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Answers are at the bottom of the blog
1. Research shows that the best way to teach preschoolers to read is with:
a. systematic phonics b. whole language c. sight words
2. What are the easiest letter sounds to teach a beginning reader?
a. short vowels b. long vowels
c. particular consonants
3. Does it matter how a child holds a pencil?
a. No, as long as the printing is legible. b. Yes, the tripod method is best (thumb, index finger, middle finger). c. No, unless the grip produces cramping, fatigue or pain.
4. Is there an easy way to teach a child to distinguish “b” from “d”?
a. Yes, by forming a “bed” with both fists. b. No, but eventually everyone figures it out. c. No, but only kids with dyslexia have trouble after first grade.
5. Is English a harder language to read than other Western languages?
a. No, it just seems that way because English has so many words. b. Yes, the multi-letter structure of syllables makes English more difficult. c. Yes, the multiple ways of spelling the same sound make English more difficult.
6. Do preschool boys prefer different reading material from preschool girls?
a. No, at that age their preferences are pretty similar. b. Yes, preschool boys prefer more nonfiction and adventure stories.
7. What games are especially good for getting preschoolers ready to read?
a. Ball games of all kinds b. “Mother, May I” and “Simon Says” c. Running
8. Why do we read from left to right in English?
a. The Greeks did it, and then the Romans did it, and so now we do it. b. Right-handed scribes didn’t smudge going from left to right. c. Right-handed people could see what they just wrote by going from left to right.
9. What do schools expect kindergarteners to know about reading?
a. Rhyming words are the same at the end, not the beginning.
b. There are two kinds of vowel sounds: long and short. c. How to identify 26 upper and lower case letters
10. Are there more dyslexic readers in English than in other languages?
a. Yes. English is harder than most languages to decode. b. No, but in the U.S. children are tested more for disabilities. c. Yes, dyslexia is somewhat culturally induced.
Answers to Quiz on knowledge of reading and preschoolers.
1. Research shows that the best way to teach preschoolers to read is with systematic phonics. The US government ended the debate with a large study about ten years ago. See blog.
2. What are the easiest letter sounds to teach a beginning reader? Particular consonants which almost always sound the same are the easiest way to start. See blog.
3. Does it matter how a child holds a pencil? Experts say the tripod method leads to less cramping, fatigue and pain. See blog.
4. Is there an easy way to teach a child to distinguish “b” from “d”? Forming a “bed” with both fists works once a child knows how to spell bed. See blog.
5. Is English a harder language to read than other Western languages? Yes, the multi-letter structure of syllables and the multiple ways of spelling the same sound make English more difficult. See blog.
6. Do preschool boys prefer different reading material from preschool girls? Yes, preschool boys prefer more nonfiction and adventure stories compared to girls. See blog.
7. What games are especially good for getting preschoolers ready to read? “Mother, May I,” “Simon Says” and games requiring listening and following directions are good. See blog.
8. Why do we read from left to right in English? No one knows, but there are lots of theories. See blog.
9. What do schools expect kindergarteners to know about reading? Rhyming words, short and long vowels, and all the letters and their sounds are on the short list. See blog.
10. Are there more dyslexic readers in English than in other languages? Yes, English is harder than most languages to decode, in part because English spelling has not kept up with English pronunciation and because of the multiple ways of pronouncing almost all letters. See blog.
comicphonics for early readers 