervous, or annoyed; already the day had taken a chunk out of them and class hadn’t even started yet! In many cases, it was impossible to get much out of them until they had had a chance to sit and relax quietly for a few minutes.
Reading Comprehension and Technology
Something else I’ve thought about a lot in the past few months is that our kids spend hours and hours a week with their attention gobbled up by images provided for them by the various forms of technology they are engrossed in. Yes, they are hearing the words, but they don’t have to make mental images – the images are provided for them. Can you only image, then, how difficult it would be for these technology-absorbed children to then turn to a book with printed words and maybe no pictures at all! They may be able to read the words, but if their brains are not forming images of what they are reading, they will come away with nothing. Someone I read recently said that the prevalence of technology is making our generation of children into visual learners. That is not alarming until you begin to think of the role of books as vehicles for learning. Schools are going rapidly in the direction of providing more and more technology for kids, but what about when they graduate and go into the work force? They will have to read and make meaning for themselves.
Children Can Learn to Help Themselves
Children can learn to make images for themselves as they read, but just telling them to do so will not do the trick. You will need to guide them into the practice of turning words into pictures for themselves. You can start small by playing a game. Make it light and funny. Make up a short sentence with descriptions in it, and have your child close her eyes and be very calm until she can “see” what you said in her mind. For example, say, “I see a hairy monkey holding a red balloon that is floating up in the air.” When she says she can “see” it, ask her to describe what she sees. Another great activity to do with a child who loves to draw is to play the same game, but instead of asking him to picture what you've said and then tell you about it, let him draw what he “saw” in his head.
Children need to practice purposefully making mental images as they read, but the more often they do it, the more practiced they will become, and the great outcome is that their reading comprehension will improve! The best news about strengthening reading comprehension by encouraging your child to visualize is that you can do this in little bits of time-- riding in the car, going through the aisles of the grocery store--just about anywhere, you can help your child with reading comprehension!
Sarah Major, CEO of Child1st Publications, grew up on the mission field with her four siblings, all of whom her mother homeschooled. As an adult, Sarah homeschooled a small group of children in collaboration with their parents, and has taught from preschool age to adult. Sarah has been the Title 1 director and program developer for grades K-7, an ESOL teacher, and a classroom teacher. As an undergraduate student, Sarah attended Wheaton College in Wheaton, Ill. and then received her M.Ed. from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, MI. In 2006 Sarah resigned from fulltime teaching in order to devote more time to Child1st, publisher of the best-selling SnapWords™ stylized sight word cards. In her spare time Sarah enjoys gardening, cooking, pottery, quilting, and spending time with her family.
Child1st Publications, LLC
www.child-1st.com
704-240-9957
1379 S Aspen St
Lincolnton, NC 28092
