Dear Parents,

Remember when you first learned to read?  For most of us, our first time “reading” happened in first grade.  How times have changed.  Your child has started the first steps to becoming successful readers already in Kindergarten.

Your child is taking home a small book that has been chosen specifically by the teacher based on what your child is doing at this particular time as a reader.  The book has been used as a teaching resource in a small group setting.   The children have already read this story many times by the time you get to listen to them read.  It should be very easy for your child to read.

Reading easy books is very beneficial for elementary age readers, just as it is for adults.  Easy reading allows students to enjoy the reading process and to use what they know in a smooth operating system.  Easy books also allow readers to focus on the meaning of the text and pictures.  It allows readers to ask questions and find answers.  They can think in a deeper way about aspects of books such as characters, settings, wants, problems and outcomes.  Easy reading gives students “mileage” as readers and builds confidence.

During the school day your child will be working with books that are more challenging; but the books that your child takes home from school will be books well within their control.

The books that your child takes home have the following characteristics.

• Books are patterned.  This means they repeat and allow for very subtle changes in sentence structure.  As books increase in difficulty so does the sentence structures.
• Pictures hold 95% of the meaning behind the story.  If you cover the pictures to see if your child can just get the words right, there is no meaning behind what they are reading.  Early readers are expected to figure out difficult words by matching words with pictures.  This is similar to a phonics worksheet that gives a picture and three choices of words that may match it.
• The books relate to topics that are very familiar to kindergarten students.  Your child is expected to retell everything that happened in the story after they have read.  Oral language is critical for this task.  Students must be able to recall information and repeat it back.
• Words are spaced far apart to allow for crisp pointing (with the child’s finger) under each word.  For example, when a child says “is” in the story, their finger needs to match the word that is coming out of their mouth.  Sliding under the sentence is not crisp pointing.  This helps the reader train the eyes to move across print and focus on matching print with speech.  Once the book no longer has a pattern… your child will be expected to read with their “eyes”.  This is often difficult if they did not establish crisp pointing. 

Reading is a message making problem solving activity that increases in power and flexibility the more it is practiced.  Reading is not just getting words right but understanding the message the author is giving the reader.  As you listen to your child read ask yourself… Did they understand the message?  Can they relate this book to themselves, another book, or the outside world?  If not… then they are not reading.

Activities to Practice at Home

1.     Have your child retell the story from beginning to end.

2.     Draw a picture and write about something that this story made you think of.

3.     Have your child tell you what the setting is (where and when does it take place) and explain how they know.

4.     Have your child name the characters and how they feel. (The characters might be off of the page and telling about the experience)

5.     Every fiction story has a “want”.  What did the character(s) want to do in the story?

6.     The characters faced a problem trying to get the “want”.  What problem did they face?

7.     What happened at the end of the story?

8.     Sometimes the books are more informational (nonfiction).  If this is the case… ask your child what new information they learn or what information did they already know.

9.     Use a white board, magna doodle or magnetic letters to practice creating the high frequency words that were sent home.  Point out the high frequency

10. Other activities that can help your child in the area of literacy can be found at the following websites: 

http://www.scholastic.com/ispy/

http://funschool.kaboose.com/

http://www.cogcon.com/gamegoo/gooey.html

http://pbskids.org/lions/wolf/abcow.html

http://teacher.scholastic.com/clifford1/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/words/dgi.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/laac/story/sbi.shtml

http://www.literacycenter.net/lessonview_en.htm#

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm

http://www.kids-space.org/HPT/

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bll/nina/index.htm

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bll/leo/index.htm

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/bll/reggie/index.htm

11. The best help and practice you can give is to read to your child every night.  This greatly expands their knowledge of how books work.