Reading at Home
Reading for 15 minutes a day is part of your child's nightly homework responsibility. This assignment will be included in the Monday through Friday homework packet, however weekend reading is strongly encouraged! (And don’t forget to pack a book for subway rides!) Reading at home will reinforce the "good reading habits" that students are working on in school and help to build their reading stamina.
Try to find a consistent time for reading that will become part of your child’s nightly routine. Perhaps this is part of quiet time before bed, or coincides with an after-school snack, or becomes part of a scheduled homework routine. Finding a comfy and quiet reading spot is also encouraged. Family reading time is another option if it works with your family’s schedule. This is a time when all family members sit together with their own text for quiet reading. At this time children may be reading a picturebook, while adults sit down with a novel, biography, cookbook, magazine, newspaper, online blog, etc. Modeling that reading is valued and enjoyed is one of the best things you can do to promote reading at home.
Reading homework can take one (or more) of the following formats:
Try to find a consistent time for reading that will become part of your child’s nightly routine. Perhaps this is part of quiet time before bed, or coincides with an after-school snack, or becomes part of a scheduled homework routine. Finding a comfy and quiet reading spot is also encouraged. Family reading time is another option if it works with your family’s schedule. This is a time when all family members sit together with their own text for quiet reading. At this time children may be reading a picturebook, while adults sit down with a novel, biography, cookbook, magazine, newspaper, online blog, etc. Modeling that reading is valued and enjoyed is one of the best things you can do to promote reading at home.
Reading homework can take one (or more) of the following formats:
- Read-to-self
- Read-to-someone (or a stuffed animal)
- Buddy reading (I read, you read)
- Be read to (experienced reader reads aloud to child)
Three Ways to Read a Book
Students will learn that there are 3 ways to engage in reading:
1) Look at the pictures
2) Read the words
3) Retell a familiar story in your own words
These are all ways to "read" at home! Beginning readers will build confidence in themselves and learn that there are multiple ways to enjoy a book, even if they cannot yet read the words. Even more experienced readers can enjoy what we call "uphill" books at home by reading the pictures or retelling a story that has been read aloud to them. As students build their sight word vocabulary, encourage your child to identify words on the page and start making one-to-one correspondence by reading with his or her finger. And continue to read aloud books that your child cannot read independently so that you can model fluent and expressive reading at home.
1) Look at the pictures
2) Read the words
3) Retell a familiar story in your own words
These are all ways to "read" at home! Beginning readers will build confidence in themselves and learn that there are multiple ways to enjoy a book, even if they cannot yet read the words. Even more experienced readers can enjoy what we call "uphill" books at home by reading the pictures or retelling a story that has been read aloud to them. As students build their sight word vocabulary, encourage your child to identify words on the page and start making one-to-one correspondence by reading with his or her finger. And continue to read aloud books that your child cannot read independently so that you can model fluent and expressive reading at home.
Literacy CAFE Menu
CAFE stands for Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency, and Expand Vocabulary. Students will learn strategies to support their reading growth in each of these areas. Our literacy CAFE menu lists all of the different strategies that good readers chose from when reading various texts. In addition, these strategies will help students with goal-setting as they build habits of good readers.
CAFE Reading Strategies to Use at Home
Comprehension ("I understand what I read.")
1. CHECK for UNDERSTANDING
This comprehension strategy teaches readers to stop frequently (after each page or two) and check, or monitor, whether they understand what they are reading. This typically is a quick summary of what they've read, starting with "who" and "what."
2. BACK UP and REREAD
If a sentence didn't make sense or you didn't comprehend what you've read, Back Up and Reread! Try it again and then Check for Understanding
3. ASK QUESTIONS
Readers are actively involved in reading by asking themselves questions before, during, and after reading a selection, thus increasing their comprehension of the material. Readers who ask questions during reading are actively engaged and thus tend to remember important details and information. While asking questions, readers are monitoring their comprehension.
4. INFER and SUPPORT WITH EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT
Have you ever read a book and assumed what the author was saying or feeling without having it actually written down? You make these assumptions using your background knowledge, clues from the story, and pictures. Authors don’t always tell the reader everything they want them to know about the story. In order to better comprehend, children must learn to be detectives and look for clues in the text to understand the meaning of the story. Learning to infer and support with evidence is a strategy used by good readers to better understand what the author is saying.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
* Read to your child and model your thinking as you read. Modeling is one of the most effective teaching strategies.
* Have your child “read” a wordless picture book. Using the pictures to tell stories helps with the inferring process.
* When reading with your child, ask some of the following questions:
Remind your child that a book detective goes slowly, looks
for clues, and uses those clues to support his/her thinking.
5. USE TEXT FEATURES
Non-fiction texts contain information that is true. They also contain features such as titles, headings and subheadings, photographs, captions, maps, diagrams, labels, charts and graphs, bold and italicized text, glossaries, and indexes. These features are a common part of non-fiction reading that we often use or reference to help gain understanding of what is being read. As experienced readers, we do this without notice. When students read nonfiction material, they will also encounter text features that are different from those they come across when reading fiction. Students who have had experience and know the purpose of text features improve their comprehension of the text.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
print you might say, “I notice this word is darker than the rest of the words.
It is in bold print. I bet the author wanted me to notice this word because
it stands out. I need to make sure I know what this word means.”
in bold. Then, have your child list any words in italics. You can also have
your child look for titles, headings, charts, legends, glossaries, and
captions.
selection to you, stopping when a text feature is used. Ask your child to
explain his/her thinking about that text feature to you.
6. MAKE PREDICTIONS and SUPPORT WITH EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT
As adult readers we make predictions often without even realizing it. We do it when we watch movies, read a book, or hear someone tell us a story. It is a way of focusing our attention and motivating us to want to hear or read more. Children benefit from predicting in the same way. Therefore, it is important that we guide them to not only predict what will happen, but to also confirm their predictions. To predict, readers tell what they think will happen in the story. To confirm, readers find out if their predictions were true, partially true, or way off. Using this strategy gives readers the chance to make connections to the text, think ahead, and become more engaged.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
* When reading with your child, model this strategy aloud. Use your background knowledge, picture clues, and other details in the selection to make a prediction. Then, after reading, check to see if your prediction was correct. Tell your child what you are thinking so it is clear how you predict and confirm when reading.
* Use the following questions to promote this strategy. Ask your child:
• What do you think will happen based on your information?
• What clues are you using to make your prediction? • What kinds of clues did you use? (pictures, words, or background knowledge)
7. TAP into SCHEMA (PRIOR KNOWLEDGE)
Especially helpful in reading nonfiction, readers should ask themselves what the know about a topic before reading. This is how we tap into our schema or prior knowledge to make connections to new learning. Encourage your child to ask, "What do I know about this topic?" before and during reading, then connect to new knowledge throughout the reading process. A great way to end a book or reading session is to ask, "What was the most interesting fact I learned?" and "What else do I want to know about this topic?"
This comprehension strategy teaches readers to stop frequently (after each page or two) and check, or monitor, whether they understand what they are reading. This typically is a quick summary of what they've read, starting with "who" and "what."
2. BACK UP and REREAD
If a sentence didn't make sense or you didn't comprehend what you've read, Back Up and Reread! Try it again and then Check for Understanding
3. ASK QUESTIONS
Readers are actively involved in reading by asking themselves questions before, during, and after reading a selection, thus increasing their comprehension of the material. Readers who ask questions during reading are actively engaged and thus tend to remember important details and information. While asking questions, readers are monitoring their comprehension.
4. INFER and SUPPORT WITH EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT
Have you ever read a book and assumed what the author was saying or feeling without having it actually written down? You make these assumptions using your background knowledge, clues from the story, and pictures. Authors don’t always tell the reader everything they want them to know about the story. In order to better comprehend, children must learn to be detectives and look for clues in the text to understand the meaning of the story. Learning to infer and support with evidence is a strategy used by good readers to better understand what the author is saying.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
* Read to your child and model your thinking as you read. Modeling is one of the most effective teaching strategies.
* Have your child “read” a wordless picture book. Using the pictures to tell stories helps with the inferring process.
* When reading with your child, ask some of the following questions:
- Can you explain why the character acted this way?
- How do you think the author might feel about (the character)?
- Think about the setting… what details can you add?
- Figure out explanations for these events.
- What clues can you find in the pictures?
Remind your child that a book detective goes slowly, looks
for clues, and uses those clues to support his/her thinking.
5. USE TEXT FEATURES
Non-fiction texts contain information that is true. They also contain features such as titles, headings and subheadings, photographs, captions, maps, diagrams, labels, charts and graphs, bold and italicized text, glossaries, and indexes. These features are a common part of non-fiction reading that we often use or reference to help gain understanding of what is being read. As experienced readers, we do this without notice. When students read nonfiction material, they will also encounter text features that are different from those they come across when reading fiction. Students who have had experience and know the purpose of text features improve their comprehension of the text.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
- When reading with your child, tune in to these features and think out loud
print you might say, “I notice this word is darker than the rest of the words.
It is in bold print. I bet the author wanted me to notice this word because
it stands out. I need to make sure I know what this word means.”
- Break it down into individual text features to bring awareness to your child
in bold. Then, have your child list any words in italics. You can also have
your child look for titles, headings, charts, legends, glossaries, and
captions.
- Guide your child in using his/her background knowledge about text
selection to you, stopping when a text feature is used. Ask your child to
explain his/her thinking about that text feature to you.
6. MAKE PREDICTIONS and SUPPORT WITH EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT
As adult readers we make predictions often without even realizing it. We do it when we watch movies, read a book, or hear someone tell us a story. It is a way of focusing our attention and motivating us to want to hear or read more. Children benefit from predicting in the same way. Therefore, it is important that we guide them to not only predict what will happen, but to also confirm their predictions. To predict, readers tell what they think will happen in the story. To confirm, readers find out if their predictions were true, partially true, or way off. Using this strategy gives readers the chance to make connections to the text, think ahead, and become more engaged.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
* When reading with your child, model this strategy aloud. Use your background knowledge, picture clues, and other details in the selection to make a prediction. Then, after reading, check to see if your prediction was correct. Tell your child what you are thinking so it is clear how you predict and confirm when reading.
* Use the following questions to promote this strategy. Ask your child:
• What do you think will happen based on your information?
• What clues are you using to make your prediction? • What kinds of clues did you use? (pictures, words, or background knowledge)
7. TAP into SCHEMA (PRIOR KNOWLEDGE)
Especially helpful in reading nonfiction, readers should ask themselves what the know about a topic before reading. This is how we tap into our schema or prior knowledge to make connections to new learning. Encourage your child to ask, "What do I know about this topic?" before and during reading, then connect to new knowledge throughout the reading process. A great way to end a book or reading session is to ask, "What was the most interesting fact I learned?" and "What else do I want to know about this topic?"
Accuracy ("I can read the words.")
1. S-T-R-E-T-C-H-Y SNAKE
Stretchy snake is a great strategy to use when students encounter an unknown word while reading. They should place their finger under each letter in the word as they sound it out. Continue to slowly s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the sound of each letter in the word and then put the sounds together (see Blend the Sound) to figure out the word.
2. BLEND the SOUND
After using Stretchy Snake, students sweep their finger under each letter of the word and quickly blend the sounds to make the word.
3. LOOK at the PICTURES
When struggling with unfamiliar words, students can look at the illustrations to help figure them out, gain meaning, as well as make sure what they're reading makes sense.
4. LOOK at BEGINNING and ENDING SOUNDS
When struggling with a word, focus on the sounds at beginning and end of the word, and then try and fill in the middle (with the help of other strategies, like Cross-Checking and Look at the Pictures).
5. CROSS-CHECKING
Make sure the words make sense and match the letters on the page. Ask yourself: Does it look right? Does it sound right? Does it match the pictures?
6. FLIP THE SOUND
Flip the sound is a strategy good readers use when they come to a word that doesn’t sound right or make sense. Knowing the multiple sounds a letter or letter combination can make and being able to flip the sounds around is an essential skill. Remind your child that when good readers use the strategy Flip the Sound, they listen for a word they recognize. They then check to make sure that word makes sense in the sentence. When sounding out words, review the different sounds letters make. Ask your child, “What other sound could that letter make?” Encourage your child to use the strategy of flip the sound to try different words until he/she is successful. When your child reads a word incorrectly, wait until he/she gets to the end of the sentence. Then, stop your child and ask, “Did the word you just read sound right?” Put your hand palm-down and flip your hand over while saying, “Try flipping the sound.”
7. CHUNKY MONKEY
When teaching children to read, we are always looking for ways to help them decode words efficiently, rapidly, and accurately. This allows them to focus their attention and understanding what they read rather than focusing on the fundamentals of each word. One way we accomplish this is through teaching children to watch for familiar word patterns called chunks. Chunks are groups of letters that when put together form a recognizable sound or word. Chunks can be found at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. Your child is working on the Accuracy strategy Chunky Monkey. Chunky Monkey can be used for words of all sizes! Here are some suggestions to support your child's learning at home:
* When reading with your child, have your child look for well-known letter chunks in the words they are reading. These chunks could be prefixes, suffixes, endings, whole words, or base words. For example, your child may look for the chunk and in the word sand, or at in flat.
* When chunking a word, have your child first read each chunk separately. then have your child put the chunks together to make the word. This will train your child to quickly and easily spot chunks. Stretchy Snake and Blend the Sound are often used in combination with Chunky Monkey (see "Reading at Home" for details on CAFE strategies).
* If your child is having difficulty finding chunks, guide him/her to look for familiar endings and familiar prefixes (note that we have not taught students the terms "prefix" or "suffix," we talk about beginning and ending sounds.
* Encourage your child to use his/her fingers and hand to frame the chunks found in words, decode those chunks first, and then move on to tackle the whole word.
* To help train your child to look for chunks in words, play a game of "I Spy" when reading. For example, when looking at the word blend, you would say, "In this word I spy the word end." Then, switch roles with your child and let your child "spy" chunks in words.
Stretchy snake is a great strategy to use when students encounter an unknown word while reading. They should place their finger under each letter in the word as they sound it out. Continue to slowly s-t-r-e-t-c-h out the sound of each letter in the word and then put the sounds together (see Blend the Sound) to figure out the word.
2. BLEND the SOUND
After using Stretchy Snake, students sweep their finger under each letter of the word and quickly blend the sounds to make the word.
3. LOOK at the PICTURES
When struggling with unfamiliar words, students can look at the illustrations to help figure them out, gain meaning, as well as make sure what they're reading makes sense.
4. LOOK at BEGINNING and ENDING SOUNDS
When struggling with a word, focus on the sounds at beginning and end of the word, and then try and fill in the middle (with the help of other strategies, like Cross-Checking and Look at the Pictures).
5. CROSS-CHECKING
Make sure the words make sense and match the letters on the page. Ask yourself: Does it look right? Does it sound right? Does it match the pictures?
6. FLIP THE SOUND
Flip the sound is a strategy good readers use when they come to a word that doesn’t sound right or make sense. Knowing the multiple sounds a letter or letter combination can make and being able to flip the sounds around is an essential skill. Remind your child that when good readers use the strategy Flip the Sound, they listen for a word they recognize. They then check to make sure that word makes sense in the sentence. When sounding out words, review the different sounds letters make. Ask your child, “What other sound could that letter make?” Encourage your child to use the strategy of flip the sound to try different words until he/she is successful. When your child reads a word incorrectly, wait until he/she gets to the end of the sentence. Then, stop your child and ask, “Did the word you just read sound right?” Put your hand palm-down and flip your hand over while saying, “Try flipping the sound.”
7. CHUNKY MONKEY
When teaching children to read, we are always looking for ways to help them decode words efficiently, rapidly, and accurately. This allows them to focus their attention and understanding what they read rather than focusing on the fundamentals of each word. One way we accomplish this is through teaching children to watch for familiar word patterns called chunks. Chunks are groups of letters that when put together form a recognizable sound or word. Chunks can be found at the beginning, middle, or end of a word. Your child is working on the Accuracy strategy Chunky Monkey. Chunky Monkey can be used for words of all sizes! Here are some suggestions to support your child's learning at home:
* When reading with your child, have your child look for well-known letter chunks in the words they are reading. These chunks could be prefixes, suffixes, endings, whole words, or base words. For example, your child may look for the chunk and in the word sand, or at in flat.
* When chunking a word, have your child first read each chunk separately. then have your child put the chunks together to make the word. This will train your child to quickly and easily spot chunks. Stretchy Snake and Blend the Sound are often used in combination with Chunky Monkey (see "Reading at Home" for details on CAFE strategies).
* If your child is having difficulty finding chunks, guide him/her to look for familiar endings and familiar prefixes (note that we have not taught students the terms "prefix" or "suffix," we talk about beginning and ending sounds.
* Encourage your child to use his/her fingers and hand to frame the chunks found in words, decode those chunks first, and then move on to tackle the whole word.
* To help train your child to look for chunks in words, play a game of "I Spy" when reading. For example, when looking at the word blend, you would say, "In this word I spy the word end." Then, switch roles with your child and let your child "spy" chunks in words.
Fluency ("I can can read smoothly, with expression, and with few errors")
1. REREAD the TEXT
Students reread their "just right" books until they are reading smoothly, accurately, and with expression.
2.READ with EXPRESSION
Students focus on reading with emotion and expression, based on the words being read, the punctuation, and looking at the pictures.
3. PAY ATTENTION to PUNCTUATION
Students pay extra attention to punctuation- end marks (periods, commas, exclamation points, question marks) and quotation marks- and adjust the pace, pattern, and emotion of their reading accordingly.
Students reread their "just right" books until they are reading smoothly, accurately, and with expression.
2.READ with EXPRESSION
Students focus on reading with emotion and expression, based on the words being read, the punctuation, and looking at the pictures.
3. PAY ATTENTION to PUNCTUATION
Students pay extra attention to punctuation- end marks (periods, commas, exclamation points, question marks) and quotation marks- and adjust the pace, pattern, and emotion of their reading accordingly.
Expand Vocabulary ("I know, find, and use interesting words.")
1. TUNE INTO INTERESTING WORDS
When readers pay attention to the words around them, they will slowly begin to develop their own vocabulary for both reading and writing. They can pay attention to words through listening to someone read or reading a story by themselves. Keeping a collection of interesting words will help students give importance and meaning to these new words. As we talk about the words we have collected from texts, students can transfer their word knowledge to their own reading and writing.
2. USE GLOSSARIES and DICTIONARIES as tools
Readers use many strategies to increase their understanding of words and texts they are reading. Although there are many different strategies to use, one of the most widely known strategies is using a dictionary or glossary as a word learning tool. Readers use this strategy when they need a precise definition of a word. In order for readers to be successful at using these word learning tools, they must first understand how they work. In class, your child has been learning how to productively use these tools. The following ideas will help you assist your child with this strategy at home.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
* When reading with your child, model the use of these tools. Select an interesting word in the text and model how to use a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word.
* A dictionary shows the proper spelling of a word, how to pronounce the word, the syllables of a word, and the meaning of a word. Have your child practice his/her dictionary skills by looking up words you give. Ask for the spelling, definition, and syllable/pronunciation of the word.
* Remind your child that the dictionary lists words in alphabetical order. Practice using this skill with your child by giving a list of words in random order and asking your child to put them in ABC order. Once they become good at this, make it more difficult by giving lists of words that all start with the same letter. This provides practice for looking at the second and third letters in a word.
* Make a game out of practicing dictionary skills by seeing who can find a word first. Each player has a dictionary that is closed. One player gives a word and both players look to find the word. The first to find the word and read the definition wins.
When readers pay attention to the words around them, they will slowly begin to develop their own vocabulary for both reading and writing. They can pay attention to words through listening to someone read or reading a story by themselves. Keeping a collection of interesting words will help students give importance and meaning to these new words. As we talk about the words we have collected from texts, students can transfer their word knowledge to their own reading and writing.
2. USE GLOSSARIES and DICTIONARIES as tools
Readers use many strategies to increase their understanding of words and texts they are reading. Although there are many different strategies to use, one of the most widely known strategies is using a dictionary or glossary as a word learning tool. Readers use this strategy when they need a precise definition of a word. In order for readers to be successful at using these word learning tools, they must first understand how they work. In class, your child has been learning how to productively use these tools. The following ideas will help you assist your child with this strategy at home.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
* When reading with your child, model the use of these tools. Select an interesting word in the text and model how to use a dictionary to look up the meaning of the word.
* A dictionary shows the proper spelling of a word, how to pronounce the word, the syllables of a word, and the meaning of a word. Have your child practice his/her dictionary skills by looking up words you give. Ask for the spelling, definition, and syllable/pronunciation of the word.
* Remind your child that the dictionary lists words in alphabetical order. Practice using this skill with your child by giving a list of words in random order and asking your child to put them in ABC order. Once they become good at this, make it more difficult by giving lists of words that all start with the same letter. This provides practice for looking at the second and third letters in a word.
* Make a game out of practicing dictionary skills by seeing who can find a word first. Each player has a dictionary that is closed. One player gives a word and both players look to find the word. The first to find the word and read the definition wins.