Using Singing and Movement to Teach Pre-reading Skills and Word Reading to Kindergarten Children: An Exploratory Study

Patrick Walton

doi:10.20360/g2k88j

Abstract

Kindergarten classrooms were randomly assigned to a songs group (n = 44) that used choral singing and movement to teach phonological skills, letter-sounds, and word reading, or to a control group (n = 49) where children received their regular language and literacy programs for equal amounts of time. The songs group teaching involved choral singing and movements created for the project to teach phonological skills, letter-sounds, and word reading. Children preferred songs that were quick to learn, had strong or soothing rhythms, and incorporated movements. Children in the songs group had increased letter-sounds, medial phoneme identity and word reading compared to children in the control group. Children in both groups made equal gains in rhyming and identifying phonemes in initial and final positions. Songs group children also read new words not presented in the songs program. Initial and medial phoneme identity and letter-sound knowledge made independent contributions to word reading.

Highlights

Kindergarten classrooms were randomly assigned to a songs group (n = 44) that used choral singing and movement to teach phonological skills, letter-sounds, and word reading, or to a control group (n = 49) where children received their regular language and literacy programs for equal amounts of time
Any increases in pre-reading skills and word reading in the songs group over the control group at the post-test could not be attributed to more time spent on literacy experiences in the songs classrooms
The quasi-experimental design used in the study allowed for an examination of the effects of the songs program on important pre-reading skills and word reading

Summary

Introduction

Kindergarten classrooms were randomly assigned to a songs group (n = 44) that used choral singing and movement to teach phonological skills, letter-sounds, and word reading, or to a control group (n = 49) where children received their regular language and literacy programs for equal amounts of time. Musical meter was found to predict phonology and reading (Goswami, Huss, Mead, Fosker & Verney, in press; Huss, Verney, Fosker, Mead, & Goswami, 2011), and Patel (2011) summarized brain research that could explain why experience with music could account for increased abilities with speech This recent research provides a strong rationale for examining the effects of using songs to teach key pre-reading and word reading skills. Surprisingly little research has examined the connection between music and language and so the specific mechanisms that could account for the connection are unclear

Methods

Results

Conclusion