The sobering research has, in part, led states to adopt tough accountability standards, which, in turn, fuel the drive for academics at younger ages. But perhaps the most compelling finding, and the key reason academics are being pushed earlier, is that a critical pre-reading skill, associating sounds with letters, is best learned between ages 4 and 6. After 7, it's as if the brain switches that function off, scientists say. Parents and teachers worry they are overdoing the academic orientation in preschool and kindergarten. But the devil's in the details.
Teachers have to know how to do it and make it fun.
This is not about drill and kill. If you're a good enough teacher, learning language should be play. Jackie Roth reads to them. They take turns putting yellow sticky tape over the word. Later, in a math exercise, they count the number of pockets, worth 2 cents, and buttons, worth 3 cents, on their clothes and find out how much their clothes are worth.