We use the Scott-Foresman reading series. For more information you may visit their website at www.scottforesman.com or go to the link on the "links" page. These are some questions you may have about reading in 1st Grade.
- How will Reading be taught in First Grade?
- What are the "Five Keys of Reading"?
- What other materials will be used?
- How can I help my child be a better reader?
- What if my child does not like to read?
How will Reading be taught in First Grade?
The Scott-Foresman series uses several different tactics to engage the
student in learning to read. Spelling and Phonics will be used to teach
skills needed to read the words in the stories. With the leveled readers,
two decodable readers, songs and chants, and the weeky reading story, we have
many ways for the students to practice the skills they are learning. We will
focus on the "Five Keys of Reading" for the students to be successful readers.
What are the "Five Keys of Reading"?
The "Five Keys of Reading" are fluency, comprehension, phonemic awareness,
vocabulary, and phonics. Fluency is the flow of reading. Our goal is to
read smoothly and with comprehension. Comprehension is understanding and
remembering what you have read. Three ways to do this is through vocabulary,
phonemic awareness, and phonics. Vocabulary is the collection of words used
in a story or throughout the year. Phonics is putting the sounds that the
letters make into a word. Phonics is the first step to phonemic awareness,
where a student makes the connection that the sounds and the letters come
together to make words.
What other materials will be used?
Students will have many opportunities to read from popular children's
books. They will also be reading poems, magazines, charts, and words to
songs. They will have a message to read each morning to tell them the
activities of the day and to welcome them back to school.
How can I help my child be a better reader?
There are many games that you can do or make. It is also important for
children to hear and create rhymes. If a child can not rhyme it is an
indicator that they are having problems with reading. Not only do they need
to hear rhymes, but they need to be able to produce them. For instance,
they need to match "cat" with "bat".
What if my child does not like to read?
Find out their interests. Children don't have to read just books to be
readers. If your child is into comics, let them read some comics. A lot of
kids are into gaming. There are magazines from Nintendo, PlayStation, and X-
Box. If they like sports or car racing, find books about their favorite
player or driver. Let them visit the local library and get a library card.
There is no cost and they will be able to see many types of books and
magazines to explore.