Supporting and Guiding Precocious Readers Shared by: Anita Parker, NBCT 3rd Grade Old Donation Center Virginia Beach City Public Schools Virginia Beach, Virginia anita.parker@vbschools.com August 21, 2010

What do we mean by “talented readers”? Proficient readers who - understand complexities of language - automatically integrate prior knowledge and experience - use higher order thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation) - communicate their ideas - have a repertoire of skills they use to create meaning as they read - read beyond their chronological age (may have been self- taught) - are voracious and enthusiastic - have advanced vocabulary - read quickly - may relate literature to their own lives - may look at books to solve problems

- above average ability - task commitment - creativity Joseph Renzulli (University of Connecticut) named three areas of traits that are interrelated in talented students. These may be considered in identifying talented readers: - above average ability - task commitment - creativity

Above Average Ability Task Commitment Creativity Advanced IQ Long attention span Complex thoughts & ideas High scores – LA achievement tests Voracious reading Good judgment & logic Higher levels of reading than peers Selection of high level of reading materials Formation of relationships between concepts Large vocabulary Spontaneous reading to prove/disprove points Original ideas & products Good memory of things read Appreciation of beauty Strong text comprehension Sense of humor Early reading Divergent thinking High level – sensitivity, empathy Problem-solving strategies to answer questions Concern over moral, ethical issues; sense of justice

Gifted Readers Like... A classic study by Dole and Adams surveyed gifted students to elicit their perceptions of the most important attributes of good reading materials. A summary of those findings is included here. • Sophisticated beginning-to-read books • Nuanced language • Multidimensional characters • Visually inventive picture books • Playful thinking • Unusual connections; finding patterns and parallels within and among books • Abstractions and analogies • A blend of fantasy and non-fiction • Extraordinary quantities of information about a favorite topic • Books about gifted children

Things to Consider in Selecting Literature Picture books Award books Different genres, series, and authors Reading levels Librarians, teachers, other children and parents Web sites available (see list)

Encouraging Your Talented Reader Model reading in the home Read with your child Use picture books Encourage discussions Begin a reading journal or log

UNLUCKY ARITHMETIC Thirteen Ways to Raise a Nonreader BY DEAN SCHNEIDER AND ROBIN SMITH Never read where your children can see Don’t expect your children to enjoy you. reading. Kids’ books are for teaching Put a TV or computer in every room. vocabulary, study habits, and morals. Don’t neglect the bedrooms and kitchen. Buy only 40-watt bulbs for your lamps. Correct your child every time she Under no circumstances read your child mispronounces a word. the same book over and over. She Schedule activities every day after heard it once, she should remember it. school so your child will never be bored. Never allow your child to listen to books Once your child can read independently, on tape; that’s cheating. throw out the picture books. They’re for Make sure your kids only read books babies. that are “challenging.” Easy books are Don’t play board games together. Too a complete waste of time. That goes dull. double for comic books and Mad Give little rewards for reading. Stickers magazine. and plastic toys are nice. Money is Absolutely, positively no reading in bed. even better.

WORDS OF WISDOM "The things I want to know are in books. My best friend is the man who'll get me a book I [haven't] read." ~ Abraham Lincoln "So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, A lovely bookshelf on the wall." ~ Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory "Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." ~ Emilie Buchwald "There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." ~ Jacqueline Kennedy "To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark." ~ Victor Hugo, Les Miserables "There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island." ~ Walt Disney