How students learn to read
from grades K - 4
Presented by Lisa Papazian
Instructional Coach
Shrewsbury Public Schools
 Phonemic
Awareness
 Phonics
 Vocabulary
 Fluency
 Comprehension
The ability to identify, hear, and work with the
smallest units of sound known as phonemes.
Ex: cat = /c/ /a/ /t/
phone = /f/ /o/ /n/
Strong indicator of reading success
 Play
word games out loud – focus on SOUND
 Rhyme words – nonsense words are OK
cat, mat, lat, nat, etc.
 Change
words into other words
Say “cat”. Change the /t/ to a /p/. What’s the new word?”
 Have
child break words into sounds
What sounds are in cat?
 Have
/c / /a/ /t/
child blend sounds into word
What word does /c/ /a/ /t/ make?
 The
relationships between letters and sounds
Ex: /f/ can be made with “f” or “ph”
 Usually
explicitly taught between K – 2, but
revisited at higher grades
 Notice
words that are spelled the same
game, name, same
 Help
your child to see smaller words or word parts
in larger words
Snowboarding = snow, board, -ing
 Help
your child make connections between
known and unknown words
detective, detection
 Increasing
word knowledge in speaking,
listening, and identifying the meaning of new
words when reading.
Taught throughout the grades as students
continuously expand their vocabulary
 Read
to your child books that are a little
above their independent reading level. The
language in books is much richer than
everyday language.
 Help
your child figure out what new words
mean by “reading around the word”
Ex: “The colossal building towered over us.”
 The
ability to read smoothly, with
expression, and for longer periods of time
Strong indicator of reading success.
Impacts reading attitude.
Allows the reader to concentrate on the
meaning of text.
 Encourage
your child to read “just-right”
texts that can be read easily, quickly, and
accurately most of the time
 Encourage
re-reading of shorter texts like
articles, picture books, etc. to practice
expression
Like many other things, the more you read, the
better you get!
 The
ability to understand what you read
including retelling a story, finding a theme,
inferring a character’s feelings, and other
strategies.
 Becomes
 Many
more sophisticated over time
different strategies are used flexibly,
depending upon the type of text
 Comprehension








Strategies:
Making Connections
Creating Images
Using Fix-up Strategies
Questioning
Determining Importance
Author’s Message
Making Inferences
Synthesizing
 Talk
about books with your child
 Encourage re-reading for meaning
 Model how you react when you don’t
understand
 Ask questions about books to check your
child’s understanding
 Encourage your child to re-tell what they
have read
 DRA
(Developmental Reading Assessment)
 Checks
for fluency, accuracy, and
comprehension
 Goal
= Find Instructional Level
 Teacher
determines focus for instruction
 Student
can read BY THEMSELVES with
success
 98%
accuracy AND student can understand
what they read
 Slightly
 This
below instructional level
is what they should be reading AT HOME
 Just
above independent
 Student
may struggle with fluency or
comprehension
 Need
teacher guidance to be successful
I PICK
 Purpose – Why am I reading this?
 Interest – Am I interested in this book?
 Comprehend – Can I understand the book?
 Know – Do I know most of the words?
Remember the goal is independence!
Meaningful literacy activities:
 Guided
Reading
 Reading to Self
 Reading to Someone
 Word Work
 Work on Writing
 Listening to Reading
 The
teacher meets with a small group
(usually no more than 5) students to work on
similar reading skills.
 Not
like “round robin reading” where
students take turns while others listen
 Work
on many different skills with the same
or different books
 Students
work on independent level text or text
they have read with a teacher
 Student may respond to text in writing
 Goal = practice fluency and build stamina
 Students
work in pairs either reading the
same book or reading from different books,
taking turns while reading
 Students ask questions to check for
understanding
 Goal = practice fluency and comprehension
Students practice making or writing words
that usually follow a spelling pattern or rule
 Students often write words they are working with
 Different students may have different words
 Goal = improve spelling, reading, and vocabulary

 Students
may respond to poetry, write friendly
letters, respond to reading, or continue writing
from writer’s workshop
 Goal = Increase writing stamina, develop
reading/writing connection
 Students
listen to texts that are recorded or
listen to an adult reading to them. They may
or may not respond to their listening in writing.
 Goal = hear fluent reading models, increase
listening comprehension, enjoyment of text
1.
Make reading a priority!
1.
Help your child choose “just-right”
books.
1.
Discuss books together.
1.
Tell your child about a book you’re
reading.
1.
Remember there is more than 1 way to
“read”.