CHL2601

ASSESSMENT 11

UNIQUE CODE: 783933

STUDENT NUMBER: 16661087

QUESTION 1
1.1
1.2
Stages and cognitive
milestones (page 11)
Sensorimotor stage(0-2 years) :
• The child’s world is
created by what they
can see.
• If certain things or
people are not able to
be seen, the child thinks
they do not exist.
• The child understands
the world by using their
senses and exploration.
• Most likely to chew on
books.
Pre-operational stage (2-7
years) :
• The child is able to put
objects in the specific
criteria that they belong
to.
Concrete Operations stage (7-
11 years)
• The child begins to
think more logically.
• Begins to do more
problem solving.
• Begins to understand
spatial awareness and
time.
Formal operations stage (11-15
years) :
Characteristics of books based Possible games
o the cognitive milestones
(page 13)
Sensorimotor stage: Sensorimotor stage:
• Tactile books • Rattles
• Books with lots of bright • Balls
and colourful pictures • Blocks
to capture the child’s
attention.
• Books with more
pictures than words.
• For example, toy books.
Pre-operational stage: Pre-operational stage :
• Books that have talking • Dolls
animals • Pretend play
• Books that have • Dress up
inanimate objects that
have human qualities.
• A genre suitable foe this
stage is fables.
• For example, The Hare
and the Tortoise.
Concrete Operations stage: Concrete Operations stage :
• Books that talk about • Puzzles
everyday problems • Crosswords
about families and • Games that need logic
children. to be played
• A genre suitable for this
stage is
folktales/folklore.
• For example, Murafo’s
Beautiful Daughters by
John Steptoe.
Formal Operations stage: Formal operations stage :
• Sudoku
 • Full cognitive maturity
is developed.
• Is able to think properly
and logically.
• Is able to engage in and
share their own
thoughts and ideas.
• Begins to understand
different viewpoints
and opinions.
• Books about reality and • Rubiks cube
realistic things. • Checkers
• A genre suitable for this • Chess
stage is Realistic and
historical fiction.
• An example of this
genre is Number the
Stars by Lois Lowry.

1.3 3 factors that may influence reading comprehension and how (page 35):

Home language and the language of learning and teaching:

Reading and comprehension issues are the result of language proficiency issues because a lot of learners
are taught in a completely different language to the language they speak.

English is the main language of learning and teaching and this makes it hard for learners whose home
language is not English and it also makes it difficult for the teacher to teach learners who do not
understand.

Therefore, a child’s ability to understand a story will be jeopardized if they have to read in a language
that they do not know and this negatively influences reading comprehension.

Background knowledge and context:

How well a learner understands the meaning of words is based on his/her knowledge of the structure of
the language and its vocabulary.

So, if a child has a broad vocabulary, they will be good at reading comprehension.

When learners learn new vocabulary through direct instruction and everyday experiences, they will get
better at reading comprehension, thus working at helping learners extend their vocabulary will
positively influence reading comprehension.

Reading proficiency:

A learner will be able to instantly recognise words if they can read with fluency and understanding.

Their pace of reading will be much slower if it takes them longer to decode words and this negatively
influences reading comprehension because it results in the sentence or words read to lose their
meaning.

Therefore, the faster a learner can decode or instantly recognise words, the better a reader they will
become, and they will understand what is being read and this will influence reading comprehension in a
positive way.
Question 2

2.1 The EMC process is made up of 3 phases. They are: Establish, Maintain and Consolidate. The process
should be continuously repeated because the reading process is never-ending. I will use the EMC
framework to guide me in teaching reading comprehension in the following ways (page 41):

Establish meaning-making before reading. Firstly, I will determine the purpose of reading and find out
the genre of the text as well as what type of text it is. As the teacher, I have to help my students find the
meaning of reading so that they have a meaning-making process instilled before they even begin to
read. Next, I will teach my students how to identify the type of genre of text the text is. I will do this by
exposing them to a wide variety of genres and text types so that when a text is read they will know what
genre and text type it is. This, with the purpose of reading, builds the first bits of foundation of meaning
making. After this, I will activate prior knowledge because new knowledge is remembered better when
it is connected to existing knowledge. I will help my students make predictions and assumptions about
the text before they even read the text. By just looking at the title and the text I will ask the students
what they think the genre of the text will be.

Maintain meaning-making processes during reading. I will now teach my students to repeatedly ask
themselves as they read the text if they understand what they are reading so that they can monitor their
own understanding. If they do not understand what they are reading, I will teach them to read slower or
faster and to go back and re-read parts or to even ask for help. I, as the teacher will monitor my
students’ understanding and reading behaviour. I will observe my students individually so I can see who
loses interest, whose mind wanders, who is too scared to ask for help if they are struggling etc. I will also
teach my students various reading techniques like skimming, scanning and speed reading.

Consolidate meaning making (after reading) consolidating the meaning-making process in writing is very
important after reading. I order for me to test comprehension, I will give my class pre-set questions
about the text. I will teach my students to ask 4 types of questions:

1. Right there questions: answers are found in the text and the questions are made up of words in
the text.
2. Think and search questions: learners will have to search and put together information from
different parts of the text to find the answer.
3. Author and you questions: questions are about things in the text but learners use personal
experiences to answer.
4. On my own questions: answers are nowhere in the text but learners use prior knowledge to
answer.

Finally, i will teach my students how to summarise. I will do this by starting simple and gradually
increases the difficulty. I can start by making my students write one sentence explaining each paragraph
and saying what it is about and then I will ask them to come up with a different title to the text.

2.2 (page 74) Analise: through children’s literature, children can learn to analise characters, their
decisions and the story. This increases their ability to understand difficult concepts.
Compare: childrens’s literature can teach children how to compare characters and different scenes in
the story as well as changes to the story.

Evaluate: children’s literature can teach children how to evaluate ideas and, in the process, form their
own opinions.

2.3 To get young children to want to read books, even those who are not familiar with reading or
perhaps do not like reading or listening to stories, I would try to read every day to them. I will read with
passion and exaggerative expressions to capture their attention. I will tell them to try to imagine what is
happening in the story. I will also create a beautiful reading corner with an array of books that my class
can choose from to read on their own or to each other. I will ensure that the books have short,
predictable texts and have colourful pictures. (page 25-31)

2.4 Children’s literature can be used to develop language skills and vocabulary in the following ways
(page 10):

Showing pictures and books and also conversing with children as you read the story, they learn new
words,sounds, rhymes and rhyming patterns.

Through children’s literature, children learn how sounds put together create meaning and make words,
resulting in them discovering song and poetry.

Going over new words in different places in the story will help them come to know and understand the
word in different situations.

When we discuss the characters and events and question the characters and events, children’s language
development is strengthened because they develop and enhance important critical thinking skills.

Lastly, through children’s literature, children will learn to pick up rhyming words and identify alphabet
letters.