As I was thinking about where to begin this blog, it occurred to me that we do so many things each and every day to help our students to learn to read. The symbols we use and the sounds they make are so complex! For years I have told students that there are so many rules (and rule breakers) in this language we call English! SO... how do we teach children to read?
First, we need to define "reading" and what it may look like for your child. Developmentally, reading looks like many things! In the earliest of stages, your child is learning the mechanics of books and print in English - reading from left to right, top to bottom, turning the pages of books, etc. They are learning the names of the letters of the alphabet, in both lower and upper case, and the sounds that they make. They are learning that the pictures help to tell the story. They are learning high-frequency sight words such as: the, like, see, are, etc., (these high frequency words often cannot be sounded out because they do not follow the typical patterns for the letter sounds they have learned!) They are learning that words can rhyme and that their endings may look the same (bat, cat, sat, etc.) They are learning that written messages have meaning and can communicate ideas. So much is happening!
For more details, please have a look at this website:
First, we need to define "reading" and what it may look like for your child. Developmentally, reading looks like many things! In the earliest of stages, your child is learning the mechanics of books and print in English - reading from left to right, top to bottom, turning the pages of books, etc. They are learning the names of the letters of the alphabet, in both lower and upper case, and the sounds that they make. They are learning that the pictures help to tell the story. They are learning high-frequency sight words such as: the, like, see, are, etc., (these high frequency words often cannot be sounded out because they do not follow the typical patterns for the letter sounds they have learned!) They are learning that words can rhyme and that their endings may look the same (bat, cat, sat, etc.) They are learning that written messages have meaning and can communicate ideas. So much is happening!
For more details, please have a look at this website:
Do not feel pressured that your 4- or 5-year-old should be reading! They need exposure to print in various forms and they need experiences! Read every day together and have fun! Make reading part of your daily routine - bedtime snuggles are always the best! Library visits are so much fun, too! Make up silly rhyming songs and games while travelling in the car together. Try out some of those old nursery rhymes you remember hearing as a child. Sing those playground and skipping songs from childhood. Create and play word bingo together. Read recipes and cook together! There are just so many ways to make learning to read a fun part of your lives!
Interested in seeing the high-frequency sight words list? (These are the words that occur often in written work that often do not make sense to sound out.) Click here:
http://kizclub.com/Phonics/word/bingowords.pdf
Below are three of the "strategies" that we have talked about at school so far this year.
#1 Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!!
Pictures give us clues to the words and help to tell the story!!!!
Take a "picture walk" through the book before you read even a single word! Your child should be able to predict some of the things that will take place in the story. Talk about what they see in the pictures. This will help your child when it comes time to decode the written words.
#2 Use your finger to point and track the print. This will help your child to begin to learn and remember the sight words in these highly predictable, repetitive pattern stories we are sending home. If your child can say the words with you for each word in the patterned sentence, pause on the last word (usually the only word changing in each sentence) and see if they can fill it in for you first. Talk about the letter it begins with and, more importantly, the sound that first letter makes. Have them look at the picture (after they know the sound).
For example: "I see a ball. I see a... truck. I see a...bird." etc.
If that new vocabulary word doesn't just 'pop into their mouth', please fill in the word. Reread the book if they have the stamina for it.
#3 Stretch it out! Later on, when your child has had more experience and reading is beginning to flow more fluently, your child can try to stretch out all the letters in unfamiliar words and blend them back together to "sound it out".
"S- N- A- CK, snack!"
Do not spend too much time on this type of decoding. Often the messages in the story get lost if they spend too much time decoding a word they do not yet know.
Interested in seeing the high-frequency sight words list? (These are the words that occur often in written work that often do not make sense to sound out.) Click here:
http://kizclub.com/Phonics/word/bingowords.pdf
Below are three of the "strategies" that we have talked about at school so far this year.
#1 Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!!
Pictures give us clues to the words and help to tell the story!!!!
Take a "picture walk" through the book before you read even a single word! Your child should be able to predict some of the things that will take place in the story. Talk about what they see in the pictures. This will help your child when it comes time to decode the written words.
#2 Use your finger to point and track the print. This will help your child to begin to learn and remember the sight words in these highly predictable, repetitive pattern stories we are sending home. If your child can say the words with you for each word in the patterned sentence, pause on the last word (usually the only word changing in each sentence) and see if they can fill it in for you first. Talk about the letter it begins with and, more importantly, the sound that first letter makes. Have them look at the picture (after they know the sound).
For example: "I see a ball. I see a... truck. I see a...bird." etc.
If that new vocabulary word doesn't just 'pop into their mouth', please fill in the word. Reread the book if they have the stamina for it.
#3 Stretch it out! Later on, when your child has had more experience and reading is beginning to flow more fluently, your child can try to stretch out all the letters in unfamiliar words and blend them back together to "sound it out".
"S- N- A- CK, snack!"
Do not spend too much time on this type of decoding. Often the messages in the story get lost if they spend too much time decoding a word they do not yet know.
Here is a list of just a few of the things we do in our classroom to promote reading and exposure to the written word: *Environmental print (labels everywhere) *Daily Invitiations to Explore ideas (science, math, creative centres) *Daily Morning Message (letter from teacher or friend) *Shared Reading (Big Books, Morning Messages, Jolly Phonics and other songs and poems) *Sight words (rocks and cards) *Letter sound activities (Jolly Phonics, Magenetic letters, alphabet stamping, wipe-off picture cards) *Picture Clue Games and Activities (puzzle sequence cards, I Spy card game and books) *Story writing (Teacher writes students' messages to explain picture or creation, word cards and booklets for creative writing at writing centre) *Prediction using a story's context clues and picture clues (teacher questioning during read alouds) *Story telling/dramatizing story with puppets *Upper case vs lower case letters (letter matching games -mitten match, lima bean matching) *Ten-Minute Book Club (and, of course, help from home with establishing the joy of reading!!) | |
Just a few of our daily invitations to explore and discover concepts of math and science. "How many cubes long do you think the icicle is?" "Our snowman is ___ cubes tall. These children are taller... the same...smaller." Our morning message has become a lovely way to share within our group-- anyone can write a message, it's not just the teacher's ideas!
A note about writing...
Just a small note about the writing that's happening in our room... reading and writing activities are so intertwined!! There are of course various stages in the writing process from random scribbling to the intentional printing of letters and words. If you would like to see a more detailed description of some of the stages, please visit this address:
https://www.zaner-bloser.com/media/zb/zaner-bloser/WriteOn_WritingDev.pdf
Just a small note about the writing that's happening in our room... reading and writing activities are so intertwined!! There are of course various stages in the writing process from random scribbling to the intentional printing of letters and words. If you would like to see a more detailed description of some of the stages, please visit this address:
https://www.zaner-bloser.com/media/zb/zaner-bloser/WriteOn_WritingDev.pdf
Students are provided with many different kinds of writing paper and invitations to try printing seasonal or high-frequency or high-interest words at the writing table. They are given opportunities to write "books" and stories as they wish or as a response to a story or experience we've had together. There are many wipe-off boards throughout the room that students enjoy using to practice their writing skills as well.
The children enjoyed making everyone's name bracelets with beads ...and by everyone, let it be known that several of the kinders opened a "shop" outside our classroom door to take orders from passing Falcons in order to "sell" their bracelets (for free)! lol! This sale went on for several days! And it's not just the letters they are noticing. The junior student who created the large printed "story" on the large whiteboard wall told me that the shapes at the end of her "words" were the marks she saw in the stories (the beginning of punctuation).