Quote: "Children are usually emergent readers and writers in kindergarten, but some children whose parents have read to them every day and provided a variety of literacy experiences do learn how to read before they come to school" (pg. 119).
Comment: As a future teacher and mom, this quote by Tompkins really emphasized the small window that is so crucial for teaching children to read and write. Just the small efforts of reading to and with children as they grow up can make the leaps and bounds ahead when they enter the classroom. It is hard to make up that ground and children miss out on that advantage if their exposure is not started form early on.
Question: It is proven that parents reading to their children from very early year gives them a head start in school. For students that have English as their second language, does it still have the same positive advantage for their literacy level even if they are read to in Spanish?
Response: Oh yes! I learned about this in my TELL classes! This is exciting! When a student knows a language structure, in any language, it is much easier for them to transfer their knowledge of language to a second language. If they have not been introduced to print and formal schooling in their native language, it's much harder for them to learn it in a different language. They have no background to connect to this new language. Parents of ESL students should definitely keep reading to their child in their native language.
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