Reading

Adler is turning into a K2 student this September. A few weeks ago, Vivian attended a preparatory seminar at our princess’s kindergarten. One of the major changes that we foresee in the coming year is Adler has to read a book everyday and put down in the record.

This is no news to us. We had that experience with Euterpe three years ago. I shall not discuss the longs and shorts of reading a book each day. (See http://ccszeto.blogspot.hk/2011/09/tiny.html) However, the advise from the kindergarten is slightly different this time:

Try to use more Chinese books for this daily reading project.

The rationale, of course, is obvious. English is comparatively easier to learn. Phonics is a simple skill, and, once mastered, even if you encounter a new word, there is usually no difficulty in figuring out the pronunciation - and probably the meaning. On the other hand, Chinese words need to be learnt one by one. Many primary school children can only recognize a few dozens of  words, which is grossly inadequate for daily communication (and for the understanding of their examination paper).

Nonetheless, it is easier to be said than done for a child to read Chinese books.