Phase 1: Awareness and exploration goals for K-4 and
 Pre-school Handicapped Students
Goal:
Children explore their environment and build the foundations for
learning to read and write.

                                              What teachers and parent volunteers can do:

What parents and family members can do:

•talk with children, engage them in conversation, give them the names of things, show interest in what a child says
•read and re-read stories with predictable text to children
•encourage children to recount experiences and describe ideas and events that are important to them
•visit the library regularly
•provide opportunities for children to draw and print, using markers, crayons, and pencils and other materials

Phase 2: Experimental reading and writing goals
for kindergarten
Goal:
Children develop basic concepts of print and begin to engage in and   experiment with reading and writing.

Kindergartners can:
•enjoy being read to, and then retelling simple stories or answering questions about the story
•use descriptive language to explain and explore
•recognize letters and letter-sound matches
•show familiarity with rhyming and beginning sounds
•understand left-to-right and top-to-bottom orientation and familiar concepts of print
•match spoken words with written ones (sight words)
•begin to write letters of the alphabet and some high-frequency words
 

What teachers and parent volunteers can do:
•encourage children to talk about reading and
writing experiences
•provide many opportunities for children to
 explore and identify sound-symbol relationships
in meaningful contexts
•help children to segment spoken words into
individual sounds and blend the sounds into whole
 words (for example, by slowly pointing to a word or
 writing it and saying its sound)
•frequently read interesting and conceptually rich
stories to children
•provide daily opportunities for children to write
•help children build a sight vocabulary
•create a literacy-rich environment for children to
engage independently in reading and writing
 

What parents and family members can do:
•daily read and reread narrative and informational stories to children
•encourage children's attempts at reading and writing
•allow children to participate in activities that involve writing and reading (for example, cooking and making grocery lists)
•play games that involve following specific directions (such as "Simon Says")
•have full conversations with children during mealtimes and throughout the day
 
 

Phase 3: Early reading and writing (goals for first grade)
(Some children are at this stage toward the second part of the K-5 year.)
Goal:
Children begin to read simple stories and can write about a topic that is meaningful to them.
 

First-graders can:
•read and retell familiar stories
•use strategies such as rereading, predicting, questioning,
contextualizing (giving a similar example to explain what they are
trying to describe) when comprehension breaks down
•use reading and writing for various purposes on their own
 initiative
•orally read with some reasonable fluency
•use letter-sound associations, word parts, and context to
identify new words
•identify an increasing number of words by sight
•sound out and represent all substantial sounds in spelling a word
•write about topics that are personally meaningful
•attempt to use some punctuation and capitalization
 

What teachers and parent volunteers can do:
•support the development of vocabulary by reading
daily to children, transcribing their language,
and selecting materials that expand children's
knowledge and language development
•model strategies and provide practice for
identifying unknown words
•give children opportunities for independent
reading and writing practice
•read, write, and discuss a range of different
text types (poems, informational books)
•introduce new words and teach strategies for
learning to spell new words
•demonstrate and model strategies to use when
comprehension breaks down
•help children build lists of commonly used words
from their writing and reading
 

What parents and family members can do:
•talk about favorite storybooks
•read to children and encourage them to read to you
•suggest that children write to friends and relatives
 •bring to a parent-teacher's conference evidence of what your child can do in writing and reading
•encourage children to share what they have learned about their writing and reading
 
 

Activities to Build a Vocabulary
and
Strengthen Understanding in Reading
Discovery PTA Raising-a-Reader Program

At-Home Reading Activities
for Families with Beginner Readers

Help your children become better readers with these
activities.  Remember to make them fun as well as challenging.

Write new words on several index cards.  Place the cards face up on the table.  Have your children look at the words for 30 seconds, then cover their eyes.  Remove a card.  Ask your children to guess the missing word.  Have them do the same for you.

Cut off the tops of two pint-size milk cartons.  Force one carton, bottom side up, inside the other to make a cube.  On small squares of paper, write down six new words your children have learned and glue them on each side of this "die."  Roll the die and have your children use the word that comes up in a sentence.

Get several clothespins and on each one write a descriptive word such as blue, large, plaid or sharp.  Have your children go through the house and clip each clothespin to an object that can be described by that word.  See how many objects can use the same word.  Change the words, or make additional clothespins with new words.

Write words on small slips of paper and tape them to the black squares of a checkerboard.  Play a game of checkers.  Before a player can land on a square he or she must say the word.  For younger children, tape a letter on the square.  Have your young child name a word that begins with that letter.

Help your children look up the meaning of new words in the dictionary. Even though they might not be able to read the definition yet, you are modeling excellent behavior for them to copy later! You can expand this activity with older children by talking with them about how those words change when you add prefixes and suffixes.  If you have a thesaurus available, locate new words with similar meanings.

Have you children classify (sort) objects and activities into groups.  Ask them to name as many fruits, vegetables, animals, toys, sports, games, and so forth, as they can.

List words from a story that describes taste, smell, hearing, touch or sight.  Encourage your children to add new words to the list as other stories are read.  Notice how words can describe more than one sense.
 

Strengthening understanding when your child reads:

Before you read a story with your children, tell them the title and ask what they think the story is about.  When you finish reading, discuss how accurate their guesses were.  Have your children describe the part of the story that supports what they said.

Cut out several short stories or articles from a newspaper or magazine.   Separate the titles from the stories.  After reading the stories have your children match each to its title.  Ask your children to suggest their own titles for the stories.

Use comic strips to help your children understand sequence and order.  Cut apart the frames of a strip from the Sunday comics.  Ask your children to read them and then put them in the correct order.  Talk about what comes first and why.

Use riddles to develop comprehension and understanding.  Take turns reading each other's riddles and trying to solve them.  Your library will have books of riddles.

Have your children draw a picture to illustrate a story.  Talk about the details in the picture and how they explain the story and its characters.  Ask about missing details and other items that might be included.

After reading, ask your children how a story might be different if they would replace the main character.  Would the details change or the main idea be different?  Let your children offer a new ending for the story.

After reading, talk with your children about the main idea of the selection.  Once this is determined, look for two or three supporting details.  Ask your children what is most important to them in what you have read
 
 

Q  My older son could read by the time he went to kindergarten. His younger brother is
now 4 and still doesn't know his letters. Should I be concerned?
A   No. It's hard not to compare your sons, but children learn at different speeds. No child should be "pushed" to read. Instead, spend individual time with your younger son, sharing stories and looking at books together. Children who grow up with conversation and books become successful readers at their own pace.

Q  How can I tell if my 4-year-old child is ready to start reading?
A  Children who are ready to read can do the following:
Say some letters and sounds
Recognize those letters
Recite the alphabet
Tell their own stories or retell those they've been read

Q  What should I do if I'm concerned about my daughter's reading skills?
A  If your child does not seem to like sharing stories, looking at books with you or reading, a first step would be to have her hearing and vision checked. Most local health departments provide vision and hearing screening at no cost. If she is in school, talk with her teacher about your concerns. You can decide together if there is a problem that needs some attention. If she is not yet in school, your local public school district may offer some guidance.

Reading can expand children's thinking. Words and books can excite them. Stories can inspire them to create their own works. When you help your child to become a good reader, you open windows full of sunshine, enriching a lifetime.

Resources:
Brochures and Pamphlets
Association for Library Services to Children, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL  60611-2571

Barbara Bush Foundation for Literacy. Family Reading Tips (pamphlets). 1002 Wisconsin Ave. NW, Washington, DC  20007

Books
Burke, E., Literature for the Young Child, 2nd ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1990.

Jalongo, M.R., Young Children and Picture Books: Literature from Infancy to Six Washington, DC: NAEYC, 1988.

Kimmel, M.M. and Segel, E., For Reading Out Loud! A Guide to Sharing Books with Children. New York: Viking, 1988.
 
 

Special--Set aside a regular time when you and your child enjoy reading together. Children love this special attention.
2 Pick a comfortable, quiet spot where there will be no distractions.
2 Sit together so you both can share the book.

Simple--Start looking through picture books with infants and toddlers. Point to and name things in the pictures together. Preschool children like to pick books themselves. As children grow older, they may enjoy reading many kinds of materials: stories, poems, riddles, plays, books, comics and magazines about their interests.

When reading to your child:
2 Read slowly and with feeling.
2 Change your voice to match the story line and characters.
2 If there are too many words for you or your child, just tell a story to go with the pictures.
Short--Begin reading to toddlers and preschoolers for about 5-10 minutes. Stop reading before your child loses interest. As your child's attention span grows, you can read for a longer time. You may want to read with your school-age child as long as your child likes.

Sweet--Always keep your book and story sharing fun. It's the love of books that helps children become good readers.
 

You don't have to be the only storyteller. Ask grandparents, older children, baby-sitters, visiting friends and relatives. You can also take your child to story hours at the library. Encourage young children to make books a part of their playtime-to tell stories to you, to themselves, and to their friends, favorite dolls, stuffed animals or even pets.
 

Other Suggestions

1. Gifts--Let your child see you give someone a book as a special gift. Give your child a book or magazine subscription as a gift. Have your child give books as birthday presents.

2. Mail--young children love mail. Ask relative to write. Encourage your child to draw, dictate to you or write thank-you notes. Have your child write and mail something to you, a brother or sister, or a pen pal.

3. Notes--Write little notes to your children when are going out or they are going to school. Hang them in the kitchen, put them on their pillows or in their school lunches.

4. Journals--Older children might like to keep a journal or a diary for their private thoughts
 
 

"Look, Mommy!" 4-year-old Martin yelled as he ran to the window. "The sunshine spread a carpet, just like the book said!" His mother beamed as she watched him dancing in the sunny square on their wood floor, chanting the words from a favorite book they'd read together.

Parents want the best for their children. Reading can open a window on the world, bringing chances to learn, enjoy and create. Even though schools teach reading and writing, home is the first and best place for your child's love of reading to grow.

Children learn how to read and write in much the same way they learn to talk and listen. They gain skills through hearing, seeing and repeating what is said to them.

To help children learn to read, you can show them many kinds of reading materials, such as books, newspapers, comics and magazines. Let them hear you read aloud. Encourage them to repeat what you read.

Reading with your child takes no special talent. It just takes loving your child, enjoying your activity together, and being committed to finding the time to do it.

Before Your Child Enters School

Begin to read to your child as a baby. While infants can't understand your words, they love being close to you, hearing your voice, looking at pictures and touching the pages of a book. Singing songs and repeating nursery rhymes and fingerplays will build your child's pre-reading skills. As your child grows, look at picture books and simple stories together. Leave time to talk before, during and after the story.

Talk about the pictures.

Ask your child to guess what will happen next. When little children look at picture books, they try to tell a story. They compare what happens in the story with what they know about life. For instance, many toddlers have a hard time learning to dress themselves. Yet they can laugh when a baby bunny puts both feet in the same pants leg.

Ask if your child liked the story . Why or why not? What was the best part?

The next time you read the book together, let your child retell the story as you turn each page. Your child will remember more each time.

Keep a bag with a few of your child's favorite books and some new stories. Take it whenever you go out, in case you have to wait somewhere.

Your School-Age Child

It's important for you and your child to continue reading together even after he or she begins learning to read in school. This helps build your child's good feelings about reading.

Encourage your child to continue to read aloud. It could be to you, a brother or sister, or a neighbor. Some children will stumble or skip over a word. You can fill it in so they don't feel overwhelmed. Ignore little mistakes. Do all you can to help the story flow.

Check with your child's teacher or a librarian to find books that are the right reading level.

When your child likes a book, look for others by the same author or artist. Notice your child's interests-rocks, dolls, dinosaurs or baseball cards. Try to find books, plays, comic or magazines on these favorite topics.

Stop by the library often. Be sure that members of your family have library cards. You might enroll your child in a summer reading club. Let your child see you borrowing and reading books, magazines and newspapers.

If you both go to a museum, the beach or on vacation, read magazines, pamphlets, maps or books together about these places before and after your trip.

Most children, when they become good silent readers, will let you know when they prefer to read by themselves. Yet many will still enjoy that special shared time with you.

Writing Leads to Reading

Children often can read and write in their own ways before entering school. Writing activities can be a good way to begin reading because children often scribble and write before they read. Many can explain their scribbles as if it were writing.

Scribbling - Encourage scribbling. Ask your child to read it aloud, or have your child tell you a story and draw pictures to go with it. You can write the words under the pictures. Children who "write" their own stories want to learn to read so they can tell what they've written. This is good for their self-esteem.

Skywriting - "Write" a letter in the air with your hand or a stick. Ask your child to name it and "write" it after you.

Backtracing - Let your child trace a letter on your back. Guess what it is. Then trace one for your child to feel and name.

Young children can learn that reading and writing are useful as well as fun.
Let your child see you read and write. Here are some things you can do together:
Write down a recipe.
Flip through magazines.
Put dates on the family calendar.
Look up phone numbers in the phone book.
Write down a message.
Make shopping lists.
Read street signs out loud.
Have your children sign their names on greeting cards.
Look through the TV listings.
Read menus.

Extend Television Learning with Books

Reading with children is lots of fun and helps them to:
Develop language and listening skills
Increase their vocabularies
Learn about other people and customs
Explore a variety of places and situations
Expand their world
Become good readers

Children learn by building on the things that they already know.  Kids watch TV, right?  You can really help your child learn from the things that he or she watches by using books as a follow-up to television programs.  You can start by doing these things…

Select books that highlight the themes in the programs your children have viewed. If a program has dealt with cooperation, read a story in which the characters work together toward a common goal.

Discuss similarities between the books and what happens in the program. Ask the children if anything in the book reminds them of something they saw on a television program. Encourage them to relate their own experiences to what they are hearing and what they have seen.

Encourage your children to read to you. For the beginning reader, suggest a familiar book. Let them know that their variations on the text are fine. Once your children are comfortable reading, suggest you take turns reading books together.

Encourage your children to write their own books based on stories they've read and programs they've watched. Encourage them to illustrate the pages. Keep paper and water color markers available so they can create their own books whenever they wish.
Save scraps of construction, tissue and wrapping papers to encourage torn and cut paper illustrations. If you have access to a computer, encourage your children to write and illustrate their story on the computer.

Enjoy listening to stories on Reading Rainbow, Arthur, The Magic School Bus and Wishbone. Check your favorite stories out from your school or public library so you can enjoy them again and again.

Make reading time special. Have a comfortable reading area with a rug and pillows or beanbag chairs and some favorite plush creatures to snuggle with. Enjoy reading chapter books together.