Reading

Big Ideas for the Year

§ Focus on self selected books and reading for extended periods of time - Reader’s Workshop

§ Decoding unknown words

§ Comprehension is KEY!

§ Stamina

§ Fluency and expression

§ Different genres - fiction and nonfiction

How to Help Your Child Figure Out (decode) Unknown Words

§ Make sure your child stops when they come to a word they do not know.

§ Have them look for patterns or parts of the word they already know. For example, in the word cat they may know what at says.

§ Have your child chunk the parts of the word by identifying the syllables in the word. They can spilt the word between two consonants that are together. For example, the word happy would be hap / py. The word mountain would be moun / tain.

§ Once your child figures out each part, or syllable, they will blend the parts together.

§ Have your child reread the part they stopped at.

Parent and Child Book Discussion Ideas

§ For fiction, have your child retell what they have read making sure they use the character's names, and retell the events from the story in order.

§ For nonfiction, have your child tell you the big idea, or main idea from the book. Make sure they do not simply say the title, but what the book is teaching about that topic. Also, have your child tell you the details from the book that support what they said the main idea is.

§ Share a connection (Does anything in this story make you think about something else you have read or something in your own life?)

§ Share something you liked, disliked, or found interesting about the story and explain why.

§ What is the author trying to tell you in the story? (lesson or message)