Reading Tip Of the Week

5 Ways to Use Magnetic Letters at Home

1.  Making Names:  A child's name is one of the first words he or she recognizes. Have your child make their name using magnetic letters on the refrigerator or a cookie sheet several times.  Then mix up the letters and have them make it again.  Have their name written on a card for them to check.

2.  Making Words:  Make a simple word like mom, dad, cat or sun and have your child make the same word by matching each letter below the model (c-a-t - cat).

3. Consonant/Vowel Sort:  Have your child sort the consonant letters and the vowel letters.

4. Writing Words:  Have your child make five simple words ( such as dog, fun, big, hat, pen, rug) and then write them on a sheet of paper.

5.  Rhyming Pairs:   Use a magnetic cookie sheet.  Make a simple three letter word (such as bug, big, fan, sit)  Say the word and then say a second word that rhymes (cat-fat, bug-mug, fan-man).  Ask your child to make another rhyming word below each.

Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention

Reading Tip of the Week

Take control of the television....

It is difficult for reading to compete with television, devices and video games.  Encourage reading as a daily free-time activity and make it a priority in your home.

http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/reading-tips-parents-first-graders

Reading Tip of the Week

Print Awareness

Read stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat. Invite your child to join in on these parts. Point word by word as he or she reads along with you.  This will help your child learn that reading goes from left to right and understand words consist of letters and that spaces appear between words.

Reading Tips for Parents - U.S. Department of Education

Reading Tip of the Week

Read the Comics

Reading the comics is one of my fondest childhood memories.  Every Sunday my family would read the entire section of the comics together.  This is such a great family activity that will also help build your child's reading skills.  Read them aloud, and often -- repetition is a great way to build fluency and other reading strategies. Soon, your child will look forward to Sunday mornings as much as I did!

http://www.scholastic.com

Reading Tip of the Week

Don't leave home without it!

Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait for an extended amount of time, such as a doctor's office, dentist or restaurant. Always try to promote reading!

http://www.readingrockets.org/

READING TIP OF THE WEEK

Talk with your child....

It is very important to talk with your child every day about school, interests and things going on in your household. Try asking some high-level questions and adding interesting words into your conversation to help build your child's vocabulary and schema!

http://www.readingrockets.org/

Reading Tip of the Week

When in Doubt... Go Back and Read it Again!

When your child has sounded out an unfamiliar word, have him or her go back and re-read that sentence. Then ask your child if the sentence now makes sense.  Often kids are so busy figuring out a word they lose the meaning of what they've just read.  Let your child know this valuable strategy is what good readers do!

http://www.readingrockets.org/