WELCOME

to

Reading First

at Nocatee Elementary.

Parent Tips

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Play the "Say it Fast" game. You say a word, one sound at a time and have your child say the word at the normal rate. For example, you say each sound in the word cat, "/k/ /a/ /t/." Then Your child says the word at the normal speed "cat." Play this game with five (5) to ten (10) short words (words like: am, is, it, in, on sit, pan, sun, top, net, and fin) every day.

Schedule 15 minutes of special time every day to read to your child. Before you read each book, read the title and look over the cover and pictures inside. Ask your child what he or she thinks the book may be about (prediction). After reading the book, review his/her prediction. Was the prediction right? If not, what happened?

Go to the school library, public library, or the local bookstore once each week and read a new book together. After each story is read, ask your child to retell the story to you. Go back to the story to reread sections if he needs help retelling the story in sequence.

Play the "say the word slowly" game. Say a word at normal rate and then have your child say the same word slowly, one sound at a time. For example, say the word, "mat." Then your child will say that same word slowly, one sound at a time, "/m/ /a/ /t/." Play this game using about five to ten short words each day.

Fact or Opinion Game: You say a sentence to your child then ask whether it is a fact or opinion. Ex: The weather is nice. (Opinion) A dog can bark. (Fact)

Create a special workspace and schedule daily quiet time for your child to do his or her homework from school. Be sure this is a time you are available to help if needed.

Encourage reading fluency by having your child read and reread familiar books. It can also be helpful to have your child read a short passage over several times while you record the time it takes. Students often enjoy seeing if they can improve their time from one reading to the next, and the repeated reading helps to establish a habit of fluent reading.

Have your child read a book to a younger sibling (or even to a pet), perhaps playing "teacher" and asking the brother or sister good questions as he reads.

When you are out, ask your child to read the street signs, store and shop names, menus, movie schedules, etc. It is okay to help him/her, if he struggles.   If you would like more great ideas that will help you at home this year, you may want to check the website for the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR). The address (URL) is www.fcrr.org/parents. Also, please call me at (863) 494-4511 if you wish to talk about your child’s progress in reading.