The Importance Of Literacy Education

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Children are born into families without the choice of their socioeconomic status and with that status comes preconceived ideas about their abilities and future. The unnerving statistics of this, however, is that the status at which a family resides scientifically correlates to the literacy ability and development of the children in the household. “The size of children’s vocabulary at age 3 is strongly associated with reading comprehension at the end of third grade…research also consistently suggests that the size of children’s vocabulary also appears to be correlated with their socioeconomic status” (Vukelich, 2012, p. 100). In general, the lower the socioeconomic status, the lower the child’s literacy abilities, and developmental gains. The literacy development of children is often reflective of their family involvement and the ease of access to materials or resources they possess to enhance their …show more content…

Engaging children in activities such as reading grocery lists, reading labels around the house, or reading a single book per night with their parents can enhance their literary development and outlook on reading. Another idea for educators to integrate into the classroom is the idea of a Classroom Lending Library, which was discussed in the Vukelich text. In layman’s terms, students and parents would abide by a contract that would allow students to take home single books or bundles each night to engage in reading activities with their families (2012, p. 142). Simple activities such as the ones mentioned are not always seen as wonderful learning opportunities, but any exposure and encouragement from parental figures or loved ones allows children to feel more confident in their abilities and generate a more positive outlook on