This study deals with teaching reading to children, and according to Wallace 2003: 4 one of the difficulties which young children may have is the
ability to understand what is read. It is because they still have limited knowledge of English, especially the vocabulary mastery. If we wish our children to read with
understanding, to evaluate and also to think creatively as a result of their reading, the children must see a purpose in and gain enjoyment from reading from the
earliest moments of instruction. The children must also realize how useful the skill of English in the real world by being placed in the situations where reading is
essential to the completion of the activity, in other word they must read for a purpose to fulfill their needs. When this happens they will see reading as relevant
and essential to their daily life.
b. Reading Purposes
According to
Wallace 2003:
6-7 any mode of language, listening, speaking, reading, and writing, may be used to serve immediate needs, to learn
from, or to give us pleasure in language for its own sake. An important feature that reading also shares with other modes of language use is the role in social
interaction. Here are types of reading based on its purposes. 1 Reading for Survival
Reading for
survival means
reading conducted to respond the environment. Survival reading serves immediate needs or wishes. For example the
words ‘exit’ in the cinema door, ‘ladies’ or ‘gentleman’ in the lavatory door. Children gain the purpose of reading as reading for survival from their social
backgrounds, related to the way they perceive their day-to-day needs and interest, from such sources as television, advertising, and street signs.
2 Reading for Learning Besides as reading for survival, reading also serves the wider role of
extending our general knowledge of the world. This is called reading for learning. Talking about reading for learning, it must be related with school, because a good
deal of reading to support learning clearly takes place in academic contexts. 3 Reading for Pleasure
Different from reading for survival which involves an immediate response, and reading for learning which is goal oriented, reading for pleasure is done for its
own sake. It is optional whether people want to do it or not. The main purpose of learning to read is ‘so that you can stop’. It means that people do it for their
pleasure; there is no pressure not to stop reading until finish the whole reading passage. An important thing to consider in reading for pleasure is fluency.
c. The Abilities and Skills Involved in the Process of Learning to Read
According to Moyle 1972: 42-68 learning to read is a complex cognitive task demanding a high level of integration and maturity of a wide variety of
abilities and skills. The manner in which reading takes place will vary according to the type of material being read and the purpose for which it is being read. The
materials and the purposes suggest certain approaches to the individual reading task which will be more economical and efficient than others.
From the beginning of reading the child should be provided with the materials which are meaningful so that the child may acquire the habit of using all
the clues available to extract and consider the content expressed. Besides considering the materials and the purpose, it is also necessary to consider about
the abilities and skills involved in learning to read. 1 Intelligence
It deals with the ability to understand and comprehend the reading, and of course it is relative measurement because each person has his or her own
intelligence degree. However, the most important thing in learning reading is not the intelligence but the mental development. Mental development here means the
maturity of the children who learn. The mental condition and the maturity of the children will help them in learning because they can be used as the guide in
assessing a child’s reading ability. 2 Language Facility
It is clear that we cannot expect the young children to read from a book words which are outside their experience. When fluency in reading is attained
then the children can use their ability to interpret context in order to enlarge their vocabulary and understanding but until this point is reached their reading material
must be constructed from words which are within their own spoken vocabulary. It
is obvious
that good language development is important to good reading,
for a good vocabulary and the ability to use language is basic to the process of learning to read. Language facility is closely related to the general ability on the
one hand but on the other hand is very much open to the effects of the environmental influences.
Children’s language facility becomes one of the most important factors in readiness for reading instruction, and for the relationship between the
understanding of words and reading achievement. There are two factors which are important to create an atmosphere which will stimulate and encourage language
growth in children. First, the classroom must be interesting, or even exciting place for them. Children have a natural curiosity and if it is fostered by a good supply of
attractive objects and pictures then they will observe and wish to conserve. Second, the teacher must give the children the opportunity to speak freely
among themselves and also to the teacher and their classmate. However, the teacher must not only provide encouragement and permissive atmosphere, the
teacher must also create an interesting situation which help the children to use their language and powers of constructive thought so that it will encourage the
development of the children. 3 Visual Abilities
Children ability to read is obviously closely related with the quality of their sight. How the children can read if their quality of the sight is not good. The
teacher task is to make sure that the children have already visited the doctor or optician to check their eyes.
4 Auditory Abilities The children’s contact with the language during their early years comes
entirely through the sense of hearing. If for some reasons the children’s hearing is imperfect then their language growth will be delayed and their ability to
discriminate between two sounds will be damaged.
The hearing of language and perception of language sounds are going to aid reading in the following ways.
a To build up a vocabulary. b To act as further aid to memorization and therefore to the recognition of the
printed words. c To enable us to hear the constituent sounds of which our words are
constructed and use these sounds upon the new words we meet. Growth in reading attainment is largely dependent on the ability to attack a word which
has not been met before in print. In order to do this the children must understand that.
d Each word has its own sound pattern. e This sound pattern can be broken down into a series of sounds which are
arranged in a definite sequence. f These sounds correspond to letter shapes or the combination of letter shapes.
5 Physical Factors. Physical factors deal with the physical condition of the children. Children
who have good physical condition will have more powers and energy to concentrate to the lesson rather than those who have a problem with their physical
condition, such as malnutrition or insufficient rest. The children who have a good concentration will understand and comprehend the reading text in a good way.
6 Environmental Influences One way to help the language development is by stimulating atmosphere at
home where the children can explore and converse with parents who encourage their experiments and curiosity.
Atmosphere at the children home also influences the ability of the children to become good readers. A research found that the percentage of poor readers
coming from homes with a low socio-economic status is much higher that for the good readers. It is necessary to have a reasonable background of material
provision in order to maintain a good reading progress. Moreover, the happy relationship between children and their parents is more important because parents
are the one who provide interest, stimulation, and sympathy when difficulties arise.
7 Emotional Factors Emotional factors seem to allow a division into two types under the
headings of attitudes to read on the one hand and general personality problems on the other. Motivation is the most important factor in learning how to read. To
build motivation is not an easy thing to do; it needs a long process demanding concentration and interest over a number of years before real fluency in the
medium level is achieved.
d. The Basic Principles of Reading
