Readers use a variety of strategies to read books. By using the picture clues, sentence cues and other "hints" throughout a text, young readers can read emergent books. However, it is very important that they understand how to decode words, or sound out words.
Tapping to Read and Tapping to Write
The students are currently working on tapping to read and tapping to write CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. By tapping individual sounds, they can segment and blend the sounds to figure out a word.
For example, if I wanted to read the cat, I would tap c-a-t and blend together the sounds to make cat. It is very important to show your child how to blend the sounds together once they are segmented. Words are not individual sounds. It is the blending of sounds together.
Initial Sounds
The word work activity currently being done in the classroom reinforces hearing the initial sounds in words. Students sort pictures based on the letters being discussed and the sound they hear at the beginning of the word. Young readers use this strategy when they are reading texts, so it is important that they understand it in isolation so that they may apply it more effectively.
Rhyming
The concept of rhyming can be difficult for some young readers. Please practice rhyming with your child. These activities can include:
Find Rhyming Words: When reading a poem or book, point out the rhyming words so that your child hears that the ending sounds are the same. You can also point out that not all rhyming words are spelled the same (ex: high, my), but because they have the same ending sound they rhyme!
Make Rhyming Words: In daily conversation, reading, singing a song or whenever, have your child think of a word that rhymes with a word being said. Even if it is a nonsense or "silly" word (as your child may call it), it will show their understanding of the concept.
Sight Words
Sight words are words that should be immediately recognized by a reader. These words usually are not decodable. They are "trick" words that "do not follow the rules. According to the "Dolch Word List, " the following words should be recognized automatically by the end of first grade.
Tapping to Read and Tapping to Write
The students are currently working on tapping to read and tapping to write CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words. By tapping individual sounds, they can segment and blend the sounds to figure out a word.
For example, if I wanted to read the cat, I would tap c-a-t and blend together the sounds to make cat. It is very important to show your child how to blend the sounds together once they are segmented. Words are not individual sounds. It is the blending of sounds together.
Initial Sounds
The word work activity currently being done in the classroom reinforces hearing the initial sounds in words. Students sort pictures based on the letters being discussed and the sound they hear at the beginning of the word. Young readers use this strategy when they are reading texts, so it is important that they understand it in isolation so that they may apply it more effectively.
Rhyming
The concept of rhyming can be difficult for some young readers. Please practice rhyming with your child. These activities can include:
Find Rhyming Words: When reading a poem or book, point out the rhyming words so that your child hears that the ending sounds are the same. You can also point out that not all rhyming words are spelled the same (ex: high, my), but because they have the same ending sound they rhyme!
Make Rhyming Words: In daily conversation, reading, singing a song or whenever, have your child think of a word that rhymes with a word being said. Even if it is a nonsense or "silly" word (as your child may call it), it will show their understanding of the concept.
Sight Words
Sight words are words that should be immediately recognized by a reader. These words usually are not decodable. They are "trick" words that "do not follow the rules. According to the "Dolch Word List, " the following words should be recognized automatically by the end of first grade.
a
all after and am again away are an big at any blue ate as can be ask come black by down brown could find but every |
for
came fly funny did from go do give help eat going here four had I get has in good her is have him it he his |
jump
into how little like just look must know make new let me no live my now may not on of one our old play out once |
red
please open run pretty over said ran put see ride round the saw some three say stop to she take two so thank up soon them |
we
that then where there think yellow they walk you this were too when under want was well went what white who will with yes |
Short Vowel Sounds
a: jam, had, ran, hat, ham, van, bag, can, cap, jack, bat, grass, flag...
e: wet, ten, den, bed, sled, pet...
i: zip, sit, tin, rip, big, fig, fin, bib, wig, lid, pig, fish, hid, bin, ...
o: job, hot, got, top, jog, log, sock, lock, rock, mop, box, clock, fox, hot...
u: cup, but, bun, tub, hum, jug, but, sun, nut, bug, bus, duck, cub...
Consonant Digraphs
Consonant Digraphs are two letters that stick together to make one sound. Rather than sound out each letter individually, we know that when we see them together we should make one sound. Consonant digraphs can come at the beginning or end of a word.
ch: chin, cherry, chimney, chick, chair, check, cheese...
lunch, teach, search, speech...
sh: shirt, shell, shadow, shelf, shoe, ship, sheep...
mash, push, crash, slush,
wh: whale, whiskers, white, wheel, wheelbarrow, whistle, wheat...
th: thumb, thimble, think, thing, thirsty, thirteen, thick, thin, thorn...
math, path, cloth, moth, Beth...
Consonant Blends
Consonant Blends are two consonants that blend together to make a unique sounds.
st: steak, stamp, stairs, star, sticker, stove
sk: skis, skate, skunk, sky, skirt
sm: smoke, smock, smile, smell
sp: spear, splash, sponge, spill, spider
sc: scale, school, scooter, scout, scarf, scarecrow
sn: snowman, snake, snow, snail, snap, sneakers
sw: sweater, swan, switch, swing, swim
pl: playpen, plant, plow, plug, pliers, plate
sl: sled, slice, slide, slippers, sleep
bl: blindfold, blocks, black, blue, blanket, blouse
fl: flashlight, fly, flag, flowers, flute, float
cr: crab, crane, crown, crib, crackers
cl: cloud, clown, claw, clock, class
fr: fry, frog, fruit, frame, freezer
gl: glue, glove, glasses, glass, globe
gr: grapes, grass, grill, grasshopper, groceries
pr: princess, prize, present, prince, pretzel
tr: tray, track, triangle, tree, truck, train
dr: dragon, draw, dream, drill, drum, dress
br: bread, brush, bridge, broom, bride, brick
tw: twenty, twine, twins, twig, twelve
Word Families
Word families are "chunks" of letters that have the same pattern. Word families are introduced in Kindergarten and are reinforced in first grade. By understanding word families, students are able to encode and decode words more efficiently. They also understand the concept of rhyme and the importance of looking at the beginning sound of a word when reading.
an: plan, tan, ran, pan, man, fan...
in: grin, tin, win, fin, chin, twin...
un: stun, spun, sun, bun, run, fun...
at: bat, cat, hat, sat, mat, chat, fat, flat, that...
it: fit, sit, kit, knit, pit, quit, bit, hit, skit, split...
ot: shot, blot, knot, hot, got, not, cot, dot, jot...
ad: pad, glad, had, sad, mad, dad...
ed: led, fed, red, wed, sled...
ab: tab, grab, nab, cab, crab...
ob: rob, mob, glob, cob, Bob...
ag: bag, rag, sag, tag, flag...
eg: Greg, Meg, beg, peg, leg...
ig: big, fig, pig, wig, dig...
og: fog, bog, dog, log, frog...
ug: hug, mug, bug, jug, rug...
all: mall, call, hall, fall, ball, tall...
ell: tell, sell, yell, fell, well, shell...
ill: fill, will, still, mill, hill, sill...
ack: snack, pack, rack, tack, black, sack...
ick: pick, quick, lick, sick, kick, brick...
ock: rock, dock, clock, lock, block...
uck: buck, luck, cluck, stuck, duck...
ash: trash, rash, dash, crash, flash, mash, smash, cash...
ish: swish, wish, dish, fish...
ush: blush, mush, crush, rush, flush, hush, plush, brush...
Long Vowel Sounds
a: rake, train, skate, snake, frame, rain, cape, gate, crane...
e: sleep, dream, jeans, leaf, bean, tree, feet...
i: prize, vine, kite, bike, smile, hive, slide, dime, write...
o: goat, road, coat, bone, hose, nose, soap...
u: mule, suit, June, cube, fruit, glue, tube...