READING STRATEGIES PACKET FOR PARENTS

For a child to develop into an active, fluent reader, all components of reading

must be mastered. This packet has been compiled from other research- based

resources, such as Reading Rockets (www.readingrockets.org ). Please use the

information within this packet to assist your child at home and be an active

participant in the educational development of your child. If you have any

questions and/or concerns regarding the information in this packet, please feel

free to contact me via email at llavender@bhm.k12.al.us

Lisa S. Lavender Instructional Coach Avondale Elementary 2017-2018

Table of Contents

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness Pgs. 1-4

Phonics Pgs. 5-7

Vocabulary Pgs. 8-10

Fluency Pgs. 11-13

Comprehension Pgs. 14-16

ABC’s of Comprehension

1st Addition (2 pages)

Learning Sight Words

2nd Addition (1 page)

Sight Word List 3rd Addition (1 page)

1

***Phonological awareness is based on what your child is able to hear. They do

not have to know letters to be phonologically aware.

2

3

4

5

6

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8

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11

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14

15

16

The ABC’s of Reading Comprehension Strategies for Parents Why worry about comprehension? Reading is more than saying the words or getting from the beginning of the book to the end. To be successful readers, children need to be able to comprehend text. Research has shown there are some strategies we can share with children as we read that will help them gain more understanding: Here are some of them, complete with definitions and sample questions that could liven up your reading discussions at home… A. Making Connections Readers constantly make connections as they read; connections to their own lives, another book, or real world events. Bringing those connections out and discussing then can lead to more interaction and interest in a text as well as deepen comprehension.

• What does this book remind you of? • Have you experienced any of the events or situations in this book? • Can you understand how the character was feeling? Why? • What do you know about the book’s topic? • Does this book remind you of another book?

B. Visualizing Readers create pictures in their minds as they read. If they aren’t able to, comprehension is lost. Perhaps background knowledge isn’t solid enough for the child to understand the text or perhaps he or she needs to reread for understanding. You could have your children make stops while reading aloud to describe the pictures in their minds. They could even draw for you what they see. You could ask them questions…

• What do you picture as you read this paragraph?   • When reading this story did you make pictures in your head? • How did these pictures help you understand the story better?

C. Questioning When readers question the text before, during, and after they read, they attend more closely to the text, clarify meaning, make predictions, and focus their attention on what’s important. It is critical for readers to understand some of the most interesting questions we have aren’t always answered in the story. Before Reading What do you think will happen? Why do you suppose… During Reading What do you think?  

What do you wonder?   How come… What does this word mean? How can I figure out using clues from the text? After Reading What would have happened if… I wonder why the author… I wonder where we could look to find out more about… D. Inferring More than simple prediction, inferring happens when readers can take what they know and what is written in the book to read between the lines. The ability to infer helps the reader get to the why of the story and draw conclusions. You can help your child use inference by asking…

• Why did you think that would happen? • Why did the author write the story in that way? • Why do you think the character feels that way? • Why did the character do that?

E. Determining Importance Readers need to prioritize as they read. Prioritizing is related to main idea and identifying themes. It is a critical skill for students as they encounter textbooks and nonfiction. Be sure your child pays attention to first and last lines of a paragraph, titles, heading, captions, fonts, illustrations, italics, and boldfaced print. Initiate discussion before reading by asking what your child knows about the topic and what he or she would like to learn.

• What kind of message is the author sending? • What are the main ideas? • What is just interesting without being important?

 

Learning Sight Words

The Dolch Sight Word list is a list of 220 words that make up between 50-70% of the words we encounter in text. Most of these words are “service words” that must be quickly recognized in order to read fluently. Many of the Dolch sight words cannot be “sounded out” and they need to learned by “sight”. Because recognizing these words is so important during reading, using a variety of activities to teach, practice and mem-orize the words is critical in teaching children to read. Try using these activities to help your child learn and practice sight words: Multi-sensory ways to learn and practice sight words:

Have your child write sight words with glitter glue Have your child write sight words with wikki stix Have your child write sight words with playdoh Have your child write sight words with puffy paint Put craft sand on a paper plate. Have your child practice tracing sight words

in the sand. Put hair gel in a zip lock baggie. Seal the baggie. Have your child write the

letters of the sight word in the gel. Squirt shaving cream on a plate or table. Spread the cream. Have your child

write the sight words in the shaving cream. Jump, hop, clap, tap out the letters of the sight word (t-h-e “the”).

Sight word games:

Make sight word flashcards on 3 x 5 index cards and place them on a ring. Short and frequent practice with naming the words works better than longer sessions. Try reviewing the cards during commercial breaks.

Draw a star on the back of a 3 x 5 index card. Place this card and the flash-cards face down on the table. Take turns turning over a card and reading the words. Try to be the player who finds the card with a star.

Play “Slap Jack” with the sight word and star cards. When the star card is turned over, the first player to slap it wins.

Make duplicates of the sight word cards and play the memory game. Make several 5 x 5 grids and put sight words in the squares. Make your own

chips with the words written on them. Play bingo. Write the sight words on sticky notes and place them on a wall. Turn down

the lights and give your child a flashlight. Have your child shine the light on the words and read each word.

Visit www.blog.maketaketeach.com

Dolch Sight Words Listed by Category

PRE-KINDERGARTEN a and away big blue can come down

find for funny go help here I in

is it jump little look make me my

not one play red run said see the

three to two up we where yellow you

KINDERGARTEN all am are at ate be black brown but came did

do eat four get good have he into like must new

no now on our out please pretty ran ride saw say

she so soon that there they this too under want was

well went what white who will with yes

FIRST GRADE after again an any as ask by could every

fly from give going had has her him his

how just know let live may of old once

open over put round some stop take thank them

then think walk were when

SECOND GRADE always around because been before best both buy call cold

does don't fast first five found gave goes green its

made many off or pull read right sing sit sleep

tell their these those upon us use very wash which

why wish work would write your

THIRD GRADE about better bring carry clean cut done draw drink

eight fall far full got grow hold hot hurt

if keep kind laugh light long much myself never

only own pick seven shall show six small start

ten today together try warm

NOUNS apple baby back ball bear bed bell bird birthday boat box boy bread brother cake car cat chair chicken

children Christmas coat corn cow day dog doll door duck egg eye farm farmer father feet fire fish floor

flower game garden girl goodbye grass ground hand head hill home horse house kitty leg letter man men milk

money morning mother name nest night paper party picture pig rabbit rain ring robin Santa Claus school seed sheep shoe

sister snow song squirrel stick street sun table thing time top toy tree watch water way wind window wood