A Strange Fact About Not Learning to Read

1. What is the strange fact about not learning to read? 

Poor and minority children have more difficulty learning to read than more privileged children.  

2. Why is this fact so strange?

Because ALL children seem to have little or NO difficulty learning to play video games, so why should reading be any different?! Socioeconomic status shouldn't matter

3. What is it about school that manages to transform children who at good at learning things like Pokeman into children who are not good a learning?

The difference is the instructed process versus it being embedded into ones culture. It's a proven fact that humans don't learn as well through direct instruction, rather, one must have a culture built around it so he/she has a saturated environment  

4. What is the differences between a traditionalists approach to learning to read and more progressive educators?

Traditionalists believe learning to read is an instructed process; progressive educators, on the other hand, feel that it's more natural and progresses as one grows and learns more. 

5. Is learning to read a natural process like learning to speak a language?

No. Learning to walk and talk is a natural process that is in our genetics and has been for hundreds of years, Learning to read, however, is a learned skill such as tying your shoes- someone must teach you and you must practice.

6. What is the differences between natural, instructed and cultural processes and which process should reading be classified under?

Natural processes are biological processes in which we, as humans, do instinctively. Instructed processes are where an expert is scaffolding the learner and teaching him/her. Cultural processes are those things we learn because of the culture we live in such as eating with chop sticks. Reading should be classified as a cultural process, as everyone should be reading, however, it is an instructed process because not everyone has the cultural means to a literary home life.

7. How do humans learn best? Through instructional processes or through cultural processes? How is reading taught in school?

Humans learn best through cultural processes, however, reading is taught by an instructional process in schools

8. According to the author, what is the reason for the "fourth grade slump."

The fourth grade slump is the exchange between learning to read and reading to learn. And many students cannot retain the complex language of textbooks

9. What is a better predictor of reading success than phonemic awareness?

How well a student does with language prior to school

10. What is the difference between "vernacular" and "specialist" varieties of language? Give an example of two sentences, one written in the vernacular and one written in a "a specialized variety",  about a topic in your content area.

Vernacular language is how people speak to one another on a daily basis. Specialist language is a more academic way of speaking, more proper. Vernacular sentence: That kid just doesn't read very well.     Specialized sentence: Due to her learning difference, that student isn't at the proper reading level for a child of her age. 

11. What is "early language ability" and how is it developed?

Early language ability is those who bring some prototype of academic language (some of that specialist language) with them to school upon reaching pre-k or kindergarten. It is developed by having a text-rich environment at home and parents and family members that use academic rich type conversations with the student.

12. According to the author why and how does the traditionalist approach to teaching children to read fail?

Because hearing and using the academic (or specialist) language isn't as comfortable for many children to use because they don't hear it at home. If they were taught using more of a vernacular language, it would help learning. 

13. Are parents of poor children to blame for their children's inexperience with specialized varieties of language before coming to school?

I will get a hard time for this, but yes! Without the support of parents (or guardians) and without their knowledge, they can't give their child the amount of support needed to succeed in school. Although it is the child alone that goes to school, does the work and is responsible for his or her own success it's up to the parents and family members to encourage it and typically, people of lower socioeconomic status are less educated. 

14. Did you struggle with reading this text? Why? Are you a poor reader or are you unfamiliar with this variety of specialized language?

Not really. I am a pretty crummy reader in general as my comprehension level and attention levels are low, but I did ok. This specialized language isn't too difficult to decipher.