FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
  1. How can I help my child with reading
  2. ABC'S of reading
  3. Grade 1
  4. What does a first grader look like
  5. terms to know
  6. What are the quarterly Student Learning Expectations
  7. Does exercise play a part in education



How can I help my child with reading

reading strategies-look in links for strategies
Back to Top


ABC'S of reading

The ABCs of Reading
Ask questions while reading together. "What do you think will happen
next?"
Buy books as gifts for birthdays, Christmas, or other holidays.
Chat about what is happening in the book and how it relates to everyday
life.
Drop everything and read: Set aside 20 minutes a day during which the
whole family reads.
Examine book illustrations in detail. Select books that have large, bright
pictures.
Find books that interest your child. Make suggestions, but don't turn
reading into work.
Give hints when your child gets stuck on a word.
Have fun. Smile and enjoy the story. Read with a slow, relaxed voice and
be expressive.
Invite your child to the bookstore. Take time to lounge in the chairs and
browse the books.
Join in your child's reading successes. Celebrate every small step with
sincere praise.
Kids love to receive mail. Send your child a magazine subscription in an
area that interests him or her.
Learn to read with, and not just to, your child daily. Read aloud, share
ideas, and answer questions.
Model reading. Share with your child, whether you're reading for
information or for entertainment.
Never force your child to read. If you're both too tired or discouraged to
read, take a break.
Offer your child a variety of reading materials, such as books,
magazines, cereal boxes, comics, and newspapers.
Predict story elements, draw conclusions, and retell the story with your
child.
Quiz your child at the end of a story. Informally, of course!
Reread books to familiarize your child with words and to build
self-confidence.
Sing songs, recite poetry, and do fingerplays to help develop language
and listening skills.
Try to help your child understand that it's okay to make mistakes.
Understand that reading is developmental and that it takes time and
practice to become fluent.
Visit your local library on a regular basis. Sign your child up for his or her
own library card.
Welcome wordless picture books into your collections. They generate
conversation and allow the nonreader to create his or her own stories.
"Xhibit" patience when your child is selecting books. Your support is
empowering.
You are the most important person in helping yourchild develop a
lifelong love of reading.
Zealous readers are the result of supportive and nurturing role models.
Back to Top


Grade 1

Grade 1 
At age six, children need lots of praise to keep them going. Basic math
learning will ramp up as computation, estimation, probability, statistics,
algebra, and geometry are introduced. Children will learn to read and
will practice writing. They will begin to conduct science experiments,
learn about time lines, develop map skills, and learn more about the
people and economics of their country.
Back to Top


What does a first grader look like

How They Grow in First Grade 
The average six-year-old is extremely egocentric and wants to be the center of
attention. She:
Wants to be the "best" and "first."
Has boundless energy.
May be oppositional, silly, brash, and critical.
Cries easily; shows a variety of tension-releasing behavior.
Is attached to the teacher.
Has difficulty being flexible.
Often considers fantasy real.
Where They're Going
At six years old, your child is learning to understand himself. You can help by
encouraging him as he:
Develops a positive, realistic self-concept.
Learns to respect himself.
Begins to understand his own uniqueness.
Gains awareness of his feelings.
Learns to express feelings.
Learns how to participate in groups.
Begins to learn from his mistakes.
What Will They Learn?
In first grade, your child will have to interact with his classroom teacher as well as art, music,
and physical education teachers. The school day will become longer. He'll eat at school and go to
and from school with limited assistance. He'll also have some
homework assignments. Find out what else your child will learn this year.
Read at least 100 sight words.
Locate the main idea and details in stories.
Recall the sequence of events in oral and written stories.
Print words legibly.
Write words legibly in manuscript form.
Capitalize the first word in a sentence and use the period and question mark at the end of a
sentence.
Recognize the singular and plural forms of nouns.
Count to 100 by one's, two's, five's, and ten's.
Write the numerals to 100.
Add and subtract numbers up to and from 10.
Use simple maps and globes.
Make more detailed observations of the natural world.
Back to Top


terms to know

·  Phonemic awareness--the ability to hear, identify, and play with individual sounds--or       
phonemes--in spoken words.
·  Phonics--the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken
language.
·  Fluency--the capacity to read text accurately and quickly, including oral reading skills.
·  Vocabulary--the words students must know to communicate effectively.
·  Comprehension--the ability to understand and gain meaning from what has been read.
Back to Top


What are the quarterly Student Learning Expectations

1st Quarter Student Learning Expectations
Each quarter builds on the previous learning and expectations. These charts are cumulative.

Familiar Reading
Decode single syllable words in continuous text; Read grade level texts with at least 90% accuracy;
Read familiar grade level texts fluently
Word Study (Phonics/Spelling)
Recognize there are correct spellings for words; Delete phonemes to create new words; Add
phonemes to create new words; Substitute phonemes; Know the order of the alphabet; Decode single
syllable words; Sort/classify words; Automaticity of letter sounds and phonic patterns; Spell high
frequency words
Shared Reading
Participate in speaking activities (choral reading); Distinguish letters/words/sentences; Recognize
there are correct spellings for words; Identify author/title; Read during independent reading time;
Read with others (shared, partner, choral); Use context clues to decode; Discuss meaning of new
words; Ask/answer questions before/during/after (i.e. who, what, when, where, why, how); Find
information in text to answer literal questions; Make/explain inferences from text; Fiction/
nonfiction; Compare books by the same author
Guided Reading
Read familiar grade level texts fluently; Read instructional level texts with 90% accuracy; Talk about
books with same theme and use prior knowledge to enhance understanding; Demonstrate Early
Reading Behaviors; Decode single syllable words in continuous text; Use context clues to decode new
words; Discuss meaning of new words; Story elements; Demonstrate automaticity of letter sounds/
phonic patterns; Monitor, cross check, and self-correct to make meaning during reading
Interactive Read Aloud
Participate in discussions; Active listening; Listen/identify topic; Support ideas with examples and
evidence; Use prior knowledge to enhance understanding; Ask/answer questions before/during and
after Reading (i.e. who, what, where, when, why, how); Listen for specific information/respond
appropriately; Show interest/respond to verbal/musical performances; Use prior knowledge to
understand text; Make text to self connections; Ask/answer questions before/during/after; Locate
information in text to answer literal questions; Know when text doesn't make sense/search for
clarification; Make/explain inferences; Create art work/written responses to show Comprehension;
Fiction/nonfiction; Compare books by same author; Identify story elements; Distinguish fantasy from
realistic text
Interactive/ Independent Writing
Move from oral language to written language (orally compose/rehearse story then write); Participate
in teacher-led prewriting activities; Use prewriting activities to create a draft; Share writing with
others; Write daily; Use basic sentence structure; Spell high frequency words correctly; Write with the
format of lines and spaces on selected paper; Print legibly and space Use newly learned words in
writing; Distinguish between letters/ words/ sentences; Recognize that there are correct spellings for
words
Listening
Child will print most capital and lower case letters from dictation; Child will print most capitol and
lower case letters from hearing the sound; Child will print letter, showing sound at beginning/end of
word; Child will print sentences after brainstorming from a picture (noun, verb); Child will begin to
use left to right progression and directionality of letters

2nd Quarter Student Learning Expectations

Familiar Reading
Decode single syllable words using initial and final consonants, short vowel patterns, onsets and
rimes, blends and digraphs in continuous text; Read grade level texts with accuracy of 90% or above;
+ 1st Qtr SLEs.
Word Study (Phonics/Spelling)
Apply knowledge of letter, word, sentence and paragraph; Use strategies for applying phonemic
awareness and phonics knowledge (i.e. slowly articulate or segment words in order to hear sounds
and record corresponding letters, break words at onset and rime to record corresponding letter
patterns, etc.) + 1st Qtr SLEs
Shared Reading
Apply knowledge of letter, word, sentence and paragraph; Blend phonemes fluently; Retell stories
identifying characters, setting, events, problem and resolution; Sequence simple actions to make
meaning; Define the meanings of words through repeated encounters in continuous text; + 1st Qtr
SLEs
Guided Reading
Tell and retell stories providing the characters, setting, problem, events, and resolution in logical
order, with or without prompts; Accept contributions of teacher or group to improve speaking
performance; Apply knowledge of letter, word, sentence and paragraph; Blend phonemes fluently;
Define the meanings of words through repeated encounters in continuous text - + 1st Qtr SLE's
Interactive Read Aloud
Retell stories identifying characters, setting, events problem and resolution; Express T-T; T-S ;T-W
connections; + 1st QTR SLEs
Community/ Independent Writing
Ask clarifying questions about the ideas and work of others; Create and maintain a topic list; Focus
on one topic; Use a core of high frequency words fluently; Use strategies for using phonemic
awareness and phonics knowledge; Vary sentence beginnings; Use subject and verb agreement in
simple sentences (structure); Apply knowledge of letter, word, sentence and paragraph; + 1st Qtr
SLEs

3rd Quarter Student Learning Expectations

Familiar Reading
Read text using fluid and automatic decoding skills, including knowledge of patterns, onsets and
rimes I can read fluently; Use criteria to choose independent reading materials I can make text-text
connections; + 1st, 2nd Qtr SLEs.
Word Study (Phonics/Spelling)
Identify and say the beg/end sounds in words, (I can check (look & say) the 1st/last part of words to
spell; Demo an understanding of letter-sound correspondence by HRSIW using letter patterns,
consonant blends, long/short vowels, I can use letter sounds and word parts to write; Spell words
correctly with reg. short vowel patterns and most on long vowel words (time, name), I can spell short
and long vowel words; Spell unfamiliar words using strategies such as segmenting, analogies, and
matching familiar words and word parts, I can say words slowly and write what I hear; + 1st/2nd Qtr
SLEs 
Shared Reading
Identify the sequence of events in informational texts, I can use transition words first, next, then, last
to tell what happens in the text; Ask questions concerning essential elements of informational text
(why, who, where, what, when, and how), I can ask questions; Monitor comprehension of
independently, or group read texts by asking and answering questions, I can tell about the story I
read/heard; + 1st/2nd Qtr SLEs
Guided Reading
Recall important events in fictional and non-fictional texts, I can tell the main idea of a story; Use
title pg, photographs, captions and illustrations (text features) to develop comprehension of
informational texts, I can use book features to understand what I read; Read aloud with changes in
emphasis, voice, timing, and expression that show recognition of punctuation and an understanding
of meaning, I can read like talking; Make predictions while reading and support predictions with
information from the text or prior knowledge, I can make predictions and explain my TTS; Read root
words and their inflectional endings, I can speak correctly; Identify and discuss simple diagrams
charts, graphs and maps as characteristics of nonfiction, I can use parts of a book to find
information; + 1st/2nd Qtr SLE's
Interactive Read Aloud
Provide own interpretation of story, using info from the text, I can make T-T, T-W, and T-S; Identify
the sequence of events in informational text, I can use transitional words; Identify words with similar
meanings and opposite meanings, I can describe objects; + 1st/2nd Qtr SLEs
Community/ Independent Writing
Generate ideas through discussions with others, I can add details to my story; Develop a main idea in
writing, I can write a beginning sentence and a closing sentence in my story; Construct complete
sentences with subjects/verbs, I can write a story that makes sense; Mimic language from literature
(mentor texts), I can use texts I know for ideas in my own writing; Reread own writing for clarity, I
can re-read and revise my story; Use nouns, verbs and adjectives, descriptive words,I can add more
details when asked; Determine purpose and audience, I can write for my peers, family, others; Write
friendly letters or invitations that follow a simple letter format; Produce informal writings, I can write
thank you notes, invitations and stories; Spell unfamiliar words using strategies such as segmenting,
sounding out and matching familiar words and word parts, I can use word parts to spell; Add
descriptive words and details, I can use ideas from stories I've read/heard to write my own story;
Write simple stories with a BME that include descriptive words and details, I can use more specific
words when asked; + 1st/2nd Qtr SLEs

4th Quarter Student Learning Expectations

Familiar Reading
Form a mental picture from text read independently including story elements and descriptions I can
explain plot, characters, and setting; Use criteria to choose independent reading materials I can
make text-text connections; Self select materials on independent reading level based on personal
interests. I can choose a just right book for me; + 1st/2nd/3rd Qtr SLEs..
Word Study (Phonics/Spelling)
Understand the function of a dictionary, I can use a dictionary; Use knowledge of alphabetical order
by first letter when using a simple reference material, I can put words in ABC order; Determine word
meanings by applying knowledge of compound words, regular plurals, common contractions,
inflectional endings, and singular possessive nouns, I can figure out words using word parts;
Experiment with language including riddles and nonsense words and using them in speaking,
reading, and writing -Define riddles and nonsense words I can make riddles and use them in reading
& writing; + 1st/2nd/3rd Qtr SLEs
Shared Reading
Listen to literature and respond appropriately, including prediction, connecting, questioning, and
discussing the text, I can use prediction, connecting and questioning in book discussions; Identify
differences in a variety of media presentations and genre, I can identify poems, fiction, & non-fiction
; + 1st/2nd/3rd Qtr SLEs
Guided Reading
Read a variety of simple information books for specific reasons, I can find and read a book on a
specific topic; Monitor own reading for meaning, I can understand what I read; Read fluently
approximately 150 high frequency words encountered during reading -Recognize high frequency
words in the context of real reading, I can read 150 high frequency words quickly; + 1st/2nd/3rd
Qtr SLE's
Interactive Read Aloud
Respond to a variety of texts by contributing to a reading journal which demonstrates appropriate
comprehension skills including pictures and written responses, reading log, and interest lists, I can
retell texts using written responses; + 1st/2nd/3rd Qtr SLEs
Teacher Observation; Work Samples
Whole Group
Community/ Independent Writing
Use a story frame or paragraph frame to organize writing -Develop stories with beginning, middle,
and end , I can write a story with a beginning, middle, end; Edit for complete sentences, appropriate
capitalization, punctuation, and appropriate spelling, I can edit my own writing; Prepare pieces for
publication (i.e., illustrations, rewriting or typing, and page break, etc.), I can write a story that
makes sense;


 
Back to Top


Does exercise play a part in education

Exercise Seen as Priming Pump for Students’ Academic Strides
February 13, 2008 by Debra Viadero
Experts are beginning to contend that the case is growing stronger for physical activity's link to
improved brain function
Back to Top