home reading
Dear Families,
We are beginning our Home Reading Program! Your child will bring home books at his/her reading level on a regular basis. Books will increase in difficulty as your child develops his/her reading ability. Reading at home is very beneficial for your Grade One or Two child as he/she has the opportunity to practice reading skills and strategies learned at school.
Each child will have a red duotang containing information for parents and reading log sheets. The red duotang can be kept at home, but home reading books should be kept in your child’s Ziploc Mailbag. It is important that the books travel back and forth to school every day, even if your child did not have a chance to read the books. Students will need to have their books at school for quiet reading time, partner reading, reading with a big buddy, or reading with the teacher.
Please keep track of your child’s reading on the Home Reading Log. Please initial one box of the grid for each day your child reads with you. For each completed row of the grid (5 days of reading), your child will be able to choose a sticker. After each grid is completed, please send the red duotang to school, where your child will be able to choose a small item from our treasure box, such as a fancy pencil, eraser, sticker sheet, etc. The goal is reading at least 5 days per week, for around 10-15 minutes each time.
Raz Kids, a computer program that allows your child to listen to stories being read at his/her level, are another great way your child can practice his/her reading at home. My hope is that all accounts will be up and running in the next couple of weeks.
Home Reading Hints:
· Try to make Home Reading part of your everyday routine. It may help to establish a reading place at your house, as well as a reading time. Your child should be responsible for bringing books and materials to the reading place and putting them away in their Mailbag (inside his/her backpack) when reading is done. Remember, books must come to school every day.
Encourage your child to to use our Beanie Baby reading strategies!
1. Look at the pictures. (Eagle Eye_
2. Sound out words (left to right). (Lips the Fish)
3. Look for a little word in the big word (eg. “go” ing) (Chunky Monkey)
4. Make a guess (with correct beginning sound).
5. Skip the word and read on (use context; what word would make sense?) (Skippy the Frog)
· Although most of the books should be appropriate for your child’s independent reading, you may find that some are very easy, while others are more difficult.
If the book is too easy:
1. Cover the pictures and have your child re-read the text.
2. Play a word recognition game, pointing to words in the text in random order.
3. Read your child’s library book, or another book of choice for additional practice.
If the book is too hard:
1. Ask your child to read each sentence after you (model reading).
2. Point to each word as you read. Have your child point to the words when he/she reads.
3. Take turns reading pages.
4. Read the story for your child. Talk about special words and ask questions about the story.
· Consistent, short periods of practice will help to develop independent reading habits.
Children improve their reading ability by reading!
· Please refer to the "Reading Strategies" page I will give out at parent teacher conferences.
Thank you for working with your child to reinforce the reading skills learned in the classroom. Together we will make “learning to read” a positive, exciting experience. If you have any questions or encounter any difficulties, please be sure to ask or write a note. I am here to help.
Happy Reading!
What do good readers do?
1. They make sure they are comfortable.
2. They use their tracking finger.
3. They point to each word.
4. They sound out words.
5. They skip hard words, read on, and then go back to the
hard words to see if they can figure them out.
6. They make a guess (with the correct beginning sound)
when they can’t read a word.
7. They look at punctuation.
8. They look at the pictures.
9. They ask someone, if a word is too hard.
10. They read with expression.