READING
Nothing is more important that Reading! You can't be successful in any other subject unless you can read and read well.
My favorite strategy is to have the students write personal books. With kids in K or 1st you may need to take dictation. It is important to write down the exact words the child says. Much as you would like to change the grammar and add punctuation - DON'T! If you want them to be able to read what they wrote then it has to be exactly what they said. You can teach them all of the crazy concepts of print after they can read. You should also use bold manuscript or if you are word processing their story you should use Comic Sans because of the formation of the /a/. You should also double space between each word and between the lines. Many students that are having trouble reading just see a bunch of squiggles on a page. It makes no sense to them, so it is our job to help them by separating the words and the sentences. Only put a short paragraph at the bottom of each page to allow the child to illustrate their story. Discuss that the picture must support the text. This discussion will help them with comprehension as their skills increase. Reading and rereading their own stories builds vocabulary and confidence.
Nothing is more important that Reading! You can't be successful in any other subject unless you can read and read well.
My favorite strategy is to have the students write personal books. With kids in K or 1st you may need to take dictation. It is important to write down the exact words the child says. Much as you would like to change the grammar and add punctuation - DON'T! If you want them to be able to read what they wrote then it has to be exactly what they said. You can teach them all of the crazy concepts of print after they can read. You should also use bold manuscript or if you are word processing their story you should use Comic Sans because of the formation of the /a/. You should also double space between each word and between the lines. Many students that are having trouble reading just see a bunch of squiggles on a page. It makes no sense to them, so it is our job to help them by separating the words and the sentences. Only put a short paragraph at the bottom of each page to allow the child to illustrate their story. Discuss that the picture must support the text. This discussion will help them with comprehension as their skills increase. Reading and rereading their own stories builds vocabulary and confidence.