Reading is twofold: being able to sound out the words and recognizing that the sounds are familiar and represent meaning. I have often said that I can still read (pronounce) quite well in French, yet I have no idea of what it means because I have forgotten so much vocabulary. Does that make sense?
I was at an inservice years ago with a reading specialist. He started the session off by giving us all a reading assignment. The assignment was instructions on how to install a window. He had removed all the diagrams, just gave us the words. Those teachers who had done construction were able to decipher what the article was about but most of us were at a loss. He pointed out that we were all highly educated, so what was the problem? It really drove home the point about context and prior experience.
Reading is twofold: being able to sound out the words and recognizing that the sounds are familiar and represent meaning. I have often said that I can still read (pronounce) quite well in French, yet I have no idea of what it means because I have forgotten so much vocabulary. Does that make sense?
I was at an inservice years ago with a reading specialist. He started the session off by giving us all a reading assignment. The assignment was instructions on how to install a window. He had removed all the diagrams, just gave us the words. Those teachers who had done construction were able to decipher what the article was about but most of us were at a loss. He pointed out that we were all highly educated, so what was the problem? It really drove home the point about context and prior experience.