Reading for the Year End
April - June

By now the children have gained familiarity with all aspects of reading. They've heard and used all cueing system words. They've participated in guided reading, making words, literacy centers. They've engaged in research, explored different types of genres, and grown to new levels of skill.

Children have read lots of non-fiction texts and other media and learned to write reports. For our story time, we have learned to map out the sequence of a story, as well as focusing on the beginning, middle and ending of these stories. Performance pieces help students practice fluency and expression - Readers Theatre, puppet plays, drama, rap, research reports and skits.

In phonics, we have begun to look for suffixes, prefixes, and contractions. We have searched for vowels that come in all types of forms - long and short, blends that are predictable, and variant vowel blends like ou, ow, and oo. We are collecting ways of spelling the /r/ sound with letter combinations like er, ir, ur, and ar.

For written expression, children work on proof reading their work for spelling, punctuation, and meaning (does it make sense?). We begin to introduce the terms for parts of speech, "What is this word?" noun, verb, adjective, preposition.

Spelling becomes more focused with children being expected to spell many more words correctly with standard spelling.

 

Now we need to help them develop a conscientious application of strategies that they can use for the rest of their lives.

Teachers model these strategies by using "Think-Aloud Explanations."


Predicting

I will use what I have read and my knowledge to make a guess about what will happen next.
 


Confirming

I'll use what I have read so far to check whether my predictions are correct, or not yet confirmed.
 


Visualizing

I'll create a picture in my mind about what I am reading.
 


Elaborating

I'll use my knowledge to make inferences and add information to what I read.
 


Retelling/Paraphrasing

I'll say to myself the important parts of what I have read so far.
 


Summarizing

I'll say to myself the important parts of what I have read so far.
 


Connecting to: Literature (Intertextuality)

I'll think of something in another book that reminds me of what I am reading.
 


...Life

I'll think of some experience or something I know about that reminds me of something I am reading about.
 


...Text (Retrospecting)

I'll think of something I've read earlier in this books that makes me think of this part.
 


Empathizing

I'll think about what I feel and why.
 


Identifying

I'll think about whether this character makes me think about myself or someone I know and why.
 


Monitoring

I'll make sure that what I am reading makes sense to me or I'll use a fix-up strategy.
 


Inference

I will use my prior knowledge and information from the text to reach my conclusion.

Location

The waitress came as soon as we sat down.

Time

Mom woke me up in time for supper.

Action

With the stick in hand, the player approached the ice.

Instrument

With a loud buzzing sound, the tree fell.

Object

The heavy ball fell silently to the ground and exploded.

Category

The ketch and yawl were docked by the schooner.

Occupation or Pastime

Her job was to sweep up the hair and put away the scissors.

Cause/Effect

After six days, water was reaching the rooftops.

Problem/Solution

It was late in the afternoon and the baby was crying.

Feeling/Attitude

As I ran across the finish line, my parents cheered.
 

What Are Some Ways Your Child Can Practice Reading and Writing in Real Situations?

A few opportunities...

 

How Can You Help Your Child with Reading and Writing During the Summer Holidays?

A few suggestions...