Dr. Linda Wellman's

Language-Literacy Links

                        Thought is Not Merely Expressed in Words; It Comes Into Existence Through Them.

                                                                     Vygotsky

                                   September, 2010                                                                                              

Nine Steps to Raising Better Readers.

You as parents play the major role in your child’s reading development.  Here’s how to help your child become an avid reader.

  1. Be a reading role model.  Let your child see you reading everyday.  Bring your reading to life by discussing what you’ve read in newspapers, books, or magazines.
  2. Read with your child everyday. If before bedtime doesn’t work for you, read before dinner, or in the early morning.  Continue to read aloud to your child even after she/he has learned to read independently.
  3. Encourage your child to talk and write about his/her reading.  Ask questions about characters, plot, setting, points of view and main events.  Suggest that your child keep a journal with reactions to books he/she has read.
  4. Pay attention to your child’s interests.  Help him/her find related books, magazines, and other materials of interest.
  5. Be in touch with your child’s teacher/librarian. Ask for a recommended reading list.
  6. Build a library with your child.  Designate an area in your child’s room.  Fill a bookcase, trunk, or a cardboard box with favorite reading material.  Let your friends and family know that books, new or used, make great gifts.
  7. Create a cozy reading place in your home.  Decorate a corner of a room with beanbag chair, big pillows, a magazine rack, and good lighting.  Encourage your child to read in lieu of watching television.
  8. Teach your child that variety is the spice of life, especially when creating a library.  Encourage books of all genres.
  9. Be in touch with other parents and organize a book club.  Parents can recommend children’s books to each other and exchange books.
  10. Make reading a fun, interactive and social activity. Do not focus on the letters/sounds but the meaning of what you and your child are reading.

Creative Classroom  May/June 1999

 

 

Talking And Television

             Anthony B. DeFeo, Ph.D; Diann D. Grimm, M.A. C.C.C., Ed.S.; and Patricia A. Paige, M.S., C.C.C.

 Transforming TV Time Into Talk Time

It may seem odd to suggest that your child’s language can be developed while watching TV. Some experts say that television can’t contribute to learning because children are not actively involved in it. With a few changes in the way you watch TV, this everyday family time can be transformed into a dynamic language experience.

 You can use the following activities with your child before, during, or after watching a television program.

 

1.     Give background information. Review previous episodes of continuing stories. Before viewing a program, discuss the main events and characters that will be seen.  Talk about characters and settings while watching the show.

2.     Focus attention. Alert your child to watch for particular details, including action, sound effects, and visual images. Ask your child to listen carefully and remember as much as possible.  After the show, ask your child to re-tell you the story.  Ask your child to talk about what is happening on the screen.

3.     Relate information to the real world.  Have your child identify objects on TV that are the same as those at home. Tie in events on TV to your child’s home or school routine. Highlight TV events that are similar to family experiences and trips.

4.     Interpret events.  Explain the actions and behavior of people and animals.  Separate reality from TV fantasy. (Would that really happen?  Is there such a thing?)

5.     Predict events.  Ask what might happen in the upcoming show and encourage your child to guess what comes next.  Ask your child to predict what would happen in similar real-life situations.

6.     Discover humor. Talk about the events that make you and your child laugh. Talk about what makes a scene funny.  Point out how double meanings create humor (puns, idioms).

7.     Discover feelings. Describe how you felt after watching a particular scene. Ask how your child felt about it. Ask your child what how characters are feeling.  Point out how music sets an emotional mood.

8.     Shape values.  Identify good and bad traits of characters (real and cartoon). Compare these characters to people your child knows.  Ask your child what would happen if he/she met similar characters in real life. Encourage your child to express opinions and preferences.  Then share your own viewpoint. Ask what shows and characters are your child’s favorite and why. When a particular show is inappropriate for your child to watch, explain the reasons for your decision not to let him/her watch that show. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Dr. Wellman's Bio

     I graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1986 with a Master of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders. I have worked in the public school setting, a private school for students with learning disabilities, UC's Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic, and I have done private practice work.   In 1998, the Southwest Ohio Special Education Regional Resource Center awarded me the ‘Outstanding Educator Award’ for my work in special education collaboration/inclusion.   In 1999, I began working full-time on a Ph.D. degree, graduating in 2006.   My focus of studies, courses and research has been in the areas of literacy/cognition and academic success and the changing role of the school-based speech-language pathologist. I came to work at IHM in 2005.  Along with working here at IHM, I am also an Assistant Professor at the University of Cincinnati teaching graduate level classes in Authentic Assessment and Literacy.   I have been invited to do presentations at the local, state, and national levels on the topics of authentic assessment, language/literacy and classroom success, the collaborative process among teachers & special educators and the changing role of the school-based SLP.  I have published articles and newsletters in state and national publications.

     My husband and I both grew up in Anderson Township and graduated from Turpin High School. We have 2 children. Our son, Chase, is a 7th grader here at IHM and our daughter, Meta, is a junior at St. Ursula Academy.

 My Philosophy

     Learning/literacy are active, interactive and social processes that continue to develop and evolve throughout one’s lifetime.  All people learn in unique ways. Test scores do not capture the uniqueness processes of learners. Language/literacy are the foundational processes that drive ALL learning.

           

                                   

 

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