Second Grade Parent Page

Second Grade Reading

Here are some things you can to at home to help your child gain essential beginning literacy skills:

• Practice reading daily. For younger readers, try 20-30 minutes a day depending on their age, ability, and stamina. THE SINGLE, MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do is to have your child read to you and give immediate feedback and encouragement DAILY!

Decades of research has shown that students who read more, read better. They develop better vocabularies, achieve higher levels of reading and writing development, and score highest on standardized tests. This is particularly true for students who have daily opportunities to read, year after year.

• Phonics and decoding is essential to accurate and fluent reading.

• Practice reading the same story several times. Accuracy and reading rate will increase with each reading of the text. This will help students to recognize words quickly. Additionally, repeated readings increases confidence and motivation. Encourage children to read both out loud and silently.

• Increase the how much reading your child is doing. The more time a student spends reading, the more accurate and fluent they become.

• Practice reading to others: Students may enjoy reading to a parent, sibling, younger child, or a friend. I had a student once who read to her stuffed animals!

• Motivation is KEY: Finding books that engage and spark the interests of your child is half the battle. Offer your child voice and choice. Ask a teacher or the librarian to help you find interesting, well-written books.

Here are some additional things you can try at home to foster a life-long love for reading:

• Read aloud to your child as much as possible! Research shows that reading aloud to children substantially improves their reading and comprehension skills, as well as their written, oral, and auditory skills. In addition, children that are read aloud to have an increased positive attitude towards reading.

• Use technology to help. Students at DES have access to www.raz-kids.com (find your teacher’s name and log in). This is by far the easiest way to practice leveled reading at home. You can download the Reading A-Z app and your child can access it on a cellphone, tablet, or computer. Additionally, there are tons of educational games and apps available on the Internet (www.pbskids.org) and for electronic devices (Super Why, Booksy, Reading Raven…).

Second Grade DIBELS Next Benchmarks

Oral Reading Fluency

September 52 wpm

January 72 wpm

May 87 wpm