Readihg Tips for Reading Success October 2015

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Read-aloud favorites

• Fire! Fuego! Braxe Bomberos (Susan Middleton Elya) F o l l o w the brave homheros as they /// race their hre t ruck , p u t o u t a fire, and save a k i t t y ! Learn h o w the firefighters use the hydrant and hose to battle the flames. This fast-paced r h y m i n g story is t o l d w i t h EngUsh and Spanish words and contains a glossary' i n the back.

• The Dark (Lemony Snicket) A l i tde boy named

Laszlo is afraid of the dark, b u t the dark lives i n the basement and out­side at night. One

day, the dark visits Laszlo i n his r o o m , and they have a talk. W i l l Laszlo stop being afraid? F i n d out i n this beaud-fuUy i l lustrated tale.

• The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories Qane Yolm and Heidi E. Y. Stempk) Read the stories behind The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and other famous ballets. Perfect for the young dancer, this book also includes historical information about classical ballet and tells about performances of each tale.

• The Great Seal of the United States (Norman Pearl) Your chi ld has probably seen the United States seal b e f o r e — a n eagle w i t h a s h i e l d — b u t does he k n o w what i t means? Ben Frankl in narrates the history of the seal and h o w the design came to be a symbol of America. Every aspect of the seal is explained w i t h pic­tures and descriptions.

Pegihuing Edition Mustang Public Schools

Title I Program

Play with sounds and syllables

w h a t is a poplollil It's a m i x e d - u p version of lollipopl Playing w i t h words helps y o u r youngster hear the sounds and syllables w i t h i n them. Use these clever activi­ties to b u i l d his phonological awareness—an i m p o r t a n t predictor of reading success.

Where in the word? - ~ Let your chi ld pick out a

stuffed animal. Then, label one sheet of paper "Beginning," another "Middle ," and a t h i r d one "End." Now, say a three-letter w o r d (cup), choose one letter (u) , and say its sound (uh). Does your youngster hear that sound i n the beginning, middle, or end of cup? He can show y o u by hopping the stuffed animal to the right paper.

Rhyming riddles Ask y o u r youngster to name a cate­

gory l ike food or games. T h i n k o f a w o r d that hts i n the category, and make u p a r iddle for h i m to guess i t — e n d i n g w i t h

a made-up w o r d that rhymes w i t h y o u r w o r d . Example: " I am green and spicy, and I taste good w i t h chips. I rhyme w i t h wuacawole" (guacamole).

Scrambled syllables Take turns secretly p ick ing a w o r d

w i t h at least two syllables (scarecrow) and saying i t w i t h the syllables i n the w r o n g order (crowscare). Try to guess each o t h ­er's w o r d . Tip: I t doesn't need to be a w o r d your chi ld can spell or r e a d — i t could even be expialisuperfragilisticdociouscali (supercalijragilisticexpialidocious).y

Writing: Decorate for inspiration

" W h a t should m y story be about?" Your c h i l d can use these suggestions for dreaming u p story t o p i c s — a n d decorating her r o o m .

• Collect photos. Encourage your youngster to gather interesting pictures, such as a photo of a stormy night or a camel i n a desert. Together, string y a m along a wal l and use clothespins to hang the photos f r o m it . Then, she can p ick one write about.

• Make story sticks. Help y o u r c h i l d w r i t e possible story titles o n craft sticks. Examples: "The Day the Sun Didn't Set," "The Lonely Polka-Dotted Zebra." She can decorate a jar, add sand, a n d insert the sdcks. Let her p u t the jar o n her dresser and choose a stick w h e n she's ready to w r i t e . V

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Reading (SffiB^Si&IB PegiMnmg Edition October 2015 • Page 2

Retell a story Q This year, my daughter will be tested on how well she can retell books she has read. Why is this, and how can I help her do a good job?

Q Retelling a story lets the teacher k n o w h o w w e l l y o u r daughter understands what she read. D u r i n g a test, she'll need to identify the characters and setting, and she'll have to describe major p l o t events i n the r i g h t order.

Super sentence strips

Teachers use sentence strips to help students practice w r i t i n g good sen­tences. Together, cut sheets o f paper into strips at home, and try these ideas.

Shared sentence O n a strip, one

person writes an opening w o r d for a sentence CT"). The next person

reads that w o r d and adds another ( " l i k e " ) . Keep going to f i l l the entire str ip. W h e n y o u get close to the end, the last person has to t h i n k o f a way to end the sentence so i t makes sense. ( " I l ike to j u m p i n leaves w h e n I rake.")

Forbidden vowel Your youngster can practice choosing

words carefully as he writes a sentence. Pick a vowel , and w o r k together to make u p a sentence that does not include that let ter For example, i f the v o w e l is e, he m i g h t use a or an instead of the, or road instead of street. ("A cow ran d o w n a road.")V

O U R P U R P O S E To provide busy parents with practical ways to promote their children's reading, writing,

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Here's a f u n idea: Go out­side together, and help her w r i t e "Characters," "Setting," "Problem," and "Solut ion" i n chalk o n separate sidewalk squares or o n paper plates scattered i n the grass. She can draw a picture for each part, then j u m p to each

square or plate as she retells the story.

I f y o u r daughter doesn't seem to k n o w what to say d u r i n g retell­

ings, talk to the teacher to make sure her reading-comprehension

skills are o n track.V

A listening treasure hunt I f y o u ask a Uttle one to p u t o n his coat

and grab his backpack, he may get the backpack and forget the coat. That's because it's challenging for y o u n g c h i l ­dren to fo l low mult i-step directions.

This fun treasure h u n t can boost y o u r youngster's l istening skills and increase the number of steps he can handle at once.

1. Hide a small "treasure," such as a colorful eraser, a spinning top, or a bouncy ball.

2. Give your c h i l d directions, one step at a t ime, to f i n d the treasure. You m i g h t say "Walk to the couch." W h e n he gets there, say "Look under the middle cushion."

3. After he spots i t , hide a new treasure, and give two-step directions this t ime.

("Open the cabinet door, and l o o k b e h i n d the DVDs.")

4. Once y o u r youngster is comfortable w i t h two-step instrucUons, t ry direcdons

w i t h three or four steps.V

Parent toparent

Get hooked on a series I loved series

books w h e n I was htde — I c o u l d

hardly wai t to f i n d out what w o u l d hap­pen i n the next instal lment. N o w that m y daughter is reading, I wanted to help her f i n d series books to fall i n love w i t h , too.

O u r l ibrar ian was happy to help. She said kids feel com­fortable reading books i n a series because the characters become fami l ­iar to them. She recom­mended a new series by

3 2 015 Resources (or Educators, a division ot CCH Incorporated

H e r m a n Parish about AmeUa Bedelia w h e n she was a l i tde g i r l . She also sug­gested O w l Diaries by Rebecca El l io t t , and Fly Guy by Tedd A r n o l d .

Maya started w i t h O w l Diaries. By the t ime she finished the

flrst book, Eva's Tree-top Festival, she felt l ike Eva the o w l was her fr iend. Now, she wants to read o n to see what Eva does

next. A n d w h e n she finishes that series,

she has a whole list of new ones to t r y V