HomeSchool Literacy

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Home-School Literacy

• November 21, 2008

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• When do children start to learn to read?
• What is the most important thing for children to
  learn before they learn how to read?

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• Studies of infants and young children show
  that learning doesnt begin the day children
  enter school for the first time. Learning
  doesnt begin in first grade or kindergarten.
  Learning begins in the first months of life, and
  parents or caretakers are our childrens
  teachers. (Kuhl, 2001)

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• According to numerous reports and scientific
  studies throughout the field of education,
  children entering Kindergarten lack the necessary
  oral language and early literacy critical for
  learning.
• Before children learn reading and writing, they
  have to do a lot of listening, thinking and
  speaking.

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• Developing language and vocabulary is a
  crucial part of your childs growth in reading.
  It provides children with many exposures to words
  to help him or her gain an appreciation for how
  words are used in our language and builds a solid
  foundation for later reading.

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Consider from birth to five

• Some children hear only 10,000 words ( Put it
  there.)
• Some children hear 20,000 words (Put the book on
  the table.)
• Some children hear 30,000 words (Put the Harry
  Potter book on the table with the ecru cloth.)
• Which children have the advantage in learning how
  to read?

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What can I do as a parent to help my child
develop language?

• As you talk to your child, use new words
  frequently. Put them in sentences that he or she
  can understand. For example, That was an
  enormous elephant. Look how big it is.
• Remember that children need many repetitions of
  words before those words become a natural part of
  their vocabulary. Share words with your child in
  a variety of situations.

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• Talk with your children as you do daily
  activities together.
• Ask your children to describe events in their
  lives.
• Attempt to learn a new word each day.

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Networking
dangerous
snake
scary
reptile
bumpy
Alligator
teeth
sharp
water
bite
Florida
fish
marsh
hot
sun
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Play word games

• Read nursery rhymes or sing songs with rhyming
  words.
• Clap the syllables in favorite nursery rhymes or
  songs.
• Think of words that begin with the same sound.
  (For example baby, bunny, bed)
• Play guessing games. (For example, Im thinking
  of a word that begins with the b sound. Its a
  food that monkeys like to eat.)

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• Say short words exaggerating the last sound. For
  example, What is the last sound in cat? Child
  says t, not the name t.
• Blend sounds together. (For example,
• b- a - t. What word did I make?)
• Delete sounds. For example, Say raincoat. Say
  raincoat again, but dont say coat.
• Sat cat. Say cat again, but dont say c.

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• Restrict the amount and kind of TV your children
  watch. Watch educational TV programs with your
  children that teach letter sounds and words or
  give information about nature and science or
  history.
• Read to and with your children.

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Building Background Knowledge

• Is the knowledge and experience that readers
  bring to a text.
• Building on your childs experiences will enhance
  their understanding of text.
• Readers naturally bring their prior knowledge and
  experience to reading, but they comprehend better
  when they think about the connections they make
  between the text, their lives, and the larger
  world.

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How do teachers build and activate prior
knowledge?

• Using picture books
• Through conversation
• Graphic organizers

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How can I help my child build their background
knowledge?

• Exposure! Exposure! Exposure!
• Museums
• Parks
• On a long drivewhat do you see?
• Grocery Store
• Talk about the weather
• Cooking with your child

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Reading to Children at Home

• Children learn the importance of reading as they
  see their family reading and writing in everyday
  life.
• Novels, newspapers, magazines, sharing a story,
  using recipes, making a shopping list, writing a
  birthday card, reading a street sign, restaurant
  menu, and newsletters from school.

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Becoming a Reader Involves the Development of
Important Skills

• Use formal language in conversation
• Listen and respond to stories read aloud
• Recognize and name the letters of the alphabet
• Listen to the sounds of spoken language
• Connect sounds to letters to figure out the
  code of reading
• Read often so that recognizing words becomes easy
  and automatic
• Learn and use new words
• Understand what is read

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10 Ways To Read To Your Child At Home

• 1. Be yourself and involve your child everyday
  in conversations.
• 2. Read aloud to your child.
• 3. Talk about books togethermake reading a
  shared, enjoyable activity.
• 4. Have a variety of reading materials in your
  house.
• 5. Model reading in front of your child
• 6. Set aside uninterrupted family reading time.
• 7. Listen to your child read everyday.
• 8. Give books as treats and presents.
• 9. Discuss the meanings of words and stories.
• 10. Borrow books from the local library for
  yourself and your child.

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Shared Reading Options

• Your child reads the book to you
• You read the book to your child
• You and your child share reading the text (page
  for page, every two pages, etc.).

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Shared Reading

• Look at the cover, read the title, look at the
  pictures throughout the book and ask, What do
  you think is happening throughout the story?
• Read the story with a reading finger to
  demonstrate left to right progression.
• Encourage your child to ask questions as you read
  the story.
• Stop and explain any words or concepts that seem
  difficult to understand.
• Talk about the characters, setting, and events as
  they happen on each page.
• Read it again, and again, and again!

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Your Child Reads To You

• The Reading Hand
• Five Finger Rule

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The Reading Hand
Get your mouth ready for the sounds
Look for
Reread
chunks
Read ahead


for clues
a
then reread
Check the picture
Does it make sense? Does it look right?
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Guiding Questions

• When your child is reading to you, here are some
  questions you can ask to guide them if they get
  stuck.
• Does it make sense?
• What do you see in the picture?
• Does it look right?
• What sounds can you see in that word?
• Get your mouth ready for the first sound.
• Were you right?
• Check to see if that looks and sounds right.

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5 Finger Rule

• Select a text to read
• Have your child read one or two pages of the text
  selected
• If your child makes 5 or more oral reading
  errors, the text is too difficult for him/ her.
• This does not have to be done if you are solely
  reading the text to your child as an option

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Joyful Shared Reading Experience

• Find a comfy, quiet place
• Select reading material
• May use the five finger rule to select reading
  material if the child is going to be reading the
  book to you
• Select a shared reading option