January 29, 2013
State Expectations
• Students are expected to decode words in context and in isolation by applying common
letter-sound correspondences, including:
• single letters (consonants) including b, c=/k/, c=/s/, d, f, g=/g/ (hard), g=/j/ (soft),
h, j, k, l, m, n, p, qu=/kw/, r, s=/s/, s=/z/, t, v, w, x=/ks/, y, and z
• single letters (vowels) including short a, short e, short i, short o, short u, long a (ae), long e (e), long i (i-e), long o (o-e), long u (u-e), y=long e, and y=long I
• consonant blends (e.g., bl, st)
• consonant digraphs including ch, tch, sh, th=as in thing, wh, ng, ck, kn, -dge, and
ph;
• vowel digraphs including oo as in foot, oo as in moon, ea as in eat, ea as in bread,
ee, ow as in how, ow as in snow, ou as in out, ay,ai, aw, au, ew, oa, ie as in chief, ie
as in pie, and -igh; and
• vowel diphthongs including oy, oi, ou, and ow.
• Students are expected to combine sounds from letters and common spelling patterns
(e.g., consonant blends, long- and short-vowel patterns) to create recognizable words;
• Students are expected to use common syllabication patterns to decode words, including:
• closed syllable (CVC) (e.g., mat, rab-bit);
• open syllable (CV) (e.g., he, ba-by);
• final stable syllable (e.g., ap-ple, a-ble);
• vowel-consonant-silent "e" words (VCe) (e.g., kite, hide);
• vowel digraphs and diphthongs (e.g., boy-hood, oat-meal); and
• r-controlled vowel sounds (e.g., tar); including er, ir, ur, ar, and or).
State Expectations
• Students are expected to decode words with common spelling patterns (e.g., -ink, onk, -ick);
• Students are expected to read base words with inflectional endings (e.g., plurals, past
tenses);
• Students are expected to use knowledge of the meaning of base words to identify and
read common compound words (e.g., football, popcorn, daydream);
• Students are expected to identify and read contractions (e.g., isn't, can't);
• Students are expected to identify and read at least 100 high-frequency words from a
commonly used list; and
• Students are expected to monitor accuracy of decoding.
State Expectations
Students are expected to confirm predictions about what will happen next in text by
"reading the part that tells"; ask relevant questions, seek clarification, and locate facts and
details about stories and other texts; and establish purpose for reading selected texts and
monitor comprehension, making corrections and adjustments when that understanding
breaks down (e.g., identifying clues, using background knowledge, generating questions,
re-reading a portion aloud).
Students are expected to read aloud grade-level appropriate text with fluency (rate,
accuracy, expression, appropriate phrasing) and comprehension.
Students are expected to describe the plot (problem and solution) and retell a story's
beginning, middle, and end with attention to the sequence of events; and describe
characters in a story and the reasons for their actions and feelings.
Students understand, make inferences and draw conclusions about the varied structural
patterns and features of literary nonfiction and respond by providing evidence from text to
support their understanding. Students are expected to determine whether a story is true or
a fantasy and explain why.
Students are expected to describe the plot (problem and solution) and retell a story's
beginning, middle, and end with attention to the sequence of events; and describe
characters in a story and the reasons for their actions and feelings.
GPISD Expectations
Beginning of
Year
Middle of
Year
End of Year
Kindergarten
NA
A-3
4
First Grade
6-10
12-14
16
Second
Grade
18
20-24
28
Third Grade
30
34
38
Example of Reading Levels
Example of Level 4
Example of Reading Levels
Example of Level 6
Example of Reading Levels
Example of Level 12
Example of Reading Levels
Example of Level 16
GPISD Fluency Table
Minimum Words Correct Per Minute
Grade Level
Beginning
Of
Year
Middle
Of
Year
End
Of
Year
K
--
--
--
1
30-35
35-50
60
2
60-70
70-80
90
3
90
95-100
100-110
4
110
115
120
5
120
125
130
Word Wall
Rhyme with the Word Wall
Say a sentence which contains a word that rhymes with one of the Word Wall words.
Students number their paper 1-5. Give clues to the word such as “Number one begins
with a t and rhymes with walk.” The student would find the word “talk” on their home
word wall and write it down. Repeat with new words.
Source: Cunningham, P.M. (1999). The Teacher’s Guide to the Four Blocks
Cross-Checking
Call out several words that begin with the same letter for students to write, such as
these: went, want, was, what, where. Tell your child they will have to decide which word
from the choices makes sense in the sentence. Say a sentence leaving out one of the
words. The student decides which word makes sense and writes it on the paper. Repeat
with new words.
Source: Cunningham, P.M. (1999). The Teacher’s Guide to the Four Blocks
Word Wall
Wet Words
Say a word wall word aloud and have your child repeat it. Have your child practice
writing the word with water and a paintbrush. As they write, have them say the spelling
of the word aloud and have them use it in a sentence.
Source: Gruber, B. (1998). Instant Word Wall High Frequency Words.
Rainbow Words
Call out a word to your child and have them write it in one color. Repeat with the rest of
the words. After they have written all the words, have them trace back over the words
at least two more times in a different color. As they write the words, have them chant
the spelling aloud.
Source: Gruber, B. (1998). Instant Word Wall High Frequency Words.
Word Wall
Make Sentences
Dictate a sentence using several of the word wall words. Example: “Josh will come to my
house to play.” Repeat the whole sentence and have your child say it back to you.
Repeat the sentence one word at a time, giving students plenty of time to find the
words on the word wall and write them. Remind your child to begin with a capital letter
and end in correct punctuation.
Source: Cunningham, P.M. (1995). Phonics They Use.
Bingo
Draw a grid on a piece of paper like a Bingo board. Using their
home word wall, students will write one word in each box. Call out
a word for students to find on their Bingo board. They will cross
out the word with a crayon or cover it with an object (beans,
buttons, etc.). Play continues until they have filled a complete row.
Source: Cunningham, P.M. (1995). Phonics They Use.
jump
play
when
ride
like
old
once
look
today
Phonics
Word Sorts
Have your child write the weekly phonics words on index cards, Post-It notes, or pieces
of scrap paper. The student will sort the words by things they have in common. For
example, words that begin with sh/th/ch/wh or words that contain short vowels versus
long vowels.
If I Can Spell…
Say to your child, “If I can spell _______, I can spell ________.” Provide the child with two
rhyming words that are spelled the same except for the beginning sound. Have the
child brainstorm in writing additional words that fall in the same word pattern.
Word Ladders
Call out a word to your child such as “jump.” Have them write the word down. Then ask,
“What would the word be if I changed the /j/ (sound not name of letter) to a /d/?” They
would say the word “dump” aloud and write it down below “jump”.
Reading Strategies
Picture Walks
It is very important for children to discuss pictures and make predictions before
reading any text. When introducing a new book, begin by having your child brainstorm
or predict what they think the story will be about based upon the pictures. All
predictions are encouraged. As your child makes predictions, you may introduce
vocabulary for specific animals, objects, locations, etc. that are present in the picture.
As you introduce those new vocabulary words, ask “What letter does _____ begin with?”
After they reply, ask “So, if I see a word that begins with ______, it could be __________.”
Look at the Picture
Meaning is the ultimate goal of reading. Readers predict about words based on clues
gained from the picture. When students get stuck on a word, remind them to look at
the picture to help predict what the word might be.
Source: Edwards, L., Meckley, D. Stegeman, D. (1997). Reading with Strategies
Reading Strategies
Does It Make Sense?
Readers use the picture to determine if what they read makes sense. When the child
gets stuck on a word, have them look at the picture first to see if they can predict what
the word may be. Based on their prediction, remind them to ask themselves “Does it
make sense?” If it does, proceed with reading. If it does not, remind the student to ask
“What else could make sense?”
Get Your Mouth Ready
Picture cues along will not provide enough detailed information. Readers initially
concentrate on beginning letter(s) of unknown words. When trying to predict an
unknown word, students “get your mouth ready” by making the beginning sound(s) of a
word. After, they check their prediction based on the beginning sound by asking “Does
it make sense?” and by checking the picture.
Source: Edwards, L., Meckley, D. Stegeman, D. (1997). Reading with Strategies
Reading Strategies
Does It Look Right?
By looking through a word from left to right, readers check their predictions about the
word. They confirm or reject predictions based on the sound-letter relationship. Good
readers need to make sure what they read is visually correct. As they read, remind the
students to ask themselves “Does it make sense? Does it look right? Could this word be
the word you predicted?” Remind your child that it is important to read the words the
author writes, even if you wouldn’t have said it that way.
Reread
Children reread to use knowledge of oral language and to check meaning. When
students are stuck on a word, have them reread the sentence several times using clues
from the sentence, the pictures, the letter sounds (Get Your Mouth Ready and Does it
Make Sense?) to check for understanding and to help figure out the unknown word.
Source: Edwards, L., Meckley, D. Stegeman, D. (1997). Reading with Strategies
Reading Strategies
Does it Sound Right?
Readers use their knowledge of both spoken and literary language to check if what they
read can also be spoken. As they read aloud, remind your child to check for
understanding. They should ask themselves if what they are reading aloud would be
something they would say and if it makes sense. For example, a sentence may say
“Please find a new seat” but your child may say “Please friend a new seat.” They may see
the word “find” and misread it as “friend.” By asking, “Does it sound right?” the student
needs to understand if the sentence made sense or not. You can also encourage the
student to look again at the beginning and ask “Do you see an /r/ sound like in friend?
No, so let’s look again at the word.”
Look for Chunks
Using onsets and rimes, readers make analogies to decode unfamiliar words. When
your child comes to a tricky word, ask them “Are there any words or letter sounds you
know in the word?” For example, sh-e (she) or l-un-ch (lunch). Or, they may find word
wall words within a word. For example, in the compound word “outside” they should be
able to read “out” leaving only “side” to sound out.
Source: Edwards, L., Meckley, D. Stegeman, D. (1997). Reading with Strategies
Types of Books to Read
Decoding:
• Guided Reading Take-Home Books
• Phonics Readers
• Leveled Trade Books (I Can Read! and Hello Readers!)
• Nursery Rhymes (Mother Goose, etc.)
Fluency:
• Guided Reading Take-Home Books
• You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You Series
Comprehension
• Guided Reading Take-Home Books
• Library Books
Online Resources
•www.starfall.com – practice various phonics sounds through
games; read phonics stories and rhymes
•http://www.storylineonline.net/ - have various stories read aloud
by celebrities; use for listening comprehension
•http://www.inklesstales.com/games/makeaword/index.shtml students are given a word and they see how many words they can
make using letters from the main word
•http://www.spellingcity.com/View-user-profile.html?user=222065
– play games and take practice tests on the weekly spelling and
phonics words
•http://home.comcast.net/~ngiansante/ - gives the reading level of
various trade books
•B=2; C=3/4; D=6; E=8; F=10; G=12; H=14; I=16; J=18
Online Resources
•http://www.spinandspell.com/ - students choose a word and spell
it using a spinning wheel
•http://www.wordle.net/ - students can type in their weekly word
wall or phonics words to create word pictures
•http://www.tagxedo.com/ - students can type in their weekly word
wall or phonics words to create word pictures
•http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ - download free audio recording
software; use a computer microphone (can be bought at
WalMart/Target) to record students reading; practice
reading/recording until it is more fluent