Reading
Daily Routines
To maintain reading skills we recommend reading at least 20 minutes a day with your student. Depending on their grade level and ability, you might be reading to them. Encourage your student to read as much as they are able to. The following document gives you some ideas on how to read with your student and give feedback they may need to continue learning. English and Español
Parts of Reading
Students need many foundational skills to be fluent readers. Even if your child isn't reading yet, or you don't have time to read to them, there are activities you can do with your child.
Phonemic Awareness
There is no reading involved in this, but it is VERY important. Phonemic Awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in words. Playing word games is helpful. Students of all ages may need this kind of work, but it is most common with Kinder, First, and Second Graders. Here are a few ideas to help with this. Examples are given on the indented bullets. Note the spelling of the words DO NOT have to match in rhyming, just the sounds.
Say two words and ask the student if they rhyme.
mud bug (no)
pail male (yes)
Say a word and ask the student for a rhyming word that matches.
sip (possible answers - lip, flip, pip, trip - accept any short word, even made up, that has the sounds of _ip at the end)
band (possible answers - sand, fanned, land, - accept any short word, even made up, that has the sounds of _and at the end)
Tell the student the sounds in a short word (3-5 sounds), and ask them what the word is.
say the sounds 'm-e-n-d' Student says the word 'mend'
say the sounds 'th-i-ck' Student says the word 'thick'
Say a short word and ask the student for the sounds in that word.
Say the word 'tell' Student says the sounds 't-e-ll'
Say the word 'melt' Student says the sounds 'm-e-l-t'
Give the student a short word and ask them to change the first or last sound to another sound you tell them.
You say the word 'sand' (student might repeat it) then ask them to change the 's' to 'b' (the student should say band)
You say the word 'chat' (student might repeat it) then ask them to change the 'ch' to 'th' (the student should say that)
Phonics
Phonics is basically knowing what the letters in words sound like, and the changes that happen when particular letters are near each other or in different locations in a word. It is nearly impossible to write all of the rules out here. There are songs and videos that can help you navigate some of this if you are willing. A link to playlists will be posted when they are closer to being ready. YouTube will not be available on District devices, but if you are using a phone or home computer or tablet, it should be fine. This section will be updated with more phonics assistance as time allows.
Fluency
Fluency is (in VERY short terms) reading accurately with appropriate expression in your voice, and following the rules of punctuation. Having your student read and reread some texts can be helpful in building fluency. During the first read the student is usually figuring out words, trying to attend to some meaning, and remembering to look for punctuation and what it means. The next few passes through the text they are more familiar with the words and placement of punctuation so their brain can work on the fluency piece. It is a bit like riding a bike for the first time versus the 100th. Practice makes it better every time.
Comprehension
Comprehension is understanding the meaning of what was read. When working on comprehension, you should choose a text that is not difficult for your student to read. They will need more of their working memory for making meaning. If they have to work too hard at figuring out the words, the meaning will be harder to work on. Our brains are much like a computer; if there are too many things going on, none of the programs work fast or well.
Talk with your student about the book or passage they are reading. Use questions that make them think beyond the basics. The following graphic shows levels of questioning.
