http://llichman.zoomshare.com/2.shtml Laurie Lichman@Roosevelt Elementary: News Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:24:48 -0500 http://llichman.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/f0441770990f7c953e5124acf1111457_47e2d125.writeback Thu, 20 Mar 2008 16:03:33 -0500 As with any new skill, the more you practice the better you become. Just like learning to ride a bike, reading also needs to be practiced. Parents can help! *Read to and with your child every day. *Ask questions about what is being read to make sure your child understands. *Rereading stories and books is fine. *Take your child to the library and stay awhile to read together(then borrow more books to take home). *Make reading a priority in your home. *Remember, you are your child's most important teacher. Children learn to do what you do! When Your Child Comes To An Unknown Word Often adults tell a child to "sound out" an unknown word. Frequently that prompt is successful and the word is decoded. When sounding it out doesn't work, adults usually tell the word and reading continues. However, our goal is to help children become independent readers. Here are some alternative suggestions for parents or "homework" helpers" to use when your child confronts an unknown word: *Ask: Does it make sense? *Ask: Does it sound right? *Ask: Does it look right? *Use the picture to help figure out the word. *Skip the word and continue reading to the end of the line or sentence. *Go back and reread the sentence. *Look for a smaller word inside the big one. *Cover the ending (ed,-ing)with your finger and try the word. *Look how the word begins. Let the sound "pop" right out. *Help with blending (sounding it out) *Tell the word and keep on reading. It is important that children learn to use these stategies independently. When your child "figures out" a word, you might ask how he/she did it. Telling about their reading helps to reinforce learning. http://llichman.zoomshare.com/2.shtml/449af528985f271dc67b8044b39daeb8_478a80d8.writeback Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:21:28 -0600 Next week starting on the 21st of Jan. Mrs. Warren and I will be testing the first graders. We will be testing to see who will be in Reading Recovery for the second round. We will be calling you if we think this would be a good opportunity for your child. We will also be testing the current Reading Recovery students. They will either discontinue Title I, or start in a small group Title I class for 30 minutes during the day. It's a busy time of the year. It is so exciting to see all the gains the students have made! They have been working very hard.