Is your child doing The Phonics Dance to learn about the Hunks and Chunks? This is a catchy way, among others, that we help our learners with reading and writing (spelling). Students learn common consonant and vowel digraphs (two or more letters that create one single sound)- as well as common sound patterns- through song and dance. Check it out! Sing along at home!
How do I talk to my child about their writing?
I have also included a document that helps you to know what questions to ask your growing writer. Check it out and see how you like it. Always know you can reach out and I'll be happy to support you from this end.
Good luck and thank YOU for your collaboration at home.
Helping Your Child at Home
What can I do to support my child as a reader?
By Sarah Whitt, Literacy Coach
It’s been a busy school year for all the
learners at Buckner Elementary. We’ve studied all types of reading and writing.
From K to Fifth grade, students have learned how readers approach text, work to
call and comprehend words, read mentor text, noticed what great authors do,
worked to emulate their crafts techniques, and experimented with everything from
writing stories and informational texts, to sharing our opinion about a variety
of current topics. With all this in mind, I’d like share my opinion about the
importance of Summer Literacy. The fact is—it’s vital to your child’s continued
growth.
You’ve probably heard about the importance
of encouraging your child to read over the summer, but have you really studied
the statistics or considered the effects of closing the books and putting down
the pencils for about two and a half months? Just in case you’ve not had the
chance, I’ll share a few that grabbed my attention. According to extensive
research from 39 integrated studies by H. Cooper and other researchers in the
field, “summer learning loss equaled at least one month of instruction as
measured by grade level equivalents on standardized test scores- on average,
children’s test scores were at least one month lower when they returned to
school in the fall than scores were when students left in spring.” Another study
sites that long-term effects and up to three months of reading progress can be
lost if kids don’t participate in educational activities [math, spelling,
reading and writing] over the summer. Pretty startling,
huh?
Now, I’ve got a couple of kids, and I have
serious doubts they’d enjoy a summer where Mom made them read and
write every single, solitary day. “Camp Kitchen Table” would not fly at the
Whitt household! Please know that I would never do that to my own kids, nor
promote it for yours. However, I will make every effort to offer opportunities
for academic activities—whether they are with print, digital media, verbal word
play and vocabulary, or movement motivated. Here are a few options to
consider…complete with print and video possibilities.
Text Comes in All Shapes and
Sizes: Reading for at least 20 minutes a day
would be ideal for students to continue all summer, but does it have to always
be print books? Of course not! We live in a digital age, and while print books
may come from your own shelves, a neighbor’s house, local library, online, or
bookstores, they may also be bought or borrowed through digital means. Also,
don’t forget about those great free books that can be downloaded on personal
devices or desktops. Regardless of the form or size you and your child use
(whether you read to them, or they read to you), it boils down to just supporting
your child with engaging student-selected text. Of course, while every day
would be ideal, summer schedules prove hectic and what’s critical to know is
that kids will benefit from ANY reading they do over the break- so maybe you
shoot for mostof the days of the
week, rather than all. My motto is, “All is best; some is great; none is
unacceptable.”
Prize
Winning Programs:
Maybe a little healthy personal
competition and incentive will spark your child’s
interest.
Oldham
County Public Library
always offers a reading program where students record the number of minutes they
read throughout the summer and enter their name in drawing for prizes. The
reward for all who successfully complete the reading goal will also receive a
bag of coupons good at local and regional places, as well as, a ticket to join
in the swim party at the Aquatic Center in August.
Barnes
& Noble
supports readers by asking participants to read any 8 books, record them in a
Reading Journal (PDF) , and then take the completed sheet to a local store to choose
from a selection of FREE books. These titles are popular and great for kids of
all reading levels with a variety of interests. Check out their webiste for more
information. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/summer-reading/379003570/
The program starts May 21st and ends Sept. 3,2013.
Books A Million: Students read a set
number of books (usuallly 6-8), compete a sheet you can pick up at a local store
or download online and receive a“freebie” if some sort. The local representative
shared that last year students received an isolated lunchbox and in past years
it’s been drawstring backsack.
Half-Prince
Books:
Their “Feed Your Brain” program asks participants to read for 300 minutes and
submit the recording sheet (found in local stores) to receive a $5 gift card to
be used to purchase books within the store.
Awesome Apps: I mentioned digital reading, but I’d like
to also share some other academic, yet FUN, apps that may interest your kids.
Whether they like to share their ideas by creating a comic, turning scripts into
videos, or enjoy making math fun, the apps out there can offer you just about
anything.
o
Comic Makers: Strip Designer ($2.99),
Comic Creator ($.99),
o
Animations: Flipbook, ToonTastic (free), Sock Puppets (free) My
own daughter loves animating stories and making up puppets shows on these
apps!, Puppet Pals.
o
Narrated
Slideshows:
[pictures with words and/or music] Sonic Pics ($2.99), ScreenChomp (free) Many of our K/1s enjoyed using this great
app!
o
Illustrations:
Skitch Kids who like to label pictures or drawings would enjoy this app.
o Video editing: iMovie This app makes movie making sooooo easy. Just last night my son created a little video with his Minecraft screen shots. Take a few pics, think of a story, add some words, thread through some music and BAM! You’ve got a movie!
o Publishing : Story Patch, Book Creator ($4.99), Scribble Press ($2.99), Kids Journal ($1.98), iDiary . Great for creating stories or nonfiction books with the digital perks.
o Math Mania: Math Bingo, Money Bingo, Cover Up Math (upper elementary) Losing math fluency for basic facts is one of the most common academic summer losses. This causes students challenges as they fight to build back their fluency and struggle with the simple aspects of more complex math problems upon returning to school in the fall.
Putting Pencil to Paper: I’d be remiss in not sharing that just recording thoughts, ideas, facts, opinions, and stories continues to be one of the best way for students to grow as writers. If only they write a thank you note, jot down a story, capture a sentence or two from a trip (to the store or to the beach)…it would certainly be better than putting the pencil (pen, marker, etc.) down for the whole summer.
Though it’s scary to think about, experts note, “Summer reading loss is cumulative, these children do not typically catch up in the fall. Their peers are progressing with their skills while they are making up for the summer learning loss. By the end of 6th grade, children who lose reading skills during the summer are on average 2 years behind their peers.” Whew! Not on my watch! I know it won’t be easy, and we certainly won’t have “Kitchen Camp Table”, but at the Whitt household we will most definitely engage in literacy learning over the summer.
May you all enjoy your summer and thrive in
the myriad of possibilities for engaging your kids in educational activities…all
while having fun.
Resources: Summer Learning Loss: The Problem and Some Solutions, by Harris Cooper Educational Resource Information Center (U.S. Department of Education)
Statistics on Summer Reading by Marlene Gundlach. Closing the Reading Achievement Gap by Richard Allignton and Anne McGill-Frazen
Buckner Students Are Always Thinking: Growing and Gaining New
Understandings
For the past month or so, many of our students have been growing
as readers, writers, speakers and listeners while immersed in inquiry studies
related to American History. They’ve read about the various people (with their
various points of view) who first settled and started our country. They’ve read
common texts about American Symbols and famous Americans of the past and
present, and engaged in high level discussions about the merits of their
symbolism or fame. In addition, they’ve researched those objects or people who
interested them most-seeking an understanding of what made them so special, what
caused the creation of the symbol or inspired the individual, and what trials
and tribulations were encountered along the way. Of course, thinking guided them
through this journey:
· questioning to drive their research
· visualizing to comprehend and make sense of a different era
· monitoring for meaning when the text proved tough
· connecting new knowledge to previously learned information to build background knowledge
· determining importance from the influx of information read and viewed
· determining importance about what information to offer their readers
· inferring when the answers were not right there
· synthesizing to put all the pieces together in order to communicate their learning in writing
Check out the evidence of literacy, research, and thinking in
the excerpts below. These primary students demonstrated their abilities to grow
as literate individuals while immersing themselves in inquiry, researched-based
studies. Not only have they gained new information, but by sharing their new
schema and synthesis with their classmates, everyone can grow in their
understanding of places, people, past times, perspectives, and universal human
traits.
U.S. Capital
Location:
The U.S Capital is located near Washington, DC near Maryland. George Washington
chose it. Purpose: The U.S congress meets in the capital. The congress is made
up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The laws are made it
in.
What
does it Stand for?
The Unites States Capital building in Washington, DC. is a symbol of democracy.
It is also a symbol of frydoml.
Changes
to the Capital-
Changes were made in the 1800s. Work began on the central part of the
capital.
-Tyler Handcock’s Prezi on the U.S. Capital (1st grade)
I finally get off the steamboat. I’ve touched the surface. At
last I feel shakey. I hear voices. Slowly there [their] taking the nails out one
by one. Suddenly the lid pops up. I’ve reached my
destination.
-Charles “Henry” Hall’s creative story, “My Journey to Freedom”, inspired by Henry’s Freedom Box
(2ndgrade)
Amelia loved flying so much she decided to challenge herself
above and beyond anyone’s limits. The reason I say this is because she decided
to fly across the HUGE Atlantic Ocean. As Amelia stepped on board she
could not get breaking so many records out of her mind. Days passed then
suddenly CRASH!!! Amelia had tried to fly around the world but failed.
Amelia Earhart was gone never found, stranded and her life was gone forever.
…
-Madison Scholton’s biography capturing Amelia Earhart’s essence (3rd grade)
Though these examples were simply a sampling of our students’ work, a trip down our hallways
or into the technological world of computers would afford you the opportunity to
see school-wide products of Prezis and posters on presidents and symbols; an
analysis of multiple perspectives of those seeking freedom, and synthesis on the
hard-fought experiences of revolutionaries of yesterday and today.
The evidence before you would make you proud of the understandings and
values your child is gaining through reading, discussing, writing, producing,
and above all—thinking.
If you are curious about how to support your researcher and
cultured learner at home, simply ask to share their learning and opinions about
the people and topics they’ve been researching. Offer time to question, do some
mini-research, and share out on topics that interest your devoted thinker. They
are certainly a cultured and curious bunch!
The Super Compiled List of Ways to Encourage Reading at Home
2. Check out what they are Choosing-
Is it just right? You’ve heard of the Five Finger Rule. Well this is important both for the sake of making meaning and sustaining interest. When a child is unable to sound out or understand the meaning of five or more words on a single page of text the book is most likely not making sense to him/her. When this happens, reading grows frustrating and boring; it becomes a chore and books are abandoned. If we can support our kids in making good book choices, we can increase the chances that they will read the entire text.
Is it interesting? Kids will have more success reading books about topics they care about. Consider helping them find books about a favorite sport, character, or topic of interest.
3. Offer Support – Support can come in many ways.
You can:
Sound attack strategies-Chunk words, stretch them out, use prefixes, suffixes and root words, consider the words in context.
See-Saw Read- take turns reading pages (I’ll read a page, you read a page) or echo read (you read, the child repeats)
Read aloud- children are never too old to be read to. Reading to them helps them hear fluent reading. Your rate,
accuracy, ability to heed punctuation, phrasing, and expression all play a part in kids learning how to read text and aid a reader
in making mental images and sense of text.
Offer new books and get them hooked-find a book to offer as a gift and get excited about it. Sometimes it takes us reading or book talking a book to get the kids into a text or series.
4. Talk about the Text-This is not the drill and kill kind of quiz, but conversation from one reader to another. Ask their thinking about:
· an exciting , emotional, or critical part
· what they think will happen next
· what they think about a particular character or the character’s decisions
· what might be confusing them
· what pictures they see in their mind
5. Go Global- The computer, various apps on portable devices, and e-readers offer kids a variety of ways to read text. From free stories, to newspapers, to paid books, there is a wealth of information/books for kids to access. Students today are often more comfortable than we are with this format and this might be just the spark to get them interested in reading.
SUPPORTING YOUR READER
Reading with your child and having conversations about the text with your child is by far the best way to support him/her. Valuing reading and allowing him/her to see you as a reader (with the newspaper, magazine, recipes, professional books, etc.) is yet another key.
Don't worry too much that you have not read the whole book. This often concerns parents, especially those whose children are reading lengthy chapter books. Obviously, reading the book with your child is ideal, but even if you have not done so you CAN still have conversations about their reading. I recommend you have your child read a little to you as this will also allow him/her to practice their oral fluency (reading rate, phrasing, and expression) As an alternative, you could always quickly read the last chapter or page they read. Either way, you will have a little familiarity with the book.
While you are reading, ask yourself: What thoughts did I have? Did I connect to the character(s)? Do I have prior knowledge about something: that topic, person's feelings, a worldly issue? What images did I see in my own mind? What did I wonder about the text as I read? What predictions did I make? Did any really play out the way I thought they would?
An essential component to helping your child is to share with them what happens in your own mind as you read- using either your own text or the book they are reading. Explicitly and directly share the visual and sensory images you see in your own mind. "When I read about _______ today, I felt so sad for her because..." "I could just picture the ____ in my mind because..." By doing this you will plant the seeds of metacognitive thinking. They will use you as a model and experiment with their own thinking.
ALWAYS be sure to ask them to share the thinking they did as they read the text. I like to "sandwich" my thinking around theirs when this is new to them and later allow them to "sandwich" their thoughts around mine when they are confident with sharing their thoughts.
-By "sandwich" I mean taking turns. My thought- their thought- my thought.
Once your child can share his/her thoughts then you are ready to ask them how that thought helped them to understand the text better.
Here are some possible questions you can ask your child as you engage in conversations:
* Do you have any connections to the story today? Did you read something that reminded you of something you have thought, felt, or experienced in your own life? (text-to-self connection) Did what you just read remind you of another book or something you read about in another book? (text-to-text), When you read that part/passage, did you think of something that happened in the world or everyday life? (text-to-world) -homelessness, adoption, environmental issues, wild fires
* What did you see? Tell me about the picture you have in your mind? You might also tell them about the image that was created in your own mind as you read the text. Converse about these images and why they might be the same or different. How did seeing a picture of _____ in your mind help you understand the text better?
* Do you have any feelings as you read your book today? Share the feelings you had as you read the text. Ask your child, "WHY did you feel that way? What happened in your book that made you feel ______? How might that help you understand the book better?" (Can you relate to the character? Do you feel like you understand the character/situation better?)
* Do you have any inferences? You might word it as "Did you do any detective work as you read?" What predictions did you make? What did you think might happen? WHY? What made you think that ______ would happen? Did you "figure" any parts out that the author didn't write about in the words of the text?
* Did you have any questions as you read? What were they? Did they ever get answered? What do/did you wonder about?
* Why do you think the author wrote this story? Do you think the author wrote this story to teach you something? Do you think there is a bigger message/lesson that the author wanted to you to think about after you finished reading this book?
Please consider adding some of the questions or conversation starters you have had success using when discussing a text with your child at home. Please click on THE BLOG page to add your input.
Encouraging Your Young Writer
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