Print Awareness
The print awareness pretest module had basic questions
describing print awareness and how it effects learning. I got 9/10 of the
questions correct. The question that I got wrong was the first question that
was “Print awareness is: recognizing written language and understanding how it’s
used”. I chose the option “none of the above”. Looking back I am not sure why I
selected that option. To develop some sort of reasoning behind my answer I would
say that I thought that print awareness was limited to the technicalities of reading
such as the mechanics of books, different types of reading etc. I guess that this
definition is included in the answer “recognizing written language and
understanding how it’s used”. On the post test I scored a 9/10. The question answered incorrectly was "An example of print awareness can be seen in which of the following? a child points to a McDonald billboard and yells "Mommy, I want a happy meal!". I answered "a child lies in her father's arms listening to a bedtime story.
Things that I would still need to know are how to compensate
for students who were not taught about print awareness before they reached my
classroom. I am aware of the importance of print awareness but I would like to
know the specific linkage when it comes to developing reading skills. I also
wonder if a child can still be successful even if he was never explicitly
taught the mechanics of the way books work. All in all I feel that I know the
significance of print awareness on a surface level but am eager to
understanding it on a deeper level.
Print awareness helps children understand that written language is related to oral language. It helps them see that like spoken language, printed language carries messages and is a source of both enjoyment and information. Children who lack of print awareness are unlikely to become successful readers. Children's performance on print awareness is a very reliable predictor of their future reading achievement. :)
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