A Letter From Mrs. Diamond

2009-12-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

December, 2009

Dear Parents:
It was a pleasure to meet with so many of you at our recent Report Card conferences. At that time, we discussed ways that you can work with your children as they are learning to read. The suggestions below are for your reference.

Reading Aloud:
• Read to your child every day.
• Choose a variety of reading matter: nursery rhymes, Dr. Seuss, traditional tales, poetry, fiction and nonfiction.
• Let your child see you reading. If you are reading the newspaper, tell your child about an article of interest.
• If you are more comfortable reading to your child in your native language, that is fine.

Reading With Your Child:
• Your child’s teacher will send home books that are “just right” at this time. Please read these books with your child and return them the next day.
• Look at the cover and talk about the picture. Read the title to your child. (Frequently, the title is more difficult than the rest of the text.) Talk about what the book might be about.
• Before reading, look through the pictures and help your child to make predictions. PLEASE DO NOT COVER THE PICTURES! At the early levels, the pictures carry the meaning.
• Take turns reading with your child. This helps your child to hear fluent reading and may help him to get started.

Here are some prompts that might help your child if he gets stuck on a word:
• Look at the pictures and think about what might make sense.
• Can you find the tricky part?
• Think about the story. Now, go back to the beginning and get your mouth ready to say it. Now, read to the end of the sentence (period, question mark or exclamation mark) to see if you are right. (Note: Later in the year in first grade, or for second graders: Instead of “…get your mouth ready”, say “ take a taste of the word…”)
• Does the word look like another word you know?
• Make a try. Check it. Does it: Make sense? Sound right? Look right?
• If your child cannot think of a word, give two choices. For example, “Is it bunny or is it rabbit?” How did you know?
• If your child gets stuck on a character’s name or a difficult word, just tell him the word and move on.
• Talk about patterns and repetition.
• FOR SECOND GRADERS: Skip the word and read to the end of the sentence. Then, reread the sentence and make a try. Read to the end of the sentence and check it.

After reading:
• Talk about what the book is about.
• Identify characters, where the story takes place and what happened.
• Help your child to identify the big idea and details.
• Help your child to retell the story in sequence. Use words such as first, then, after, and finally.
• Make connections to other books and/or personal experiences, if appropriate.

Word Work:
We use the word wall to help children use words that they can use automatically in their reading and writing. They also use these words to help them learn new words. It is extremely important for the children to master these words. Your child’s teacher has spent a lot of time preparing word cards. Please review these words every day. The following activities can help your child to master these words:
• Read, cover, write and check: Have your child read and spell the word. Then cover it with your hand. Have your child write the word. Uncover the word and check it.
• Magnetic letters: Show your child the word. Have him/her make it with magnetic letters. If you have enough letters, make it several times. Scramble the letters and do it again.
• Fill a pan with coarse salt. Have the child write the word with his/her finger. Other options are shaving cream or chocolate pudding, if you don’t mind the mess. A cleaner option is a paintbrush dipped in water.
• Concentration: Choose 8 words. Write each word on two index cards. (Colored cards are the best, so your child can’t see through the back.) Scramble the cards, face down in four rows of four. Have your child turn over two cards and read them. If they match, take another turn. If not, turn the cards over and continue.

I hope these suggestions are helpful to you. Happy holidays and happy reading!

Laurie Diamond
Reading Teacher
# 2 School