ABSTRACT
Recently, a first-grader marveled that she didn’t know how she learned to read. She and many other young children have learned to read before they enter first grade. If they can learn to read without knowing how they did it, and even without their parents “teaching” them purposely, then perhaps the secret of how can be used in school. The secret seems to be that they have been read to consistently, are surrounded by books, and most importantly perhaps have had their eyes on the page as they listened to the reading. What better way to learn to read than seeing the words as one listens to them? Children, especially those without the home reading environment, benefit immensely when the classroom is outfitted with a listening center where they can hear and see the story as it is being read. If computers are available, programs are accessible that read the story aloud as children follow them on the screen. Every child, every day, can have this opportunity. If in addition the teacher surrounds the students with books, allows class time to read, assigns reading at home, and reads aloud to them every day, the classroom can also be a place where the children wonder how it is they learned to read. This is only fair to the students and even to the teacher, whose formal instruction will become miraculously more effective.
