Page 99 - Reading Nest - The Supportive Literacy Environment Handbook

Learning to read

The Estonian language’s spelling and pronunciation are fairly close, therefore it is
deemed reasonable to learn reading through sound analysis. Whether to begin by sounds
and then move to shorter words or work with syllables in the meantime, is rather
dependent on teaching traditions. Finnish has a similar writing system and when
teaching reading more attention is paid to syllables; in Estonia too, many primers have
been published where syllables are particularly marked.

Learning to read using the whole word method and with rhymes and creating analogies
via spelling is considered more important in languages where spelling considerably
differs from pronunciation (e.g. English), but the approach has been used in Estonia too.

The following skills can be distinguished in the case of the Estonian language, not in a
hierarchical order:

• exploring a book in every way (with the mouth too);
• turning over the pages;
• holding the book the right way up and turning over pages one by one;
• pretending reading;

• retelling using the pictures;
• recognising some letters, especially the first letter of one’s name;
• recognising some whole words, that is one’s name or friend’s name, brand
(Barbie, Coca-Cola), recognising a personally important word (animal);
• spelling out simple words (oh, oi, mom);
• spelling out;
• prescient reading;
• ability to read a simpler hypertext, use links;
• ability to comprehend the reading at the primary level;
• paying attention to sentences on the whole; ...