One of the most difficult tasks facing the kindergarten or first grade teacher is to recognize the degree of readiness to read which her young students have attained by the time they face her on that first September morning. A great deal has been written on the subject of reading readiness, which is as it should be, since it is so important a subject. However, much that has been written is inaccurate, and most of it is incomplete

Chapel, Joe R.

Smith, Dorothy E.

English

ScholarWorks at WMU

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy andLanguage ArtsVolume 10Issue 2 January 1970 Article 31-1-1970Reading ReadinessDorothy E. SmithJoe R. ChapelFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizonsPart of the Education CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the SpecialEducation and Literacy Studies at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy andLanguage Arts by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks at WMU. For moreinformation, please contact maira.bundza@wmich.edu.Recommended CitationSmith, D. E., & Chapel, J. R. (1970). Reading Readiness. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language Arts, 10 (2). Retrievedfrom https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol10/iss2/3READING READINESS Dorothy E. Smith ana Joe R. Chapel One of the most difficult tasks facing the kindergarten or first grade teacher is to recognize the degree of readiness to read which her young students have attained by the time they face her on that first September morning. A great deal has been written on the subject of reading readiness, which is as it should be, since it is so important a subject. However, much that has been written is inaccurate, and most of it is incomplete. There is essential agreement on what is meant by the words, "read-ing readiness." It might be translated as, "the time at which a child is capable of learning to read." Traditionally, in the United States, we consider that a child is ready to read when he is about six years and six months old. Formal reading instruction is introduced in kindergarten or in the first grade, and since we have rules that govern when a child may start school, it customarily happens to six-year olds. Thus chronological age is made the official gauge of reading readiness. There are, however, many people who have challenged this time-table. About ten years ago there burgeoned in the land an idea that children could be taught to read when they were still babies. Some parents became aware that their offspring were ready for new experi-ences and new learning opportunities long before the "average" child was ready. They began trying out new learning experiences on their babies, and they saw that their children not only learned, but that they delighted in the exploration of new territory. Thus was born the belief that children--even infants-were cap-able of learning far more than had been asked of them heretofore. Educated parents and interested educators became excited with the possibilities of advanced education for very young children, and a new philosophy was instituted; teach your child to read before his second birthday. They had well-known examples of the possibility of early education in Chopin, who was composing before he was six years old, and Michelangelo who was an accomplished artist before puberty. Babies have been taught to recognize symbols, and they have been taught to match the symbol-clusters with certain verbal stimuli. They have even been able to identify objects symbolized by the printed, written or vocalized stimulus. So far, however, no one has been able to show that a two year old can comprehend, "the blue chair I saw yesterday is softer than the one you are looking at now." There are others who suggest that a child should not be introduced 6o-rh to reading until he is eight years old or older. There are countries in Europe which delay the reading process beyond what we in the United States consider the optimal age. And it is true that these children catch up to ours within a couple of years, and often it is impossible to measure the difference between the two groups in reading ability by the time the children are ten or eleven years old. In any case, in order to decide when reading readiness occurs in a child, we must know what reading is. Is reading the identification of symbols? Is it the ability to reproduce those symbols in some other form, such as pronunciation or cursive writing? Is it the interpretation of the symbols? We can identify and correctly pronounce "slithey in the toves," but can we attach meaning to it? I t seems obvious that reading must be "a purposeful actlvity in which the individual seeks to identify, interpret, and evaluate the ideas and points of view expressed by the writer." (1 ) Here, then is the crux of the matter. Reading readiness is the product of the whole child, not a splinter or a segment of himself. Reading is a process of perceiving symbols, of visual, oral and aural discrimination. It involves the ability to form concepts, and it cer-tainly involves prior experience. If a child has never been introduced to the fact of wetness, or hardness, or even of a cow or a cat, the written or oral stimulation of the word will not evoke any mental image in the child. He will not be able to read those words, no matter how well he can pronounce or reproduce them. The time in a child's life when he becomes capable of reading involves a manifold readiness Gestalt. He must have reached readiness in four different aspects of growth; physiological, psychological (emo-tional and intellectual), educational and sociological (cultural and environmental) . A child must be ready physically before he can learn to read. Children ordinarily start out far-sighted, and their eye muscles slowly tighten in their focusing ability. Book publishers are aware of this and accommodate their clients by using large type for little children. Very often we find that poor readers have "double vision" which usually means their focus field is too far out; that they are still far-sighted. Also, auditory acuity is a near-necessity. Reading, talking, and listening are so intertwined as to be almost inseparable. There are Helen Kellers in the world, but they are remarkable exceptions. Physical factors are also important in that a child must have mastered at least a modicum of ability in use of fine-as opposed to gross-muscular control. The sequence of growth follows a typical pattern rh-61 in humans, but the rate of this growth is a highly individual process. The sequence of development is from the head downward, from the center outward, and from gross to refined movements. The grasping of discrimination between "b" and "p" requires fine distinctions, whether the stimulus is visual or oral. A third requirement in physical factors is general good health. If a person has an habitual headache, or he is partially blind, or his feet hurt constantly, he will not be able to concentrate on the intricate process of reading. Psychological factors are every bit as important as the physical, in determining reading readiness. Educators differ in their evaluation of a person's "intelligence quotient," but everyone will undoubtedly agree that there are degrees of mental maturity, and that a child must have attained a certain degree of intellectual functioning before he can assimilate what he reads. One of the most important factors of all is emotional stability and maturity. A child who is at odds with himself and the world will not be able to concentrate on those black-on-white squiggles on a page. A child who has been taught to be super organized and structured will be unable to venture into the excitement of reading and, con-versely, the disorganized, wholely impulsive child will be incapacitated. The paranoid child will not be able to accept the authority of the printed word and the autistic child will refuse to respond in any way. The degree of instability or immaturity of a child has a direct relationship to his reading readiness. It is interesting to note that there is a typical pattern of develop-ment in the human personality, just as there is in the physical growth. "At some ages (C.A. 2, 5, and 10 years) the child tends to be good tempered, cooperative, and well adjusted. These are followed by ages (C.A. 2Y2, 5Y2 to 6, and 11 years) when the child seems at odds with himself and others. There are also regular periods of-withdrawal and introspection (C.A. 3Y2, 7, and 13 years) followed by ages at which the child is outgoing, expansive, and adventurous (C.A. 4, 8, and 14 years)."(2) So far as young children are concerned, the third factor, educa-tion, must be considered in conjunction with the child's sociological background. Aside from any nursery school he may have attended, educational factors are a product of his family's culture and environ-ment. The type of society the child comes from will have an impor-tant bearing on the direction his development takes. Cultural differences have been widely discussed in the past few years and need not be reiterated here. 62-rh The educational-environmental factor is influenced by the kind of family the child belongs to. Some of the more important aspects are: the language patterns within the home; the concern and interest of the parents in stimulating the child to explore new ideas and new places; the attitudes parents have toward learning, toward school, and toward books; the model they present to the child; and, the care with which they provide mental content, or experiential back-ground. Some of the specific things the teacher hopes a child has learned before he enters first grade, which parents might teach their children, are how to hold crayons or pencils, to become familiar with writing implements, the ability to detect likenesses and differences, the ability to rhyme, being able to interpret pictures, also the conventional left to right progression, and hopefully the attention span of the child will be sufficiently lengthened so he can sit still long enough to learn new things. The teacher who is faced with anywhere from ten to thirty kindergarteners or first-graders cannot expect that they will all be at the same stage in the developmental process. Difficult as it is, it is up to her to recognize the degree of readiness of each of the children. There are many reading readiness tests on the market; however, none of them is comprehensive enough to take into account all of the factors necessary. By means of an appropriate selectivity of standardized tests, informal inventories and observation the teacher can become proficient in recognizing the physiological, psychological, educational, and sociological factors which combine to produce the "compleat" child who is ready to read. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. Carter, Homer L. J. and Dorothy J. McGinnis. Reading, A Key to Academic Success. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company, 1967, p. 2. 2. Smith, Charles P., Child Development. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company, 1966. 

Reading Readiness

Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and 
Language Arts 
Volume 10 
Issue 2 January 1970 Article 3 
1-1-1970 
Reading Readiness 
Dorothy E. Smith 
Joe R. Chapel 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons 
 Part of the Education Commons 
Recommended Citation 
Smith, D. E., & Chapel, J. R. (1970). Reading Readiness. Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and 
Language Arts, 10 (2). Retrieved from https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/reading_horizons/vol10/iss2/3 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by 
the Special Education and Literacy Studies at 
ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion 
in Reading Horizons: A Journal of Literacy and Language 
Arts by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks at WMU. 
For more information, please contact wmu-
scholarworks@wmich.edu. 
READING READINESS 
Dorothy E. Smith ana Joe R. Chapel 
One of the most difficult tasks facing the kindergarten or first 
grade teacher is to recognize the degree of readiness to read which 
her young students have attained by the time they face her on that 
first September morning. A great deal has been written on the subject 
of reading readiness, which is as it should be, since it is so important a 
subject. However, much that has been written is inaccurate, and most 
of it is incomplete. 
There is essential agreement on what is meant by the words, "read-
ing readiness." It might be translated as, "the time at which a child 
is capable of learning to read." Traditionally, in the United States, 
we consider that a child is ready to read when he is about six years 
and six months old. Formal reading instruction is introduced in 
kindergarten or in the first grade, and since we have rules that govern 
when a child may start school, it customarily happens to six-year olds. 
Thus chronological age is made the official gauge of reading readiness. 
There are, however, many people who have challenged this time-
table. About ten years ago there burgeoned in the land an idea that 
children could be taught to read when they were still babies. Some 
parents became aware that their offspring were ready for new experi-
ences and new learning opportunities long before the "average" child 
was ready. They began trying out new learning experiences on their 
babies, and they saw that their children not only learned, but that they 
delighted in the exploration of new territory. 
Thus was born the belief that children--even infants-were cap-
able of learning far more than had been asked of them heretofore. 
Educated parents and interested educators became excited with the 
possibilities of advanced education for very young children, and a 
new philosophy was instituted; teach your child to read before his 
second birthday. They had well-known examples of the possibility of 
early education in Chopin, who was composing before he was six 
years old, and Michelangelo who was an accomplished artist before 
puberty. 
Babies have been taught to recognize symbols, and they have been 
taught to match the symbol-clusters with certain verbal stimuli. They 
have even been able to identify objects symbolized by the printed, 
written or vocalized stimulus. So far, however, no one has been able 
to show that a two year old can comprehend, "the blue chair I saw 
yesterday is softer than the one you are looking at now." 
There are others who suggest that a child should not be introduced 
6o-rh 
to reading until he is eight years old or older. There are countries 
in Europe which delay the reading process beyond what we in the 
United States consider the optimal age. And it is true that these 
children catch up to ours within a couple of years, and often it is 
impossible to measure the difference between the two groups in 
reading ability by the time the children are ten or eleven years old. 
In any case, in order to decide when reading readiness occurs 
in a child, we must know what reading is. Is reading the identification 
of symbols? Is it the ability to reproduce those symbols in some other 
form, such as pronunciation or cursive writing? Is it the interpretation 
of the symbols? We can identify and correctly pronounce "slithey in 
the toves," but can we attach meaning to it? 
I t seems obvious that reading must be "a purposeful actlvity in 
which the individual seeks to identify, interpret, and evaluate the 
ideas and points of view expressed by the writer." (1 ) 
Here, then is the crux of the matter. Reading readiness is the 
product of the whole child, not a splinter or a segment of himself. 
Reading is a process of perceiving symbols, of visual, oral and aural 
discrimination. It involves the ability to form concepts, and it cer-
tainly involves prior experience. If a child has never been introduced 
to the fact of wetness, or hardness, or even of a cow or a cat, the 
written or oral stimulation of the word will not evoke any mental image 
in the child. He will not be able to read those words, no matter 
how well he can pronounce or reproduce them. 
The time in a child's life when he becomes capable of reading 
involves a manifold readiness Gestalt. He must have reached readiness 
in four different aspects of growth; physiological, psychological (emo-
tional and intellectual), educational and sociological (cultural and 
environmental) . 
A child must be ready physically before he can learn to read. 
Children ordinarily start out far-sighted, and their eye muscles slowly 
tighten in their focusing ability. Book publishers are aware of this 
and accommodate their clients by using large type for little children. 
Very often we find that poor readers have "double vision" which 
usually means their focus field is too far out; that they are still far-
sighted. Also, auditory acuity is a near-necessity. Reading, talking, and 
listening are so intertwined as to be almost inseparable. There are 
Helen Kellers in the world, but they are remarkable exceptions. 
Physical factors are also important in that a child must have mastered 
at least a modicum of ability in use of fine-as opposed to gross-
muscular control. The sequence of growth follows a typical pattern 
rh-61 
in humans, but the rate of this growth is a highly individual process. 
The sequence of development is from the head downward, from the 
center outward, and from gross to refined movements. The grasping 
of discrimination between "b" and "p" requires fine distinctions, 
whether the stimulus is visual or oral. A third requirement in physical 
factors is general good health. If a person has an habitual headache, 
or he is partially blind, or his feet hurt constantly, he will not be 
able to concentrate on the intricate process of reading. 
Psychological factors are every bit as important as the physical, 
in determining reading readiness. Educators differ in their evaluation 
of a person's "intelligence quotient," but everyone will undoubtedly 
agree that there are degrees of mental maturity, and that a child must 
have attained a certain degree of intellectual functioning before he can 
assimilate what he reads. 
One of the most important factors of all is emotional stability and 
maturity. A child who is at odds with himself and the world will 
not be able to concentrate on those black-on-white squiggles on a page. 
A child who has been taught to be super organized and structured 
will be unable to venture into the excitement of reading and, con-
versely, the disorganized, wholely impulsive child will be incapacitated. 
The paranoid child will not be able to accept the authority of the 
printed word and the autistic child will refuse to respond in any 
way. The degree of instability or immaturity of a child has a direct 
relationship to his reading readiness. 
It is interesting to note that there is a typical pattern of develop-
ment in the human personality, just as there is in the physical growth. 
"At some ages (C.A. 2, 5, and 10 years) the child tends to be good 
tempered, cooperative, and well adjusted. These are followed by ages 
(C.A. 2Y2, 5Y2 to 6, and 11 years) when the child seems at odds 
with himself and others. There are also regular periods of-withdrawal 
and introspection (C.A. 3Y2, 7, and 13 years) followed by ages at 
which the child is outgoing, expansive, and adventurous (C.A. 4, 
8, and 14 years)."(2) 
So far as young children are concerned, the third factor, educa-
tion, must be considered in conjunction with the child's sociological 
background. Aside from any nursery school he may have attended, 
educational factors are a product of his family's culture and environ-
ment. The type of society the child comes from will have an impor-
tant bearing on the direction his development takes. Cultural differences 
have been widely discussed in the past few years and need not be 
reiterated here. 
62-rh 
The educational-environmental factor is influenced by the kind of 
family the child belongs to. Some of the more important aspects are: 
the language patterns within the home; the concern and interest of 
the parents in stimulating the child to explore new ideas and new 
places; the attitudes parents have toward learning, toward school, 
and toward books; the model they present to the child; and, the 
care with which they provide mental content, or experiential back-
ground. 
Some of the specific things the teacher hopes a child has learned 
before he enters first grade, which parents might teach their children, 
are how to hold crayons or pencils, to become familiar with writing 
implements, the ability to detect likenesses and differences, the ability 
to rhyme, being able to interpret pictures, also the conventional left 
to right progression, and hopefully the attention span of the child 
will be sufficiently lengthened so he can sit still long enough to learn 
new things. 
The teacher who is faced with anywhere from ten to thirty 
kindergarteners or first-graders cannot expect that they will all be 
at the same stage in the developmental process. Difficult as it is, it is 
up to her to recognize the degree of readiness of each of the children. 
There are many reading readiness tests on the market; however, none 
of them is comprehensive enough to take into account all of the 
factors necessary. By means of an appropriate selectivity of standardized 
tests, informal inventories and observation the teacher can become 
proficient in recognizing the physiological, psychological, educational, 
and sociological factors which combine to produce the "compleat" 
child who is ready to read. 
BIBLIOGRAPHY 
1. Carter, Homer L. J. and Dorothy J. McGinnis. Reading, A Key 
to Academic Success. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Company, 
1967, p. 2. 
2. Smith, Charles P., Child Development. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. 
Brown Company, 1966. 


https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2702&context=reading_horizons

Reading Readiness

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

ScholarWorks at WMU

ScholarWorks at WMU

ScholarWorks at WMU

ScholarWorks at WMU