Cashman Elementary

Home/School Connection

YOU are an extremely important part in helping your child be a confident reader. Consider these

quotes:

Books, to the reading child, are so much more than books -- theyare dreams and knowledge, they are a future, and a past.(1940) 

~ Esther Meynell ~

We shouldn't teach great books;we should teach a love of reading.

~ B. F. Skinner ~

Children are made readers on the laps of their parents.(1994) ~ Emilie Buchwald ~

“Oh please, oh please, we beg, we pray,Go throw your TV set away,And in it’s place you can installA lovely bookshelf on the wall.”~Roald Dahl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory~

TITLE ONEA federally funded program that allow school systems to

hire personnel and programs to help students boost skills in reading.

How was my child selected to participate?

How will my child benefit from this program?

ASSESSMENTSDIBELS - Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills

■ ISF : Initial Sound Fluency (K)

■ LNF: Letter Naming Fluency (K-1)

■ PSF: Phoneme Segmentation Fluency (K-1)

■ NWF: Nonsense Word Fluency (1-2)

■ ORF: Oral Reading Fluency (2-4)

● DRA - Developmental Reading Assessment (1-3)

● F&P - Fountas and Pinnell (4)

● MCAS - MA Comprehensive Assessment System (4)

● Reading Street Benchmark Test (3-4)

● Teacher Recommendation (K-4)

READING LEVELSDevelopmental Reading

Assessment

KINDERGARTEN: Levels A-2GRADE ONE: Levels 3-16GRADE TWO: Levels 18-28GRADE THREE: Levels 28-38

Five Critical Components of Reading

These are the building blocks of reading. They create the foundation that will allow your child to access information.

Phonemic AwarenessPhonemic Awareness It’s all about the sounds!

“What sounds do you hear in the word dog?”“Say race. Now say it without /r/.”“Which two words end the same – run, rat, man?”“Listen to the sounds -f – r – o – g. What’s the

word?”

PhonicsPhonicsThe system in which sounds are represented by symbols.Beginning readers need to be able to identify words automatically and have an

effective strategy to decode unknown words using different phonetic patterns.

th

ar

m

oa ee

VocabularyVocabularyResearch has shown that children acquire most new words

indirectly. You can give your child a strong foundation in

oral language skills by:

Engaging in Conversation Providing Experiences (Museums, Parks, Library, etc)Reading to Them – Early and Often (including nursery rhymes,

fairy tales, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction books)Limiting TV and Video Games and designating a ‘Drop

Everything and Read’ time for all family members

FluencyFluency Fluency is the process of reading automatically so the

brain can attend to the meaning of the text. Children must become fluent in:

Letter Naming

Letter Sounds

Blending Sounds

High Frequency Words

Oral Reading

ComprehensionShow your child the importance and joy of reading. Snuggle

up with a good book and have a discussion.

Before Reading: *Discuss the Title *Preview the Book *Make a Prediction based upon the title and pictures

During Reading: *Stop every so often and discuss what’s happening. *Does the prediction need to be revised? *Talk about characters, setting, problem, and events.

After Reading: *Were there any surprises? *What did you like best? *Did the book remind you of anything?

http://www.internet4classooms.com/parents.htmhttp://www.starfall.com/http://www.ed.gov/Family/RWN/Activ97/begin.html

There are so many resources available to help strengthen your child’s reading skills. The internet sites listed below are only a few examples where your family can have fun with online games or provide easy ideas when working with sounds and words. There are also numerous books available with ready-made activities. The greatest gift that you can give is that of yourself and time. Demonstrate the value of a good education by connecting your home with school!

Please keep the lines of communication open. Together, we can make a difference. Make reading a lifelong passion for your child.

Please contact me at either 388-4009 or frencha@amesburyma.gov if you have any questions.