Why does my child bring home the same book more than one
time?
*The purpose of reading homework in first grade is to
increase students’ reading fluency. One way to increase fluency is to do
repeated readings with a familiar book, which is why your child might bring
home the same book more than one time.
Has my child memorized his/her reading book?
*Most of the books that your child brings home are books
that he/she has read during reading group and also read during “read to self”
and “read to someone” times. This means it is a familiar book, which is
the type of book that our first graders need to be reading the most.
The book that my child brought home seems too easy.
Why isn’t he/she bringing home harder books?
*Research has proven that “students need enormous quantities
of successful reading to become independent, proficient readers.”
Successful reading means that the child has a “high level of accuracy, fluency,
and comprehension” when reading a book. When students read “high success”
books (familiar, independent level books), then they are able to “integrate complete
skills and strategies into an automatic reading process.” (Six T’s of
Effective Literacy Instruction, by Richard Allington – 2002)
The book that my child brought home seemed hard. Is
it ok to read the book with or to my child?
*Yes, of course! While children need lots of
experiences reading familiar, independent level books, they also need to hear
fluent reading from family members and friends. Spending time reading
with your child is a wonderful way to share books that he/she is interested in,
but is not ready to read independently.
I have observed my child reading chapter books at
home. Why isn’t he/she bringing chapter books for homework?
*While your child may be capable of reading all of the words
in a harder (chapter) book, we also want your child to be able to comprehend
texts successfully. We want our first graders to understand that reading
isn’t just saying the words on a page, but it is actively thinking about a book
– before, during, and after we reading. Reading comprehension involves making
predictions, making connections, asking questions, summarizing, retelling,
making inferences, and more!
What should I do when my child gets stuck on a word?
*Your child has learned strategies for decoding unfamiliar
words. When your child gets stuck, encourage him/her to try all of the
strategies before telling them the word. These strategies are:
1. Eagle Eye – look at the picture
2. Lips the Fish – get your mouth ready for the first
sound
3. Chunky Monkey – find a chunk/little word inside
the word that you know
4. Sliding Snake – blend sounds together
5. Elephant Ears – does it sound right?
6. Tryin’
Lion—reread the sentence or try another word that
makes sense
