Welcome to Read Like a Reader!
Why do some kids hear so many more words than other kids in the years before kindergarten?
What do you remember about reading as a child? Were there books around? Did you see adults reading, and when? Who read to you, and where? What stories did you love? What rhymes?
This week we hear from Nico Alvarado, a poet, writer, and founding elementary school principal.
In this episode, Nico and I discussed the science of reading; equity in early education and “the word gap;” letter-sound correspondence; rewinding tapes; Mother Goose; how if you know a little bit about, say, a kaffiyeh it’s easier to learn a lot about all sorts of things; systematic and explicit phonics instruction; why thriving public schools are essential for all of us; fluency in reading; and the timbre and grain of a parent’s voice.
Nico recommends the complete works of Rosemary Wells for children, and The Reading Mind by Daniel Willingham for adults.
How to Read Like a Principal with Nicolás Alvarado