What is 1 Blue?
1 Blue readers can use words they know, like at, to figure out one-syllable words in the same word family, like cat, hat, and flat.
This level is the first level where students begin to decode (or "sound out") words. You can help your child decode by using patterns and rhyming. For example, we can use the Power Word "make" to read "cake."
Your child's Power Word bank will expand as he/she continues using these words as a support framework when reading.
Your child will be using their fingers to help them find familiar chunks in words.
At this level, your child will stop and try again when something doesn't make sense.
Click to see the 1B Skills Card.
Ways to Support your Reader at Home:
Ask your child, “Can you use your fingers to find a chunk in the word that you already know?” (e.g., If the unknown word is “ham,” your child should cover the letter “h,” read “am,” then uncover the “h” to read “ham.”)
When your child’s error changes the meaning of the sentence, ask: “Did that make sense? Can you reread that part?”
Choose a few power chunks from the back of the Skills Card (linked above) to practice each night.
Get your child to use his/her fingers to decode the words on the card and read across the whole row (if able).
Have your child write some other words that have the same word chunk.