DECEMBER UPDATE
Our First Month Together
It has been a pleasure this last month getting to know your children as readers! We have developed our
routines, are getting into the flow of our new curriculum and already seeing some excellent progress.
Some Basic Info for Everyone
We held our Curriculum Night on November 12th. We were thrilled with the turnout and hope that it helped
parents understand the direction we are going and how they can help at home.
Conferences are coming! Please feel free to pop by my room 254, (1st door on the right, after leaving the
office) to say hi or touch base about your child. I will be attending some conferences upon request.
Since I have only been working with your child for one month, I do not give any progress report at this time.
Next term, your child will receive a progress report from Reading Club. This will include their updated
Instructional Reading Level.
4th & 5th Grades
We are fortunate to be able to offer a before school class so students at this level do not have to be pulled
from their regular classroom. Although we cover some phonics to aid students in decoding difficult words,
our main focus now is to help students practice planning ahead before they begin a book. How is the book
structured? What genre is it? How will you store this information for use afterwards?
Will you store it by chapter heading? By story elements? Will you need to take notes as you read? Do you
have some post-its handy?
During reading, we practice stopping and thinking. Are you confirming your predictions? Are you
commenting as you read? The best part of class is when students are reading silently and we hear and see
reactions from students as they read! It shows they are really engaged.
What You Can Do At Home (4th and 5th Grade Parents)
You might be thinking your child should always read by themselves at this level. Actually, this is one of the
most enjoyable times to read to and with your child! You’d be surprised at what comes up when you are side
by side reading a book together. When reading feels fun and relaxing, conversations take off! Don’t miss out
on this excellent bonding time.
Books make great Christmas gifts!!
Model your own thinking while reading.
3rd Grade
This is a pivotal year for students in reading. Our focus in class is to balance work on phonics, fluency,
accuracy and comprehension. This is the age when all of the skills need to come together more fluidly so
students can attend more to their response to text verbally and in writing. We are reading a variety of genres
right now learning how to predict the structure and realizing we get out what we put in!
What You Can Do At Home-(3rd Grade Parents)
Promote the act of rereading. We all need to re-read. It shows you are thinking, have questions and have a
desire to understand. Model your own need to reread in order to understand an article in the
newspaper…..or even this newsletter!!
DECEMBER UPDATE
Books make the best Christmas gifts!
Primary-1st and 2nd Grades
In first grade depending on the level of the reader, we begin by focusing on simple behaviors that promote
accurate reading. Crisp finger pointing and voice print match are the most important right now! Sitting up in
your chair and not laying on your arm when reading sets a student up for success. These ideas seem simple,
but often when students are struggling with reading at this level it has more to do with their learning
behaviors than anything else. Is your child able to attend to instruction for a ten minute period of time? If
not, this may be why they are behind. They may have missed much of what the teacher has been teaching! In
our class, when a student is not tuned in, I can reach out and touch them to bring them back. A classroom
teacher cannot do that. It is the student’s responsibility to stay engaged.
What You Can Do At Home (1st and 2nd Grade Parents)
When reading with your child, promote crisp finger pointing (ask your child what that is!) and voice print
match.
Don’t forget, no matter how simple the book may seem…….talk about the meaning!!! What did you learn?
Why do you think the author wrote that book? What happened in the story? What did you think of the main
character? Talk, talk, talk!!!!
TAKE-HOME BOOK REMINDER (PRIMARY ONLY)
Students will receive take home books for their book boxes every Friday. The number of books will vary
depending on the number of days we met that week and how much we accomplished in class.
Take home books are below and at the students Instructional Level. If your child’s reading level was reported
to you by the classroom teacher as level F, for example, then that is your child’s Instructional Level. This is the
level they read in class with teacher support. Students usually have a few instructional levels and many
Independent Levels. This is why we should be careful not to label our children with levels. Our children have
a RANGE of levels.
Your child’s reported Instructional Level should be used as a guideline to understand how your child is
compared to district standards. If you are going to be reading with your child, choose Instructional Level
books. If they are books for your child to read by themselves for enjoyment and practice, they should be
below their Instructional Level.
You will find that the take home books can be read easily by your child. Not only has your child read them in
class, but many are at their Independent Level! This is in the curriculum design. Make sure your child
continues to reread these books. Success builds confidence and sight word vocabulary. Instructional Level
books may continue to need your support to maintain accuracy.
MAIN TAKE AWAY
Your child is never too old to be read to!
Reading at home should be a part of your lives together!’
Reading with your child builds many bridges. In our busy lives, we often do not take time to connect with our
children in meaningful ways on a daily basis. Reading books together helps us to bridge that gap!
Oh…..did I say…..Books Make Great Gifts?!!!
DECEMBER UPDATE