How Do We Teach Reading?

Five Components of Balanced Literacy
1.  Phonemic Awareness – Students learn to segment and blend individual speech sounds to read words. (ex. c-a-t to make cat)

2.  Phonics & Word Study – Students learn to read decodable text. This leads to independent word recognition strategies and automaticity or knowing a word as soon as it is seen.

3.  Comprehension – Students learn comprehension strategies and apply them as they read passages.

4.  Fluency – Students practice reading smoothly and with expression.

5.  Vocabulary – Students learn about words and word meaning.

90 Minute Balanced Literacy Block

Your child is involved in 90 minutes of uninterrupted reading instruction each day.The 90 minutes includes:
1. Shared Reading – A 20 to 30 minute period of time used for whole class instruction focusing on a specific skill or strategy.
2. Literacy Centers – Children go to centers (listening, computer, writing response, phonics, etc.) to practice one of the five components of balanced literacy.
3. Guided Reading – Each student is assigned a reading level based on reading assessments.  Instruction is explicit to meet the needs of each individual learner.

Practice at Home
Read with your child everyday.

Things to do as you read:
1.  Make a prediction about the book by looking at the front cover and title.
2.  Take a picture walk and talk about the pictures.
3.  Look for words that may be challenging.  Find "chunks" that can help decode the word.
4.  Read the book together and talk about what is happening.
5.  Talk about the characters and why they acted as they did.

Reading Intervention Programs:
      Wilson
      LiPS & Seeing Stars
      Voyager/Ticket to Read
      AR