The Atlantic Canada English language arts

curriculum is shaped by a vision of enablingand encouraging students tobecome reflective, articulate,literate individuals who use language

successfully for learning and communicating in

personal and public contexts.

How YourChild Develops

as a Reader

Some of the things your child

is doing at school

as an Emergent Reader

• listening to poems, stories, and informationbooks

• participating in shared reading• learning about letters and words• reading messages using pictures and letters• beginning to read familiar books

as an Early Reader

• discussing ideas and information• sharing opinions about books and articles• learning a variety of ways to figure out

unknown words• participating in guided-reading sessions• reading to develop fluency

as a Transitional Reader

• reading critically and discussing authors’viewpoints

• reading independently for a variety ofpurposes

• discussing character traits, plot, main idea,and information

• expanding reading vocabulary

Some of the ways

you can help

an Emergent Reader

• read alphabet and rhyming books• read signs, labels, names, newspapers• play with magnetic or plastic letters• discuss information in books• write simple messages to your child

an Early Reader

• re-read favourite books• talk about books you read together• encourage your child to imagine pictures

while reading• help figure out unfamiliar words

a Transitional Reader

• continue to read to your child• ask about the characters, places, and events

in stories• ask about ideas in information books• talk about interesting words• discuss favourite authors and books• read directions for games together

This pamphlet is part of a series to inform parentsin Atlantic Canada about the English language artscurriculum, grades primary–6.

For more information, contact your child’s teacher.

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Let’stalkabout ...

EmergentReaders

are beginning to realize that print andvisuals* carry a message. They mayrecognize a few words and often try tore-read stories from memory.

For example, emergent readers

• begin to read for enjoyment and information• talk about what is happening in the book• understand that print goes from left to right

and from top to bottom• understand the match between a spoken and

written word• recognize some words• begin to predict words

* Visuals include pictures, signs, drawings, anddiagrams.

EarlyReaders

can read and re-tell familiar texts andtalk about different types of text. Theyare learning how to figure out newwords. They may read new materialslowly, but they no longer rely onmemorizing the words.

For example, early readers

• continue to read for enjoyment andinformation

• start to use titles, captions, and headings• begin to use punctuation and upper-case/

lower-case letters• have a growing vocabulary• predict words• begin to correct themselves as they read

TransitionalReaders

can read and understand increasinglylonger and more difficult texts. Theycan figure out new words and readwith greater independence.

For example, transitional readers

• begin to have a specific goal for reading,such as locating information or reading afavourite author

• use details and plot to understand texts• re-read and read on to figure out words• figure out content-related words• monitor their reading and self-correct• prefer to read silently

Reading development follows a fairly predictable path. Just as children reach

milestones as they grow—the first word, the first step—so too do they reach

milestones as they learn to read.

Children develop as readers at their own pace, so some children take longer to

reach certain milestones than others. At each stage, all children can be helped

along the path to becoming independent readers.

How YourChild Developsas a Reader

let’s talk about ...