Hebrew Reading and Confidence
Nancy Newman has pointed out that with reading, we need to make sure that the focus is on pleasure. Reading should be fun and nurturing. Children tire easily when tasked with work that has become rote and monotonous. Recall the long-suffering expression on your child’s face, the sagging shoulders and half-closed eyes that signify profound exhaustion when he is faced with rows of spelling words to copy or information to memorize.
Kriah teachers continually search for ways to combat tedium and monotony in reading practice. Most of us have found that when we make learning to read enjoyable and stimulating, children approach the subject eagerly.
In essence, we “lure” our young students into doing the necessary brainwork by loading the lesson with incentive and pleasure. Through stories, games, song and skits, charts audiovisual aids, blackboard activities, posters and charts, we engage their hearts and minds.
Navigating Nekudos
Nowhere is this “campaign to engage” more important than in the teaching of nekudos – one of the early milestones of kriah instruction that pose difficulty for many children.
Unlike English vowels that “say their own names,” a Hebrew vowel comes with a name and a sound that bear no obvious correlation to each other. How does patach correspond with ah? What does segol have to do with eh? To a child’s mind, there is no apparent rhyme or reason here.
In addition, Hebrew nekudos largely consist of identical-looking dots. Children are asked to master these confusing arrangements of dots, learn both their names and sound, and remember to use only the sound, not the name, when learning to read.
In addition, to the trained ear, uh, ah, eh and ih may be easy to distinguish, but to many five-year olds, these nekudos sound hopelessly alike. Is it any wonder that it takes some children many weeks, if not months, to master the differences between kamatz, patach, segol and shevah?
Vowel-fluency is so vital for reading success that kriah experts advise against “turning the page” and moving on until every single child has attained complete mastery. Most kriah teachers rise to the challenge with an assortment of popular strategies.
- In some classrooms, each nekudah name and sound is introduced with a dramatic story and follow-up activities that imprint the relevant information in the children’s minds.
- Some kriah teachers find it especially effective to create tactile-kinesthetic activities in which the children shape osiyos and nekudos out of clay, trace them in sand, or use “sky-writing” to reinforce their skills.
- A popular idea is to use “nekudah sticks” shaped like large lollipops that feature a nekudah on one side and a picture corresponding to the nekudah’s initial sound on the flip side. Games and activities requiring the manipulation of these “nekudah sticks” reinforce “name-and-sound” identification.
- As a variation of this idea, “nekudos men” are drawn with faces that correspond (approximately) to the nekudah’s sound. Children listen to stories in which the respective vowel sounds are enunciated again and again within the story’s context.
Make It Safe To Be Wrong
In my kriah workshops, I urge teachers to create a confidence-building environment where a child feels safe enough to risk making mistakes. Eliminate the dread of failure by creating abundant opportunities for surefire success. The wonderful thing about academic success is its built-in power to generate the confidence to tackle ever more daunting challenges, leading to even greater success.
What kind of motivation induces children to make headway in a subject that demands more mental energy and concentration than they may be ready to give?
Variations of some all-time children’s favorites such as treasure hunts, musical chairs and bingo prompt children to harness the full range of their cognitive abilities. All of these activities can be adapted to incorporate reading drills within the context of the game. Even better, all have the key advantage of allowing multiple winners!