Why Can't She Remember That?

       "Why Can't She Remember That" by Terry Meier talks about the importance of beginning to read to a child at a young age. As the child gets older it is important for the child to not only continue to read, but to be able to comprehend what they read and explain it in their own words and make real world connections. Meier states that "children lean to use language in culturally specific ways". She preformed a study that compared low income African American children and middle class European American children and found out that depending on a child's cultural beliefs and background the story they tell will differ from what their culture views as an effective story. The African American child was involved in four times as many interactions that required extensive story telling and talked more than the European American child. This could be due to where the child grew up, its possible that the parents could not afford to buy numerous children's books, so instead they made up extravagant stories, and since this is all that the child knows, they follow by telling made up stories. The European American child's parents are able to afford books, so that child knows the stories that are being read to them every night. I don't think that either of these ways is wrong, it just depends on who you are and how your culture does things.
       Once a child get's to preschool or kindergarten story time is something that happens very often in the classroom. "Many youngsters develop the impression that books are not about them, their families, or communities, but rather about 'the other'"; it is important for teachers to choose books that the children can relate to. For example, if the class is mostly filled with children who speak Spanish, the teacher should incorporate books that have some Spanish vocabulary in it so they realize that it is directly relating to them. It is also very important if a child wants a book to be re-read to them because "each time children return to a text they listen to it with deepened awareness, perhaps noticing new elements in the story, putting together pieces of a pattern that eluded them the first or second time they listened". If a child hears a story more than once they are able to catch new aspects of the story that they may not have before and make more connections. A child will also be more engaged in the book if they are able to make real world connections. This can be something so very simple, but if they have seen or heard of it in a real world situation, they will be more likely to be interested in it. Reading books is something very important to do at any age, but with small children in particular because they start to learn vocabulary, how to make connections and sound out words. Many children who were read to at home are more likely to succeed in school, here are some statistics that support that: http://www.nea.org/grants/facts-about-childrens-literacy.html