Reading With Dogs

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how the R.E.A.D program has been shown to help motivate young readers and build the confidence that is necessary during the learning process. The paper describes this innovative method where children read stories out loud to specially trained dogs. The paper reveals that children who participate in R.E.A.D. programs improve not only their reading skills, but also show improvement in other areas such as self-esteem, social skills, other school subjects, attendance and personal hygiene.

From the Paper:

"The issue of literacy within teaching and education is one that must not be taken lightly. During the elementary school years, reading is among many of the skills that students must acquire, or else suffer from a lifelong disadvantage compared to other members of society. It is not speculation that if reading skills are not acquired during a child's early formative years; studies such as the one conducted by A. Castro-Caldas (et al 1998), published by the Oxford University Press, show scientifically that learning specific skills during childhood changes the functional organization of the brain. Findings included that illiterate subjects had more difficulty than literate subject with not just written language communication, but with oral language as well."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Anderson, B. (1981, January) The Missing Ingredient: Fluent Oral Reading. The Elementary School Journal 81(3): 172-177.
• Barrett, L. (2003, July-September) Paws to Read @ Your Library. Virginia Libraries 49(3). Retrieved June 2006 from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/ejournals/VALib/v49_n3/barrett.html.
• Castro-Caldes, A. et al. (1998) The illiterate brain. Learning to read and write during childhood influences the functional organization of the adult brain. Brain, 121(6): 1053-1063.
• Gaines, D. (1990) Teenage Wasteland: Suburbia's Dead End Kids. University of Chicago Press.
• Guthrie, J.T. (2001, March). Contexts for engagement and motivation in reading. Reading Online 4(8). Retrieved June 2006 from http://www.readingonline.org.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/articles/art_index.asp?HREF=/articles/handbook/guthrie/index.html

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