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Parents and caregivers are a child’s first teacher. By reading with and talking to a child, you are ensuring that child’s brain development has a strong foundation for all future learning. What you do in your child’s earliest years matters greatly in their future school success. - Reading Tips For Families
Welcome!
Welcome!
The Five Essential Components of Reading
The Five Essential Components of Reading
Reading with children and helping them practice specific reading components can dramatically improve their ability to read. Scientific research shows that there are five essential components of reading that children must be taught in order to learn to read. Adults can help children learn to be good readers by systematically practicing these five components:
Recognizing and using individual sounds to create words, or phonemic awareness. Children need to be taught to hear sounds in words and that words are made up of the smallest parts of sound, or phonemes.
Understanding the relationships between written letters and spoken sounds, or phonics. Children need to be taught the sounds individual printed letters and groups of letters make. Knowing the relationships between letters and sounds helps children to recognize familiar words accurately and automatically, and "decode" new words.
Developing the ability to read a text accurately and quickly, or reading fluency. Children must learn to read words rapidly and accurately in order to understand what is read. When fluent readers read silently, they recognize words automatically. When fluent readers read aloud, they read effortlessly and with expression. Readers who are weak in fluency read slowly, word by word, focusing on decoding words instead of comprehending meaning.
Learning the meaning and pronunciation of words, or vocabulary development. Children need to actively build and expand their knowledge of written and spoken words, what they mean and how they are used.
Acquiring strategies to understand, remember and communicate what is read, or reading comprehension strategies. Children need to be taught comprehension strategies, or the steps good readers use to make sure they understand text. Students who are in control of their own reading comprehension become purposeful, active readers."
- US Dept. of Education's Reading Tips for Parents
This helpful video covers the basics of reading comprehension. As a parent, you'll learn what good reading comprehension looks like and how to help your child build strong comprehension. By the end of the video, you'll understand why comprehension is such an important reading skill. Kids with strong comprehension grow into lifelong readers who love great books and experience more success in school.
Click the video above to understand how to develop your child's comprehension as they learn to read with tips from Emily from Oxford Owl.
Click the video above to learn six important questions to ask your kids to improve their comprehension abilities.
How Can I Help My Child Understand What He/She Is Reading?
How Can I Help My Child Understand What He/She Is Reading?
"Just because a child is able to sound out the words in a story does not necessarily mean that he or she comprehends the meaning. Often, children experience difficulty in remembering what they read, especially if they are confused by or uninterested in the reading material (i.e. a textbook passage).
Children who are able to process and remember what they read are better equipped to study and score well in exams. Learning through stories can improve children’s long-term memory, neuroscience research shows.
Here are five smart strategies that you can use at home to help your kids remember what they read.
1. Create a mental picture of what is being read
1. Create a mental picture of what is being read
Research shows that humans tend to remember pictures more easily than words. To improve reading comprehension, encourage your child to visualize the descriptions and words on the page.
For instance, if there is a passage about the characters playing football, ask your child to create a movie in his or her mind of a football field, the ball being passed back and forth, and other actions. That way, when recalling the passage, your child can draw from this mental movie or picture that he or she had created.
2. Retell the scene/story
2. Retell the scene/story
Paraphrasing is a useful learning technique as it encourages your child to make sense of the information they read before saying it in his or her own words.
Here is a paraphrasing activity to boost reading comprehension: The next time your kids are reading, pick a page for them to cover. Let them take a moment to remember the paragraph or passage they just read, and then retell it to you.
If they are unable to do it, or only remember the last sentence they read, encourage them to read the passage again carefully before giving the retelling activity another go.
Tip: Some kids may find it more fun to practice retelling the story with another kid, either a sibling or a friend, as it becomes more like a game; the one who is re-telling can be the “teacher” while the one who is listening can be the “student.”
3. Borrow techniques from teacher instruction for your child.
3. Borrow techniques from teacher instruction for your child.
Our teachers encourage active reading techniques to improve children’s comprehension abilities. Whether it is through jotting down notes in the margins, circling vocabulary words, and underlining central ideas, or using sticky notes, the practice of “engaging” with the text allows children to remember and understand it more thoroughly, rather than just skimming through. Check your child's newsletter to find out what strategies and techniques he/she is using that you can reinforce at home.
All of our ELA teacher resources our currently accessible at our D6 ELA Resources site. Click the title to access.
4. Make the words come alive
4. Make the words come alive
Make reading fun (and help the story meaning stick to their memory) by making the words come alive. This can be done through arts and crafts projects (such as making story props), embarking on an outing related to a theme in the story, singing songs about a character or subject, or acting in a play. There is little chance that your child would forget what he or she reads about after exploring it beyond the page through these exciting activities.
5. Ask questions
5. Ask questions
The next time your child is in the middle of a book, ask, “What happened before?” and “What do you think will happen next?” If your child is about to dive into the next chapter, ask what exciting thing occurred in the previous chapter. The purpose is to instill a narrative intelligence that helps children make logical sense of what is read through sequential understanding.
This is done through asking unique questions and generating innovative answers – an ability that will prove useful not only in primary school but in university as well when they work on various research projects. Reading comprehension is a foundational skill that affects other areas of learning."
How and When Should I Read To My Child?
How and When Should I Read To My Child?
Simple Strategies For Creating Strong Readers
Simple Strategies For Creating Strong Readers
"Without doubt, reading with children spells success for early literacy. Putting a few simple strategies into action will make a significant difference in helping children develop into good readers and writers.
Through reading aloud, providing print materials, and promoting positive attitudes about reading and writing, you can have a powerful impact on children's literacy and learning.
Invite a child to read with you every day.
When reading a book where the print is large, point word by word as you read. This will help the child learn that reading goes from left to right and understand that the word he or she says is the word he or she sees.
Read a child's favorite book over and over again.
Read many stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat. Invite the child to join in on these parts. Point, word by word, as he or she reads along with you.
Discuss new words. For example, "This big house is called a palace. Who do you think lives in a palace?"
Stop and ask about the pictures and about what is happening in the story.
Read from a variety of children's books, including fairy tales, song books, poems, and information books.
Reading well is at the heart of all learning." - US Dept. of Education's Reading Tips for Parents
Watch this video from Zero to Three how reading to your baby starting at birth can help foster strong reading skills and a growing vocabulary.
Personal connections and new vocabulary
Personal connections and new vocabulary
Farms and farming are the themes for the day. Watch how volunteer Shakara Helaire engages the kids in active conversation about vegetables, and how an outdoor "milking station" turns into a memorable way to learn new vocabulary words like "pasteurizing." - Reading Rockets
A recent survey found that 20% of kids ages six to 17 did not read any books at all during the summer of 2018. That number has been growing – in 2016, it was 15%. A new book, “How to Raise a Reader,” is working to combat that, by showing the benefits of reading at every stage of a child’s development. Co-author Pamela Paul, who is also the editor of the New York Times Book Review, joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss the book, and offer tips on how to teach your kids to love reading.
Reading with Your Child
Reading with Your Child
This brief WNET Parenting Minute video describes the importance of reading to children in whatever language you are most comfortable. It highlights the fact that reading to children is an important part of their development and can help children improve their reading skills and succeed in school. (Also available in Spanish, Bengali, and Chinese.) - Reading Rockets
Fall in Love with Reading: Ten Simple Things You Can Do At Home
Fall in Love with Reading: Ten Simple Things You Can Do At Home
"There are many ways to enjoy reading with your child. Here are a few ways to make reading a fun part of your everyday life.
1. Develop family reading routines and rituals
Find a regular time of day when you can dedicate story time into your day. You can read in the morning, after school, or before bedtime! Making story time a cozy routine makes reading an essential and pleasant activity.
2. Read what interests your child
The nutrition facts on the milk box, newspapers, recipes, maps, and game instructions all make great reading material if your child is interested.
3. Try books that reflect your daily experiences
Making connections to topics you read about is a fun way to keep children engaged. For example, you can read You Can’t Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum with your child before or after visiting an art museum. This opens up opportunities for conversations like discussing similarities and differences between the book and the museum visit.
Or read Dr. Seuss’s In a People House and then ask your child if they see any similar items, how they work, or even create a new book based on what’s inside your own home.
4. Let your child select books
When you visit the library, let your child select books. Try both fiction and informational books, and ask the librarian for recommendations based on your child’s interests.
5. Reread your child’s favorites
It’s common for young children to request the same book again and again. Re-reading familiar stories offers children a chance to absorb information over time and lets them master the whole story.
6. Encourage storytelling
Encourage your child to tell you a story from time to time or to retell a story after you’ve read it several times. Don’t feel the need to correct how she’s telling the story. Let her enjoy the experience of storytelling.
7. Have fun while reading
Try whatever style feels comfortable for you and your child. Some ways families have fun with stories include:
Acting out the story while reading by using facial expressions, gestures, body movements, and voices to make the story come to life.
Making the story relevant to your child’s life by adapting the story to include her name, a friend’s name, or your pet’s name. For example, surprise your child by saying “Olivia, Olivia, what do you see?” when you read Eric Carle’s Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Finding props to go along with favorite stories and offering them to your child to use in her play.
8. Change your setting!
It can be fun to read books in different places in and around your home. Try reading Eric Carle’s The Very Lonely Firefly in a dark room with a flashlight. I’ve read The Lamb and the Butterfly (written by Arnold Sundgaard, illustrated by Eric Carle) to a group of four-year-olds on the grass, and when they saw a butterfly fly by, they associated it with the one in the story! You can even ask your child where she wants to read a particular story.
9. Try one of these books that trigger children's interest in reading
Adam Lehrhaupt’s Warning: Do Not Open This Book! Is a great example of a book that draws children into the act of reading. Children wonder: “Why can’t I open this book?” and read on. Here are some others:
Don’t Push The Button by Bill Cotter
Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley
How To Hide a Lion by Helen Stephens I
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Maisy’s Fairground by Lucy Cousins
My Granny’s Purse And My Mummy’s Bag by P. H. Hanson
Press Here by Herve Tullet
Tap to Play by Salina Yoon
The Foggy Foggy forest by Nick Sharratt
Where’s Wally? by Martin Handford
10. Get to know your child and your own reading style
Knowing your child and your own reading style is important for three main reasons:
It offers you an opportunity to observe what interests your child. Be it science, art, interactive books or wordless books, you will figure out her current interest and support her in appropriate ways.
You won’t impose your preferences on your child; instead, you will share what you like with each other and get a chance to explore those beyond your favorites.
It allows your child to understand and respect that every individual reads differently and it is okay.
There are lots of ways to encourage and enjoy reading. Try these ideas and do more of what your child enjoys." - Yi-Chin Lan with NAEYC Fall in Love with Reading
What Should My Child Be Reading?
What Should My Child Be Reading?
Just like we fill our children's dinner plates with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, proteins, and grains in order to make sure they have a well-balanced diet to grow their bodies, across every grade level our students should have a reading diet rich in variety as well. Students need exposure to quality texts from a wide variety of genres: picture books, fairy tales, fables, novels, poems, graphic novels, informational books, question and answer books, etc. We know that students need familiar books that they know by heart and they also need to be exposed to new books that will open them up to new topics and new vocabulary.
Please click the link below to view our SC Family Friendly standards for ELA (English Language Arts) for your child's grade level to see specifics about what your child will be learning as a reader and a writer each year. Family Friendly Guide to SC Academic Standards
Please click the link below to visit Learning Hero's website, Readiness Roadmap page which offers a range of resources by several trusted sources such as Scholastic, National PTA, and the Council of Great City Schools. The Roadmap includes grade-by-grade expectations, short videos of what mastery looks like at every stage, and how parents can help support learning at home. Readiness Roadmap
Every year the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) publishes their summer reading list for each grade level band, K-2, 3-5, and 6-8th grade students. Please click the link below to view their lists. ALSC's 2020 Summer Reading List
The ALSC also created in cooperation with the ALA-Children’s Book Council (CBC) Joint Committee a list of books for each age group in order to provide guidance to parents, grandparents, and others interested in assembling a high-quality library for their children at home. Click the links below to view their recommended lists.
For five simple and practical ways to help your child develop literacy skills click on the link below or the picture above. Five Easy Ways to Help Your Child Develop Literacy Skills
Enhance the experience by talking about what’s on the pages such as the colors, the letters, the pictures, as well as talking about what’s taking place in the story. You can’t be too silly when reading with your child, the crazier and more exaggerated the voices, the better! Here is a great example of a great read aloud by Michael Rosen, author of “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.” Be sure to pick a comfortable, well-lit spot when you read together and make that special time a daily routine. Keep reading with your children as they grow older and can read on their own. Kids still enjoy that bonding time with you. As their reading skills mature, reading together looks different at every stage. What should always be constant is reading together every day. - Reading Tips For Families
Other Reading Resources
Other Reading Resources
Get tips on how to teach a child to read with reading resources and reading activities from Reading Bright Start .Teaching how to read can be fun for you and your child with pre-reading activities and fun reading activities that involve all the senses. In this short video, you’ll learn that how you read to a child is an important factor in helping a child learn to read.
Parent Resources To Support Pre Schoolers
Parent Resources To Support Pre Schoolers
How Can I Help My Child Be Ready to Read and Ready to Learn?
How Can I Help My Child Be Ready to Read and Ready to Learn?
Talk to your infant and toddler to help him learn to speak and understand the meaning of words. Point to objects that are near and describe them as you play and do daily activities together. Having a large vocabulary gives a child a great start when he enters school.
Read to your baby every day starting at six months of age. Reading and playing with books is a wonderful way to spend special time with her. Hearing words over and over helps her become familiar with them. Reading to your baby is one of the best ways to help her learn.
Use sounds, songs, gestures and words that rhyme to help your baby learn about language and its many uses. Babies need to hear language from a human being. Television is just noise to a baby.
Point out the printed words in your home and other places you take your child such as the grocery store. Spend as much time listening to your child as you do talking to him.
Take children's books and writing materials with you whenever you leave home. This gives your child fun activities to entertain and occupy him while traveling and going to the doctor's office or other appointments.
Create a quiet, special place in your home for your child to read, write and draw. Keep books and other reading materials where your child can easily reach them.
Help your child see that reading is important. Set a good example for your child by reading books, newspapers and magazines.
Limit the amount and type of television you and your child watch. Better yet, turn off the television and spend more time cuddling and reading books with your child. The time and attention you give your child has many benefits beyond helping him be ready for success in school.
Reach out to libraries and community and faith-based organizations. These organizations can:
Help you find age-appropriate books to use at home with your child;
Show you creative ways to use books with your child and other tips to help her learn; and
Provide year-round children's reading and educational activities. - US Dept. of Education's Reading Tips for Parents
"These downloadable handouts offer you a year’s worth of information, ideas, and activities to help you advance your child’s early literacy skills. Each month features one of the literacy components proven to be important in advancing those skills.
August: Promoting Letter Recognition – printable download
September: Connecting Letters and Sounds – printable download
October: Building Genre Awareness – printable download
November: Building Comprehension – printable download
December: Promoting Writing – printable download
January: Setting the Scene for Literacy – printable download
February: Creating a Love of Literacy – printable download
March: Promoting Oral Language – printable download
April: Building Vocabulary – printable download
May: Learning How Text Works – printable download
June: Playing with Sounds of Language – printable download
July: Building World Knowledge – printable download"
-From Raising Readers www.raisingreaders.org
A Parent's Guide to Reading Aloud
A Parent's Guide to Reading Aloud
Our literacy coaches suggested that we create a parent resource that can share quick and easy steps they can follow to help support their child's reading growth at home. This colorful infographic is attached and is also at the link below for you to share with parents either digitally in a link on a newsletter or smore or also as a hard copy printed to go home in student folders. A QR code is included that takes parents to a video created by JBES literacy coach, Allie Thrower modeling reading aloud at home with her son, Bane.
A Parent's Guide to Reading Aloud FINAL.pdfA Parent's Guide to High Frequency Words
A Parent's Guide to High Frequency Words
Our literacy coaches suggested that we create a parent resource that shares strategies for helping our students learn new high frequency words. This colorful infographic is attached and is also at the link below for you to share with parents either digitally in a link on a newsletter or smore or also as a hard copy printed to go home in student folders. At the bottom you can click the first QR code to view our list of current high frequency words and he second QR code takes you to a video of Arcadia's literacy coach, Kimberly Terry practicing high frequency words with her child that demonstrate the effective strategies provided.
A Parent's Guide to High Frequency Words.pdfPage updated
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