Learning to read is one of the most important parts of a child’s education. This year your child will have several components to his/her reading instruction.
1- Whole group instruction: this will be the component when general skills and strategies are introduced. We say introduced because he/she will receive much more targeted practice with these concepts during small group instruction which is taught at each individual child’s level. Examples of concepts introduced in whole group
include: fiction, fantasy, poetry, cause and effect, character feelings, setting, non-fiction text, non-fiction text features,
etc.
2- Word Study: This is the component of reading in which your child learns how words work. They learn how to break apart words, learn word patterns, learn the sounds that groups of letters make, etc. This IS NOT spelling practice. The students should be able to apply the patterns learned in word study to other words that follow the same pattern even if the word was not explicitly taught. Your child will have word study words each week that will be copied in their agenda books. However, some patterns take longer than others to master. Therefore, he/she may not receive new words every week.
3-Small Group Instruction: This is the component of reading instruction that is the MOST important. This is the time when the student will be in small groups with a teacher practicing skills and strategies introduced during whole group. This is also the time in which the students really focus on comprehension. The students will learn to go back in the text to locate answers, make inferences, and support their thinking with the text. Small group is so important because it is
taught using various texts at each child’s instructional reading level. By teaching the students at their instructional reading level it stretches their thinking without causing frustration. Students often skip words, leave off endings, or replace words with similar ones when reading a piece of text. It is very important that each student learns to read what is actually on the page accurately. This is something that small group instruction also focusses on.
4- Fluency: Fluency is learning to read a piece of text accurately, with expression, and at a good rate rather than slowly and word by word. We encourage students to “read like you talk”. Your child will receive a lot of practice in this area. There is also a downloadable brochure at the bottom of this page that will give you more information.
1- Whole group instruction: this will be the component when general skills and strategies are introduced. We say introduced because he/she will receive much more targeted practice with these concepts during small group instruction which is taught at each individual child’s level. Examples of concepts introduced in whole group
include: fiction, fantasy, poetry, cause and effect, character feelings, setting, non-fiction text, non-fiction text features,
etc.
2- Word Study: This is the component of reading in which your child learns how words work. They learn how to break apart words, learn word patterns, learn the sounds that groups of letters make, etc. This IS NOT spelling practice. The students should be able to apply the patterns learned in word study to other words that follow the same pattern even if the word was not explicitly taught. Your child will have word study words each week that will be copied in their agenda books. However, some patterns take longer than others to master. Therefore, he/she may not receive new words every week.
3-Small Group Instruction: This is the component of reading instruction that is the MOST important. This is the time when the student will be in small groups with a teacher practicing skills and strategies introduced during whole group. This is also the time in which the students really focus on comprehension. The students will learn to go back in the text to locate answers, make inferences, and support their thinking with the text. Small group is so important because it is
taught using various texts at each child’s instructional reading level. By teaching the students at their instructional reading level it stretches their thinking without causing frustration. Students often skip words, leave off endings, or replace words with similar ones when reading a piece of text. It is very important that each student learns to read what is actually on the page accurately. This is something that small group instruction also focusses on.
4- Fluency: Fluency is learning to read a piece of text accurately, with expression, and at a good rate rather than slowly and word by word. We encourage students to “read like you talk”. Your child will receive a lot of practice in this area. There is also a downloadable brochure at the bottom of this page that will give you more information.