VOA · Early Literacy
Advanced · C1learner speed5:412023-06-28public domain
Early Literacy episodes discuss how children learn to read and write. The topic vocabulary repeats naturally across episodes, which reinforces retention — and the clear, measured delivery suits focused dictation work.
Hit "Start dictation practice" — all 6 minutes are already sliced into sentences, so practice starts immediately. No wait.
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Switch to Dictation mode, type each sentence, and get a word-by-word diff with your accuracy score.
01Words are all around us, and not just in books.
02Students need to know that words have meaning.
03Educators call this print awareness.
04At this early stage, surround learners with English words and sounds.
05Experts say that students who cannot read in their own language may not understand some literacy ideas.
06They need to be taught about the functions of print.
07Teaching Tips for Print Awareness Bring in common items with written language, both the home language and English.
08Bring in calendars, food packages, magazines, mail, maths, and newspapers.
09Talk about these items.
10Compare English words with words from the home language.
11Create fun activities with the items.
12For example, as an art project, students can make a birthday card for a friend or family member.
13They could also make their own food product and make packaging for it.
14Post words in your classroom.
15Label common objects in the classroom.
16Post words to songs and poems.
17Post the names and birthdays of students in the classroom.
18Hang colorful posters with English words on the walls.
19Read often to your class.
20Read books that fit the age and English level of your students.
21Repeat simple and useful sentences and words.
22Have limited text on a page with pictures explaining the text.
23Have active stories.
24Make reading aloud fun and active.
25Ask questions about the story.
26Talk about important words or ideas.
27But do not stop too often.
28Students may lose interest in the story.
29Use fun voices, facial expressions, music, objects, and pictures to make the story come to life.
30Make connections to real life.
31Ask them, has this happened to you?
32Have students retell the story or change the story somehow.
33Teach the parts of a book and different types of books.
34Explain the purpose of a book's title and where it is found.
35Point out the names of the author and illustrator.
36Explain their jobs.
37Show students the page numbers.
38Explain why pages are numbered.
39Use many different books, such as comics and picture books.
40Teach punctuation when you read with your students.
41Point out periods, exclamation points, and question marks.
42Explain what they do.
43Show how punctuation changes the meaning of a sentence.
44Read a sentence with a period and then with an exclamation point.
45With excitement.
46Assessment for print awareness.
47Early learners may not have print awareness.
48To assess or test for print awareness, give a student a book and ask questions.
49Here are some examples.
50Where is the title of the book?
51Can you show me the author's name?
52Where does the story begin?
53Can you show me a letter, a word, a sentence?
54Can you find the first and last words of a sentence?
55Can you show me a punctuation mark?
56What does a question mark do?
57Can you show me a capital letter?
58Can you show me a lowercase letter?
59Use the tips, strategies, and assessment methods that best serve you and your learners.
60Change methods to fit your students' abilities and the teaching situation.
61I'm Katie Weaver.
62And I'm Ana Mateo.
// transcribed with Whisper AI — reading it is easy; catching it by ear is the skill
Practice it by ear
