Reading

Early Literacy (Pre-Reading)

  • Teaching Letter Names and Sounds
  • Reading aloud to your child
  • Environmental Print

Teaching Your Child to Read

  • Phonics/Learning to Read
  • Guided and Independent Reading Practice: Have them read for 30 minutes often
  • Use a basic story map to help your early reader think about the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
  • Retelling: Have students narrate or write down details about what they read
  • Comprehension Checks: Have discussions with students about what they read and require them to ask and answer questions about the text and challenge them to think critically about events or details in texts
  • Character Study and Analysis
  • Discussing how characters feel/what’s happening
  • Parts of a Story: Plot
  • Using Context Clues to determine the meaning of unknown words and to understand what is happening in a story
  • Sequencing: Retelling events in correct order and/or recognizing it
  • Making inferences
  • Perspective/point of view: for authors as well as characters
  • Author’s Purpose (PIE)
  • Compare and Contrast
  • Use graphic organizers to analyze texts and draw conclusions
  • Recognize and interact with various genres of literature
  • Use features of non-fiction texts to learn more about/research a new topic
  • Know how to recognize and use features of a text in fiction and non-fiction including: front and back cover, author, illustrator, copyright page, table of contents, glossary, index, summary, captions, headings, bolded words, diagrams, tables, charts, timelines, etc.
  • Figurative Language: metaphors, similes, idioms, hyperbole
  • Synonyms and antonyms
  • Vocabulary increasing through word study: root words
  • Find the main idea and supporting details in a text
  • Support conclusions drawn about a text with text evidence
  • Coding non-fiction: asking questions, identifying new information, noticing things that touch the heart
  • Individualized spelling lists from high frequency words or unknown words identified from current reading or texts
  • Use writing sample and ISOC rubric to identify weaknesses and strengths and target instruction accordingly with goals for improvement in mind
  • importance of non-fiction
  • importance of immediate feedback with assessments… Correcting it now to “get it”
  • importance of an organized and clean learning environment

Reading Comprehension

  • Proving a basic understanding of what is being read by answering questions accurately

Reading Fluency

  • Reading along while looking at the words and hearing them read at the same time: either reading along with a parent/family member or with an audio book. Seeing the words while hearing them spoken greatly improves fluency. Can do this with the Bible app.
  • Orthographic mapping: aid in orthographic mapping by providing opportunities to read along with parent and be told the correct word while looking at it to get it in the mind. Rereading the same text numerous times helps build fluency.

Curriculum Recommendations:

Free Books for Children from Ages 0-5

Literature Studies/Guides

Journals for Reading

  • Guides for setting up journal entry templates for students to reuse as they react to what they’re reading