Master Top to Bottom Reading Flow

You will learn how to read from the top of a page to the bottom. This left to right reading direction skill helps you follow stories in the right order. When you read books, you always start at the top and move your eyes down.

When you open a book, you start at the top of each page. Your eyes move down like a leaf falling from a tree. This helps you see the story the way the author wrote it.

You read each line from top to bottom. This is how all books work. Start at the beginning and read down to see what happens next.

Reading from top to bottom helps you understand stories better. You see events in the right order. This makes the story make sense to you.

When you follow print direction when reading, you can enjoy books more. You will not miss important parts of the story.

Top: The highest part of a page where you start reading

Bottom: The lowest part of a page where you finish reading

Beginning: The first part of a book where the story starts

Page: One side of paper in a book with words and pictures

Story: Words that tell you about people and what happens to them

Reading: Looking at words and understanding what they mean

Order: The right way things should go, one after another

You can practice reading from top to bottom with any book. Point to the top of the page first. Then move your finger down as you read.

Try reading a list of words on a board. Start with the first word at the top. Read each word below it going down. This helps you learn word spacing and direction.

You do not need to know anything special before learning this skill. This is one of the first things you learn about reading books.

Once you learn this, you will be ready to learn about understanding word spacing in print and other reading skills.

This topic connects to many other reading skills you will learn. Left to Right Reading Direction works with top to bottom reading to help you read correctly.

You will also learn to Follow Print Direction When Reading and understand Word Spacing and Direction. These skills work together to make you a better reader.

Later, you will learn about Concepts of Print Written English Features and Book Conventions and Print Concepts Basic. You will also practice Following Words in Reading Order and Identifying Book Parts.

These skills prepare you for Print Awareness Letters and Print Symbols and Concepts of Print Directionality and Text Features.