F is for....Find out Here! A building skills "how-to"

 High frequency words, fluency, word families, fun, figures of speech, follow-up questions, fairytales, fantasy fiction, fables, folklore, free verse, feature stories....the possible topics for coverage this week are plentiful. The first four are my favourites for today.

High Frequency Words:  These are important because if a child can learn to read these words, then they will have successes on every page as they learn to read which will serve to encourage them to persevere in the effort.  Sitton, Fry and Dolch are popular producers of these word lists.  They are typically practiced in list format.  Games like "Popcorn" have you pull them out and read them as part of the game. Bingo has you find the words on their page as you call them out. Another good method is to make two sets of flashcards that can be used in a matching game or a "Go Fish" game. Find the items that are on your list. There are many methods for practicing. Personally I also like to put high frequency words in lists that are 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5+ letters long.  It helps to be able to read no, go, so, an, as, at, in, is, it and to work on early phonics with words that have only two phonemes (English has 44 total)

Fluency: To read fluently you need to be accurate, to have some speed and to have expression (prosody).  Comprehension of the text is also key.  Some ways to build fluency follow:

i.  Read to your child so they can hear examples of fluent reading

ii. Have them listen to CD story recordings of the book and to read along

iii.Have them repeat text after you.  Change your tone, volume and voice as well to have them learn how to vary their voice also.

iv. Instruct them on details like going up in tone at the end of a question.

v.  Read words in small groups or 'scoops' so that they are not focusing on the sounds of every individual word and missing the overall context. "I-a-m-g" becomes "I-am-going- to" becomes "I am-going to-the store" which becomes "I am going-to the store." then "I am going to the store".

Early on, short texts and going slow will help.  Sounding out the phonemes to sound out the word is a great skill but over time children need to pick up speed to comprehend.  Having sight words learned helps to smooth out a sentence so fewer words need sounding out over time. 

Some children experience stuttering. It may be repetition of a single sound like /f/, a word or a whole sentence. For many it is a short term concern but for some it is a massive struggle that impacts their self-confidence. It is very helpful to be calm and patient as you listen and as you speak.  Set an example of slow, easy speech and listen without interruption as they speak to you.  Try not to finish their words for them or speak over them or constantly correct them as these tend to add to their frustration and make the tension worse.  Speech therapists are available to help children overcome a stutter and can give you great ideas.  If you need more resources, please ask.

Word Families: I like to use word families as they provide rhyming words that are useful for poems and they give a quick list of words when needed.  For example, a grade one student needs to complete a list of 15 words that each have three letters in it.  If we start with bat, cat, fat, hat, mat, pat, rat, sat and add bit, fit, hit, kit, lit, pit, sit you are already at 15.  This is typically much simpler and faster than writing, one, red, car, dog, jam, pig...etc.  A child who can read 'at' will be encouraged when they realize they can also read cat, bat, hat as well.  Becoming familiar with the base patterns in word families helps as children expand their reading skills.  You can sort out word cards into their word families. You can have the ending and a blank at the beginning and discover together which letters can be put in front to make a real word vs a fake or silly word.  It is a great basis for discovering new words (ie. ban is new but can is familiar. Dan is a person. Fan is a thing but Gan??? nope!, not a word! Han?  nope but HanD is a word. What's next? Jan? another person!)

FUN:  Learning to read can be hard work.  It can be tedious and challenging.  Please remember to do what you can to also make it FUN!  

Make up funny flashcards of new words or word families.               

Draw pictures or cut them out of magazines and ads  (ie. fan).  

Use scrabble or bananagram tiles to create words.                          

Make letters and words with pipe cleaners, paint, play dough or chalk.   

Take a phrase and using each letter only once per word, see how many    words you can come up with.  Time it and see who wins! ("Reading is      fun"....read, ad, are, ring, is, fun, run, red)                                

Make up words and sentences with alphabet cereal or letter stickers.      

Cut up words and piece them back together like a puzzle.  And so on...                

Enjoy reading books and telling stories and writing about them or making your own books.  Have fun with speed, volume, intonation and characterization. Have fun with word games and initial letter games too.  Be their biggest cheerleader and make building literacy skills the best parts of their week!