Letter recognition and letter sounds : Before being able to read, your child will need to recognize the letters of the alphabet and their sounds. Below is the chart we use in Kindergarten: Students “chant” the chart by saying “A…/a/ /a/…apple. B…/b/ /b/…bear. C…/c/ /c/…cat” and so on. Don’t forget to have your child practice writing the letters as well!

1. What is Level A like ? Level A books are very predictable with typically one word changing on each page. The picture serves as a clue to the word that is changing. Each page typically has one line of text. For example: “I can paint my chair. I can paint my bike. I can paint my house. I can paint my tree.”

2. What is Level B like ? Level B books are still very predictable with one sentence on a page and picture clues providing a lot of support. The sentence on each page may be longer and continue on to a second line. Be sure they’re little finger is touching the right word as they read! Here’s an example: “We have some corn in our garden. We have some beans in our garden. We have some flowers in our garden.”

3. What is Level C like ? Level C books have 2-3 sentences on a page but still follow a pattern with pictures providing support. For example: “Jack looked in the yard. No, Taco was not under the rose bush. Jack looked in the garage. No, Taco was not under the car.”

4. What is Level D like ? Level D books have 3-4 sentences on a page. They are not as predictable anymore but pictures still provide support. You might see something like this: “It’s time for lunch,” said Mother Bear. “Baby Bear likes berries. I will get some berries.” Mother Bear got some berries. “Yum, yum,” said Mother Bear. “I like berries, too.” “Little Bear likes nuts,” said Mother Bear. “I will get some nuts.” Mother Bear got some nuts. “Yum, yum,” said Mother Bear. “I like nuts, too.”

5. Need resources for leveled books at home ?

   • Ask your child’s teacher to send home paper books from Reading A to Z.

   • Go to Scholastic’s Book Wizard site to search for books or find out the level of a book you have. Be sure to click on “Guided Reading (A to Z) so you’re speaking the same language.

   • Do a Google search for “Level ___ booklist” and you’ll find lots!

   • Go to the local public library and the librarian can help you!

1. Flashcards:

   • Preprimer Dolch list

   • Primer Dolch list

   • 1st grade Dolch list

   • 2nd grade Dolch list

   • 3rd grade Dolch list

2. Want to keep track of the words your child knows? Click on the links below to download an assessment sheet.

   • Preprimer assessment sheet

   • Primer assessment sheet

   • 1st grade assessment sheet

   • 2nd grade assessment sheet

   • 3rd grade assessment sheet

Blending and Segmenting : As your child learns to read, they will eventually come across words that are not sight words and the picture doesn’t help them figure out the word either. What we want your child to do is “sound out” the word. If they say each sound in the word slowly, then blend it together quickly, it should help them read the word. For example, “/c/  /a/  /t/…cat.” You can practice this with your child when they’re stuck on a word, but you can also practice it in the car saying, “I’m going to say a word slow, then I want you to say it fast. /n/  /a/  /p/”   “Nap!!” When spelling words, children need to know how to segment a word into its parts. For example, if I want to spell “map,” I need to stretch out the sounds to hear /m/  /a/  /p/. Both blending and segmenting can be practiced using Elkonin boxes. Your child can touch each box (“sound”) with their finger or write on the board. At school we like to put the Elkonin boxes in a SmartPal (fancy sheet protector) so kids can write on them with an Expo marker then erase to practice many times. Make sure your child’s mastered the first box before moving onto the second. Want to see this activity in action?

Spelling : You can assist with your child’s spelling development by completing word study homework that your child’s teacher assigns. In order to spell, your child will first need to identify letters (their sort will have the letters written in different fonts) and then sounds (their sort will have pictures that need to be sorted by the beginning sound). Next, your child will be ready to spell 3-letter words with short vowels, such as cat , man , wet , or nut . If your child can spell these words at the end of the year, they are right on track!

Sight Words : Progressing through reading levels will be made easier as your child develops his/her sight word knowledge. Please use the lists and assessment sheets in the Kindergarten section to find the list to work with your child on. Let’s make it our goal to enter 2 ^nd grade knowing all sight words !!

Blending and Segmenting : This skill continues to be important in 1 ^st grade. Please see resources for this skill in the Kindergarten section.

Reading : 1 ^st grade is a vital year for children to “learn to read” so that in 2 ^nd grade and beyond they can “read to learn.” As the book levels progress they get less predictable so sight word knowledge and decoding strategies are the key to their success.

1. Decoding Strategies : Your child is going to come across words they don’t know, so we want them to have some decoding strategies to help them out. When listening to your child read at home, encourage them to use these strategies:

   • “ Sound it out :” Sometimes words are simple enough to “sound it out” by saying each sound then blending them together. For example, “/n/  /e/  /t/…net.”

   • Look for chunks : Encourage your child to find “chunks” in a word, for example /fl/ in flat, /sh/ in shut, or /pl/ in plan. 

   • Decode by analogy : Often you can find “chunks” that you recognize from other words. For example, if you know the sight word saw, knowing the sound /aw/ can help you figure out the word draw. Here are some helpful ones to remember:

     1. /ee/ as in see

     2. /ea/ as in eat

     3. /ou/ as in out

     4. /ai/ as in rain

     5. /ay/ as in play

     6. /oi/ as in oil

     7. /ow/ as in how or snow

     8. /oo/ as in look or too

   • Look for word endings : Covering up word endings (_s, _ed, _ing, _er) helps make the word smaller and, often, easier to decode. Then your child can add the ending to help understand the meaning when an _s is at the end (meaning more than one: cats, dog, pencils), when _ed is at the end (an action word that happened in the past: walked, painted, stayed), when _ing is at the end (an action word that is happening now: standing, cheering, jumping), or when an _er is at the end (comparing two things: taller, shorter, faster).

   • Think “What would make sense?” : Sometimes skipping the word and using the clues in the sentence and pictures will help determine what the word might be. Reread the sentence to see if your idea makes sense and look at the letters in the word to see if it matches. For example, “Nate used ________ to color his paper.” Ideas could be crayons, markers, glitter, etc.

2. Comprehension : Although your child is focused on learning to read, it is still a 1 ^st grade expectation that students understand what they read and be able to answer questions about the story. After listening to your child read, ask questions like…

   1. Who are the characters in the story?

   2. Where does the story take place? (setting)

   3. What is the story mostly about? (main idea)

   4. What is the problem in the story? How was it solved?

   5. How are _________ and ________ alike? How are they different?

   6. What caused _________ to happen?

   7. What do you think will happen next? (predicting)

3. What is Level E like? Level E books have 2-4 sentences on a page. They are not as predictable anymore but pictures still provide support. You might see something like this: “It is time to go for a walk,” says Ron. Ron gets Meli’s red leash. “Let’s go, Meli,” says Ron. Meli loves to go for a walk. She puts her little black nose on everything she sees.

4. What is Level I like? Here is sample text from a Level I book: The young man went on and on from house to house. All the people said they were sorry. But no one gave him any food. “This is a poor town,” they said. “We don’t have any food.” The young man was still very hungry. So he came up with a plan.

5. Need resources for leveled books at home ?

   • Ask your child’s teacher to send home paper books from Reading A to Z.

   • Go to Scholastic’s Book Wizard ( click here ) to search for books or find out the level of a book you have. Be sure to click on “Guided Reading (A to Z) so you’re speaking the same language.

   • Do a Google search for “Level ___ booklist” and you’ll find lots!

   • Go to the local public library and the librarian can help you!

Sight Words : Our goal is to enter 2^nd grade knowing all sight words !! Please use the lists and assessment sheets in the Kindergarten section to see if your child has mastered these lists.

Fluency : Fluency is a fancy word for smooth, expressive reading. The easiest way to practice reading fluently is to reread books more than once. The first time there may be words your child has to stop to decode. The second time the book is read he/she will know that word so there won’t be stops. The third time reading your child will be able to focus on making their voice match the emotions of the characters talking. Fluency can be practiced through reading poems or song lyrics. 

Reading : 2^nd grade is the year when your child should have already “learned to read” so they can now “read to learn” information.

1. Decoding Strategies : If your child struggles in knowing what to do when they’re stuck on an unknown word, check out the strategies recommended in the 1^st grade section.

2. Comprehension : Comprehension is vital in reading from this point on. Students are expected to understand what they read and be able to answer questions about the story. After listening to your child read, ask questions like…

   • How does the character feel at the beginning of the story?

   • Where does the story take place? (setting)

   • What is the story mostly about? (main idea)

   • What happened at the beginning? middle? end? (sequencing)

   • What happened after _______? What happened before ________? (sequencing)

   • What is the problem in the story? How was it solved?

   • How are _________ and ________ alike? How are they different?

   • What caused _________ to happen?

   • What do you think will happen next? (predicting)

3. What is Level J like? In a Level J book you might see something like this: This tall plant is a cactus. The cactus can live here because it stores water in a special way. When it rains, the cactus roots soak up water. The plant swells up and gets bigger. The cactus uses the water until it rains again.

4. What is Level M like? Here is sample text from a Level M book: Long ago, Fox lived in a little reed hut on the shore of a large lake. Early one spring morning, the sound of splashing water startled Fox. “The gulls are back!” Fox cried. “It’s been a long winter.” His stomach rumbled at the thought of a tasty gull breakfast.

5. Need resources for leveled books at home ?

   • Ask your child’s teacher to send home paper books from Reading A to Z.

   • Go to Scholastic’s Book Wizard to search for books or find out the level of a book you have. Be sure to click on “Guided Reading (A to Z) so you’re speaking the same language.

   • Do a Google search for “Level ___ booklist” and you’ll find lots!

Spelling : You can assist with your child’s spelling development by completing word study homework that your child’s teacher assigns. Your child’s spelling development will progress through these stages:

1. Short vowels: cat , fin , wet , or nut .

2. Digraphs ( sh ut, ch in, th is) and blends ( cr ib, pl ug, st em).

3. Ending blends (se nd , de sk , si ck , ju mp ).

4. Long vowels with a silent e (c a k e , b i k e , r o p e , t u b e )

5. Other long vowels (r ai n, st ay , sn ow , fl oa t, st ew , fr ui t, st ea m, tr ee , m igh t)

6. R-controlled vowels (st ar , f air , g er m, p eer , g ir l, f ire , s oar , t ur n)

7. Complex consonants (pi tch , stu ck , fu dge , squ int, scr eam, spl ash)

8. Abstract vowels (sp oo n, cl aw , c oi n, f ou nd) (If your child can spell these words at the end of the year, they’re right on track!)

Writing : In 2 ^nd grade, students are continuing to learn the basics about writing, including capitalization, punctuation, spaces between words, and using their best spelling. They should be able to write 5+ sentences on a given topic. Make writing fun by writing stories together, writing in a journal, or writing letters to each other or a friend or family member. Try having your child write a paragraph about a book they read, a tv show they watched, or a place they visited. Don’t feel like you need to correct everything they write. Remind them of the basics (capital, punctuation, spaces) but only expect them to correctly spell sight words and words with patterns that they’ve studied (blends, long vowels, etc.).

Fluency: Fluency is a fancy word for smooth, expressive reading. The easiest way to practice reading fluently is to reread books more than once. The first time there may be words your child has to stop to decode. The second time the book is read he/she will know that word so there won’t be stops. The third time reading your child will be able to focus on making their voice match the emotions of the characters talking. 

Comprehension : Comprehension is vital in reading from this point on. Students are expected to understand what they read and be able to answer questions about the story. After listening to your child read, ask questions like…

• How does the character feel at the beginning of the story?

• Compare a character at the beginning and end of a story.

• What information helps identify the setting?

• What is the main idea?

• Why does the author include paragraph ___?

• What happened after _________? What happened before __________?

• What is the problem in the story? How was it solved?

• How are _________ and ________ alike? How are they different?

• What caused _________ to happen?

• What would happen if _______?

• What is the main reason the author wrote this book?

Need resources for leveled books at home ?

• Ask your child’s teacher to send home paper books from Reading A to Z.

• Go to Scholastic’s Book Wizard to search for books or find out the level of a book you have. Be sure to click on “Guided Reading (A to Z) so you’re speaking the same language.

• Do a Google search for “Level ___ booklist” and you’ll find lots!

Vocabulary : As your child progresses through reading levels, he/she will come across many words they’ve never learned the meaning of. Encourage your child to use the clues in the sentence to help them determine the meaning of words like brief, agony, or humble. Vocabulary in 3 ^rd -5 ^th grade also includes knowing synonyms (little/tiny), antonyms (fast/slow), homophones (hear/here), prefixes ( dis like, pre view), and suffixes (short en , color ful , home less ). Encourage your child to use a dictionary, glossary, or thesaurus to learn more about the meaning of unknown words. 

Spelling : You can assist with your child’s spelling development by completing word study homework that your child’s teacher assigns. Your child’s spelling development will progress through these stages:

1. Long vowels with a silent e (c a k e , b i k e , r o p e , t u b e )

2. Other long vowels (r ai n, st ay , sn ow , fl oa t, st ew , fr ui t, st ea m, tr ee , m igh t)

3. R-controlled vowels (st ar , f air , g er m, p eer , g ir l, f ire , s oar , t ur n)

4. Complex consonants (pi tch , stu ck , fu dge , squ int, scr eam, spl ash)

5. Abstract vowels (sp oo n, cl aw , c oi n, f ou nd)

6. Endings (writ ing , run ning )

7. Vowels in Multisyllabic words (happen, fever, visit)

8. Final Syllables (cattle, model, final, until)

9. Prefixes/suffixes (rebuild, unable; sunny, slowly, happily)

Writing : In 3 ^rd -5 ^th grades your child will be expected to be able to write 1-5 paragraphs on a given prompt. A sample prompt might be: Imagine your school closes for the day, and you can do anything you want. What will you do? Write a story about what happens. Here is another example: Think about a pet you would like to own. Write to explain what you would choose and why . Make writing fun by writing stories together, writing in a journal, or writing letters to each other or a friend or family member. Try having your child write a paragraph or two about a book they read, a tv show they watched, or a place they visited!

SOL Preparation : In May your child will be expected to read and answer questions about 5-7 passages on their SOL Reading test. The best way you can help your child is by encouraging them to read, read, read! You can also walk them through released test items that will be similar to what they’ll see on the SOL test.