Little Readers!

Q: What should I do when I see one of these come home?

A: Be excited!  Your child is becoming a reader!  If you are visibly excited to practice these words with your child at home, he/she will feel excited about it, too.  

Have your child cut out the larger version of the words.  These can be used as practice cards.  Make this fun in any way you can.  A suggestion is to set aside the words your child already knows well, then focus on the more difficult words.  Bring them out for short practice sessions, and often.  An example would be - "before we eat a snack, let's see how many of your words you can get!"

Be sure to bring back the "easier" words at times for review - and to allow your child to feel the success of being able to read some words easily.

When there are words that are difficult, begin by holding up the word and saying it to your child.  A few seconds later, hold it up again and see if your child can say the word.  If there are "tricks" such as sounding it out, offer those as help.  

When your child knows all the words quickly, sign the first (smaller) page and send it back to school.  If he/she is able to read them to me, we add a sticker to a chart in the classroom.  They beam with pride!  If the student attempts to read the words but is not able, I will star the difficult words and send it back home for more practice.  

I suggest practicing your child's current list with him/her every day.  Please let me know if you have misplaced a list and need a replacement.

Thank you for your support in helping your child become a reader!