Stages of Reading: Memorization of books

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Do your children ever pick up a book that you have read many times and read it like they know the words on the page.  Many say its just memorization...but that's one of the first steps of learning to read.  

Children need to learn that books and stories have a structure and that stories have a sequence of events.  They also have learned that pictures help tell the story and they use that knowledge later when they are reading and they get stuck on a word.  Children will often look at the picture to see if it gives them a clue as to what the unknown word is.  

So, next time your child is reading a book, praise them for doing a great job and you will be encouraging your child to keep picking up books...which are the key to learning!  

Watching you read is just as important, so make sure your children see you read the newspaper, magazines, and restaurant menus.  You are your child's first model, so model reading regularly!