SECOND TRIMESTER
ASSESSMENTS AND HOW
YOU CAN HELP AT HOME
Ideas to use at home to build literacy and math skills
SECOND TRIMESTER LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENTS
Phonemic
Awareness
Segmenting Sounds: When orally given a
simple word, the student will segment or
separate the word into individual sounds.
 Practice by saying a simple word such as
“get”. Your child needs to divide the word
into the three sounds /g/, /e/, /t/.
 Make sure they are making the sounds that
are heard in the word and not how it is
spelled.
 See segmenting in action from Reading
Rockets for parents:


http://bcove.me/i9o1wzsc or
For kids, click here:
Click here
http://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=pyw
W8vne3d4
SECOND TRIMESTER LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENTS
Phonemic
Awareness
Read 1-Syllable Words: When shown a simple 3-letter
word, the student sounds out each letter and blends
the sounds together to read the word.
 Practice by writing a simple 3-letter word for your
child to read such as “pin”. Your child should say
/p/, /i/, /n/ and blend it into “pin”.
 Practice by using the word family flashcards sent
home with your student. Be sure to mix them up.
 See blending 1-syllable words in action by going to
the First Step Reading website:


http://www.firststepreading.com/VideoDetails_23.php
/3_Letter_Blending_A/1
http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-toread/load.htm?f
SECOND TRIMESTER LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENTS
Decoding &
Word
Recognition
High Frequency Words: When shown the kindergarten
high frequency words, the student must read the
word QUICKLY and FLUENTLY.
 Practice with flashcards to see how quickly your child
can say the words. They should be able to name the
word within 3 seconds of seeing the word.
 Use the flashcards to play games like “Go Fish” and
“Concentration”, using the words.
 Please remind your child that these words cannot be
“sounded out” but rather memorized.
 Watch this Sight Word video for
Kids & parents by clicking here
http://www.youtube.com/watch
?v=x9ch9W0rGks
SECOND TRIMESTER LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENTS
Decoding &
Word
Recognition
Reads Emergent Reader Texts: When shown a
kindergarten level text, the student must read the
words QUICKLY and FLUENTLY.
 Practice reading the phonics readers that come
home each week. Your child should be able to read
these books independently and with ease.
 Encourage your child to use the following "Good
Reader Strategies:"





Look at the pictures
Try to sound out the word
Ask yourself "Does it make sense?
Reread the sentence
Watch this video Parent link from Reading Rockets
website: http://bcove.me/p337slqw
SECOND TRIMESTER LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENTS
Reading:
LITERATURE &
INFORMATIONAL
TEXT
Ask and Answer Questions About Key Details in a Text:
After listening to a story, the student should be able to ask and answer
questions about essential elements of a story such as characters, setting
and important events.

Practice by reading stories with your child and then asking questions
about the characters, setting, and events in the story or book.

Have your child practice asking you questions about the book.
After reading an informational text with your child , he/she should be able
to ask and answer questions about the main idea and key facts in the
book.

Practice by reading informational texts with your child and then asking
questions about the main idea and key facts in the book. (For example
after reading a book about spiders, ask “Is a spider an insect? How is
the spider different than an insect?”).

Have your child practice asking you questions about the topic.

Another helpful Parent link from Reading Rockets website:
http://bcove.me/n0n9i74l
SECOND TRIMESTER LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENTS
Reading:
LITERATURE &
INFORMATIONAL
TEXT
Comprehension Retelling: After listening to a story the
student should be able to retell essential elements of the
story such as characters, setting and important events.




Practice by reading stories with your child and having him
tell you the essential elements of that story.
Be sure to practice retelling the story in correct sequence.
Your child must be able to retell the elements of the story
in his own words.
Enjoy this student video on Sequence of Events:
http://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=ZEWitdYB6_Y
Sequence of
Events
SECOND TRIMESTER LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENTS
Reading:
LITERATURE &
INFORMATIONAL
TEXT
Compares & Contrasts Characters or Topics in Texts: After
reading a story or book to your child, he should be able
to tell you how the characters or topics are the same and
how they are different.
Identify Similarities & Differences Between Two Texts:
After reading two different books to your child, he should
be able to tell you how the two books are the same and
how they are different.


Read together every night!
Read aloud a variety of books of different genres. Talk
about the books you read together, pointing out differences,
comparing and contrasting
This is an example of a Venn Diagram used to
compare/ contrast stories, characters, and/or topics.
SECOND TRIMESTER LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENTS
Writing

Composes Opinion Pieces About a Topic or
Book: Your child should be able to write about a topic or book in his own
words. He should be able to tell a reader the name of a book or the topic he is
“writing” about and give an opinion about the topic (e.g., My favorite book is… I
like it because...).

Composes Narrative Texts. Tells Events in
Order and Provides a Reaction: Your child should also be
able to write about a single event or several loosely linked events. He should tell
about the events in the order that they occurred, and provide a reaction to what
happened.
 Guide and assist your child to compose opinion and narrative texts.
 Encourage and support daily writing
 Allow your child to use a combination of drawings, scribble-writing, letter-like
forms, dictating and writing to write about a topic.
 Encourage writing and drawing by providing your child with readily available
and interesting writing and drawing materials.
Watch this video to encourage your child to write!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsTpyFSS3G4
SECOND TRIMESTER LANGUAGE ARTS ASSESSMENTS
Reading:
LITERATURE &
INFORMATIONAL
TEXT
Explores and Uses New Words and Phrases: Your
child's vocabulary should show evidence of being able to
use new words and phrases acquired through
conversations, reading and being read to, and responding
to texts.


Practice by providing experiences that encourage the use
of new words and phrases from conversations, reading
and responding to texts (For example, after reading
Where the Wild Things Are (by Maurice Sendak) say,
“There is quite a rumpus going on in the play room!”).
Check out this link in making personal connections
and new vocabulary: http://bcove.me/g0qhrwso
SECOND TRIMESTER MATHEMATICS ASSESSMENTS
Operations &
Algebraic
Thinking
Decomposes Numbers Up to 10 For any
number up to 10, your child should be
able to find all the combinations of
numbers that make that number.
Help her understand that numbers can be
deconstructed in more than one way. For example,
7 can be 0 + 7, 6 + 1, 5 + 2, 4 + 3, and the
number can be moved around – 7 + 0, 1 + 6, 2
+ 5, 3 + 4.
Use objects to represent
http://www.youtube.co
these combinations of
m/watch?v=sHhrm0S8f
numbers.


Getting
Started with
Ten Frames
http://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=p6RaMGD
PfJg
0Q
Number
bonds to 10
SECOND TRIMESTER LANGUAGE ARTS/MATH ASSESSMENTS
Additional
Resources
Websites for Language Arts and/or Math:

www.starfall.com -

www.educationcity.com (check with your teacher for

www.readingrockets.com - the award-winning national
a free public service to teach
children to read with phonics.
user name and password)
multimedia literacy initiative from WETA Public Broadcasting, has
provided parents and educators with information and free resources on
how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring
adults can help.

http://www.startwithabook.org/- To ward off the
learning loss that many children experience over the summer, Start with a
Book offers adults engaging, research-based ideas for getting kids into
books all summer and beyond.
Second Trimester Assessments and How You Can
Help at Home (document sent with Report Cards)