What are emergent reader texts and how do I use them in kindergarten?
A kindergarten classroom can be a chaotic place. It’s filled with restless children who aren’t yet able to sit still and focus on one thing for very long. This makes teaching basic reading skills incredibly difficult because you can’t rely on students being able to sit still long enough to complete an entire book. How do you make sure your kindergarten students are getting the reading practice they need?
One way to help them grow their fluency, vocabulary, and decoding skills is by using emergent reader texts in your classroom. Emergent readers solve this problem by providing children with activities that are fun and engaging but also get them to read more independently, which helps them develop their reading skills quicker in the long run.
Using emergent reading books with kindergarten students is beneficial for so many reasons. Here are 7 benefits of using emergent readers in kindergarten.
1) Develops reading skills
Emergent readers support the development of foundational reading skills. Developing these early reading skills, such as phonemic awareness and phonics, are key to beginning to learn how to read.
But research shows that young children need more than just a basic understanding of letters, sounds, words, and sentences. They also need positive experiences reading books they’ve selected themselves.
These two skills, noticing patterns in words and learning what sounds different letters make, combine to form the foundation for all later literacy learning.
2) Builds Reading Confidence
One reason emergent readers are so beneficial for kindergarteners is that they help build confidence in new readers. When beginning to read, children often lack confidence in their skills. They feel like they can’t really read what others see as simple words.
Because emergent readers include pictures on every page, children feel more successful and confident as they begin to sound out words and decode letters. Many of these early reading books also use patterned text, which makes “reading” the text easy for beginning readers.
3) Engages Children in Learning
Children love being involved, especially when it comes to learning. An emergent reader can help your kindergartener get excited about reading.
Your child will be thrilled to practice new words and proudly show you what he or she has learned. And, as your child gains confidence, you’ll notice that schoolwork becomes easier for them.
Without some basic literacy skills under their belt, children can struggle with a variety of subjects throughout their academic careers. By using an emergent reader, you’re helping lay a strong foundation for long-term success in school and beyond!
4) Improves Comprehension
Building comprehension is one of the most important skills that children can learn as they begin to read.
One way to build comprehension early on is by reading emergent texts. These are books with simple sentences, a limited vocabulary, and short chapters.
Reading emergent readers will help to familiarize young students with words and concepts they will encounter while learning how to read. Over time, as children have increased exposure to these words and concepts through emergent texts, their reading begins to develop. Use emergent texts to start asking simple comprehension questions.
5) Reinforces Literacy Skills
In kindergarten, emergent readers are used for reinforcing literacy skills. By using a leveled reader, students can work at their own pace and have support from a teacher in their learning.
Teachers will often use emergent readers in small groups or whole class lessons that help support students who need some extra help understanding a word or sentence. The goal is for students to increase reading confidence and fluency as they read texts that are relevant to them and provide immediate feedback when needed.
For example, if a text reads, “The puppy ran downstairs,” but the student incorrectly says, “The puppy ran run downstairs,” you’d be able to hear that error quickly and give proper feedback right away. This helps encourage further independent reading practice with little prompting from teachers.
6) Supports English Language Learners
Emergent reader books are considered scaffolded texts because they provide support for kids learning to read. Examples include wordless books, books with repetitive text patterns and high-frequency words, simple plots, clear visual supports, and illustrations.
If you’re a school that serves ELLs, keep an eye out for kindergarten teachers who aren’t already familiar with emergent reading texts. You might want to connect them with others who have experience incorporating these materials into class lessons.
7) Fosters a Love of Reading
One of the most effective ways to foster a love of reading is to read to your students. Using simple emergent readers is an easy way to encourage your student to read.
Because young children are still developing language skills, it’s also helpful to simply talk about the pictures or ask them questions about what they see. You can ask what is happening in the story, who the characters are and why they do certain things.
In addition to reading stories together as a class at school, you should make sure that each child has his own collection of books.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an emergent reader?
An emergent reader is a child who has foundational knowledge of letters and sounds but is unable to read words yet. Emergent readers are still learning about print concepts.
What is the difference between emergent and beginning readers?
Emergent readers cannot yet read words. Beginning readers are beginning to decode and read common sight words.
What age are emergent readers?
Children up to about the age of five or six are usually referred to as emergent readers.
What is the main characteristic of a child in the emergent reading stages?
A child who is in the emergent reading stages can identify some, if not all, of the letters and some of their sounds. They pretend to read picture books by telling the story they see on the pages.