This semester, our Colloquium
assignments have changed slightly. Instead of checking off a list of specific
campus activities, we only have 3 assigned adventures: community service, and
any 2 of the qualifying events from last semester’s list. Most of the work we
do this semester will be on a project of our own choice.
My project is to write some
really basic children’s books, designed for kids who’ve just learned to read,
and to put them online for anyone to download and print.
I am supposed to invest at least
25 hours into this project. So far, I’ve spent about 7 hours. Most of that was
spent learning things, and a little of it was actually spent writing.
First, I met with a local reading
specialist, Lynette D’Avella. She is a previous elementary school teacher, and
she now works as a reading tutor. Mrs. D’Avella knows significantly more than I
do about reading, and I wanted to get a better idea of how to write these
stories. What, in short, are the aspects of crafting a story that are most
helpful to someone who’s just learning to read?
According to Mrs. D’Avella,
children are more successful readers when they are involved in a hands-on and
personal way. Pictures are useful. It’s also great if a kid can write or draw
on a book. Contrived books are not helpful, because a kid can tell they’re contrived,
and will lose interest quickly.
Length is important. Books that
are too long will intimidate a kid and wear him out. Skill level is also
important. The ideal book is not too hard and not too easy. Here, Mrs. D’Avella
pointed out the usefulness of reading levels. The “ideal skill level,” varies,
of course, from person to person. If a high-quality levelling system is used to
identify a book’s skill level, it is much easier for a teacher to tell whether
the book’s difficulty matches her student’s ability.
Including accurate reading levels
in the books I write will be quite challenging, but I hope I’ll be able to
include them nonetheless. I have spent several hours researching some different
leveling systems already, and I would like to keep looking and learning. Mrs.
D’avella sent me to several websites with information on different leveling
systems.
The font you choose can affect
how readable your piece is as well. The ideal fonts are round, simple, friendly,
and have a one-story “a” and “g,” since that’s most kids learn how to write a
lowercase “a” and “g.”
Comic Sans is great for this.
There have also been several
fonts designed for people with dyslexia. These fonts seek to reduce the
symmetry between letters like “d” and “b,” or “q” and “p.” They also make the
bottom of the letters thicker, as if to weigh the letters down, and keep them
from swimming around the page.
Stories with accompanying
audiobooks help kids read out loud, because hearing someone else read a book
aloud helps the kid learn to read with a smooth cadence.
Finally, most of a kid’s success
when reading a book depends on the way it is presented. Prereading, or
picture-walking, helps a child become acquainted with the story before they
read it. Reflecting on the story afterwards helps with reading comprehension. Because
presentation is so influential, when I put this project online, I will include
tips and some resources for any parents who would like them.
