Dear Families,
In this post you will find ideas for connecting our classroom to your home.
Be sure to mark your calendar for our monthly Partners in Print sessions, the second Tuesday of every month from 4:00-5:00 here at school. During each session, you can participate with your child in activities you can use at home.
The public library offers a similar program on the second Saturday of each month from 10:00-11:00. If afternoons at school won't work in your schedule, try the session at the library!
Reinforce what we are working on at school.
Try out one or two of these strategies the next time you read with your first grader:
COMPREHENSION... while reading aloud to your child stop every few pages and ask him or her to quickly sketch what has happened in the story. At the end of the story ask your child to tell you everything he remembers about the story---using his own sketches!
QUESTIONING... before reading a new story ask your child what they know about the topic of the book. Ask what they would like to know. Make a few notes about what she is hoping to find out. Answer as many questions as you can while reading the text. If there are unanswered questions, ask your child how the information could be found.
PREDICTING... before starting a book and then every few pages, ask your child what he thinks will happen next. Be sure to ask him why he thinks that.
SUMMARIZING... this is a skill that will develop as your child becomes a stronger reader. Try modeling how you summarize the main ideas of a book after reading with your child.
ORAL READING... chunk it! Not all words can be sounded out, and even when it's possible, sounding out too much can get in the way of being a fluent reader. Encourage your child to find chunks she can read in a word she is unsure of. An example of this is in the word 'happen' have your student find 'hap' and 'pen' then put them together---'happen'.
Try these ideas for developing language in your emerging reader:
Use magnet letters on a metal surface to spell spelling words. Model how to spell a word and then mix up just those letters. Ask your child to build the word again. Repeat for all the spelling words for the week.
Try acting out vocabulary words like a game of charades. Take turns with your student. Help them see that words are useful.
Here are some more fun ideas to try:
Use shaving cream in the bath tub to write letters and words. It's clean!
Take the red light challenge! Keep a post it with the week's spelling words in the car. At every red light have you student spell as many words as possible before the light turns green.
Act it out. Sometimes we read stories that we can just imagin coming to life. Help your child make a quick costume or mask and a prop or two and then watch him act out the story.
Here are two of my favorite websites.
The first is for kids to use and the second is for families to use.
http://www.starfall.com/
The activities at this site are ones the kids have been trying at school. Let your student show you what she can do!
http://hubbardscupboard.org/
There are so many resources on this site! The best connection to our class are the word families. You will find them under the literacy tab. You can even print your own books to match the word family we are studying each week!
I hope you'll try some of these ideas at home. Thank you for your help and support!
Please email or call with any questions. You can also comment on our blog with ideas you may want to share with others!
Katie
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