Forsyth County schools is dedicated to providing quality instruction for all students. The FCS Literacy Essentials are the elements upon which our literacy instruction is built. We believe, and research has proven, that these elements are essential components of literacy that all students need in order to be successful readers and writers. 

The section below provides more information about each literacy essential as well as activities that you can do at home to support your child in each of these key areas.

Phonological awareness is the ability to hear and recognize the different sounds that make up words. It helps children understand that words are made of smaller sounds, like syllables and individual sounds (called phonemes). Phonological awareness is when kids can play with and notice sounds in words, like clapping out the beats in a word (syllables) or hearing that "cat" and "bat" sound the same at the end. It's an important step before learning how to read and write!

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and work with the individual sounds (called "phonemes") in spoken words. For example, being able to hear that the word "cat" has three separate sounds — /k/, /a/, and /t/ — is an example of phonemic awareness. It’s about understanding that words are made up of sounds, and once children can break down and play with those sounds, they can start learning to read and spell more easily.

Some activities to help build student's Phonological awareness and Phonemic awareness skills include: 

• Rhyming Activities 

  • Read books with rhyming text and ask your child to identify the rhyming words. 

  • Sing nursery rhymes or songs and encourage your child to finish the rhymes. 

• Making Nonsense Words 

• Making Word Riddles 

  • Play a game where you change one sound in a word to make a new word. For example, change the /c/ in “cat” to /h/ to make “hat" or  "snow with out an 's' is what?"- no

• Say a word and ask your child to break it into its individual sounds. For example, for “sand,” they would say /s/ /a/ /n/ /d/. 

Phonics is the skill of understanding the relationship between letters and the sounds they make. For example, when children learn that the letter "b" spells the sound "b" or the letter "s" spells the sound "sss," they can begin to sound out words like "bat" or "sun." Phonics knowledge helps kids break down words into smaller parts, making it easier for them to read and understand new words as they become more confident readers.   

Some activities to help build student's Phonics skills include: 

• Look for word patterns with words in a book or a text

• Discuss UFLI home practice with your student

• Use this Spelling Pattern Generalizations chart to notice and wonder about words 

• Involve children in making a shopping list by asking them to sound out and write down items they see or want to buy.

• Gather household items or pictures of items and have children sort them based on their beginning sounds (e.g., "cat," "cup," "dog," "doll"). 

• Sing songs or nursery rhymes that focus on phonics sounds. You can find many phonics songs online that make learning fun. 

Fluency means being able to read smoothly and easily. When a child is fluent, they can read words quickly and correctly, without having to stop and sound out every word. This helps them focus more on understanding the meaning of what they are reading. Fluency also includes reading with expression and noticing punctuation marks such commas or periods, and then pausing when those noticing those marks.      

Some activities to help build student's Fluency include: 

• Read aloud with your student alternating and taking turns on every page

  • When reading aloud, model reading at an appropriate speed

  • Model making voices for characters

  • Model using punctuation to pause, lift voice at a question, etc.

• Set aside a specific time each day for reading, whether it’s before bedtime or after school. Consistency helps build fluency. 

• Use highlighters or colored pencils to mark keywords or phrases in a text that the child can practice reading fluently. 

Vocabulary refers to all the words that a person knows and understands. For students, their vocabulary includes the words they learn at school and use in their daily life. Having a strong vocabulary helps children express their thoughts clearly, understand what they read, and communicate effectively with others. In short, vocabulary is the collection of words that helps us talk, listen, read, and write better! 

Some activities to help build student's Vocabulary include: 

• Read! Read! Read!

  • Read a variety of books with your children including both fiction & nonfiction

• Use wonderful rich words when talking to your child (i.e. We’re going to dash (run quickly) into the store for milk.

  • Set challenges as a family to learn new words such as learning a new word a week 

• Point out unknown words when reading and determine their meaning together.

• Play games together to encourage conversations as family. 

  • For ideas use this handout "Making the Most of Family Time" 

  • Additional Games can be found on this "Gift Ideas That Support Language Development" handout

Interpreting text, or comprehension, is the ability to understand what you read or hear. It means not just reading the words but also knowing what they mean, following the story or information, and being able to talk about it afterward. When a child has good comprehension, they can explain what happened in a story, describe the characters, or answer questions about what they’ve learned. It’s a key part of learning and helps students succeed in school and beyond.

Some activities to help build student's Interpreting text skills include: 

• When reading fiction, pause after a sentence or paragraph, and ask your student to explain what they’re picturing in their mind

• When reading nonfiction, ask your student which facts are new and which remind them of previous learning

• See more example comprehension questions from the Lexile Framework for Reading 

Constructing text means putting your ideas, thoughts, or information into words when you're writing. It’s like building a story, a sentence, or a paragraph by choosing the right words and organizing them in a way that makes sense. For students, it means using what they’ve learned to express themselves clearly, whether they are writing a story, explaining something, or answering a question in writing. It’s about creating written communication that others can read and understand.

Some activities to help build student's Constructing text skills include: 

• Offer the opportunity for your child to talk and write frequently.

  • Encourage children to keep a daily journal where they can write about their day, feelings, or interests. 

  • After a vacation or family fun event, have your student write a story about what they did or their favorite part. 

• Consider starting a family journal.

• Create a family story together by taking turns writing parts of the story between you and your student.

• Work together to write a family story or about your families' history/culture. 

• Encourage children to write letters to family members, friends, or even fictional characters.