The Surfside School - P.S. 329

P.S 329 and the National Institute for Literacy

The National institute for Literacy has developed the Shining Stars series for parents of children in preschool through grade three who are getting ready or learning to read. For more information go to www.nifl.gov

Below you will find some ways you can help your child “get ready to read” during the ages of 4 and 5.

ü     I help my child hear and say the first sound in words (like “b” in boat), and notice when different words start with the same sound (like “boat” and “book”).

ü     I help my child hear words that rhyme (like moose, goose, and caboose).

ü     I introduce new words to my child, like “bow” and “stern”, which mean the front of a boat and the back of a boat.

ü     I talk with my child about the letters of the alphabet and notice them in books, like “c” for canoe.

ü     I point out signs and labels that have letters, like street signs and foods in the grocery store.

ü     I encourage my child to find the joy and fun in reading. Usually, I let my child choose the books we read.

ü     I let my child pretend to read parts of the book when we read together.

ü     I talk with my child about stories and make connections to things that happen in our own lives.

ü     I ask “what”, “where”, and “how” questions when I read with my child to help his/her follow along and understand the stories.

Checklist for Parents of Kindergartners

These skills usually develop when a child is in Kindergarten. Talk with your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

ü     My child listens carefully to books read aloud.

ü     My child knows the shapes and names for the letters of the alphabet and writes many uppercase and lowercase letters on his/her own.

ü     My child knows that spoken words are made of separate sounds.

ü     My child recognizes and rhymes, can tell when words begin with the same sound, and put together, or blend, spoken sounds.

ü     My child can sound out some letters.

ü     My child knows that the order of the letters in a written word stands for the order of sounds in the spoken word.

ü     My child knows some common words such as a, the, I, and you, on sight.

ü     My child knows how to hold a book, and follows print from left to right and from top to bottom of a page when he/she is read to.

ü     My child asks and answers questions about stories and uses what he/she already knows to understand a story.

ü     My child knows a part of a book and understands that authors’ writes words and text and illustrators create pictures.

ü     My child knows that in most books the main message is the print, not the pictures.

ü     My child predicts what will happen in a story and retells or acts out stories.

ü     My child knows the differences between “made up” fiction and “real” non fiction books and the difference between stories and poems.

ü     My child uses what he/she knows about letters and sounds to write words.

ü     My child writes some letters and words as they are said to him/her and begins to spell some words correctly.

ü     My child writes his/her own first and last name and the first name of some friends and family.

ü     My child plays with words and uses new words in his/her own speech.

ü     My child knows and uses words that are important to schoolwork, such as the names of colors, shapes, and numbers.

Checklist for Parents of First Graders

These skills usually develop during first grade. Talk with your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

ü     My child knows all the letters of the alphabet.

ü     My child knows the difference between letters and words, and knows there are spaces between words in print.

ü     My child knows that written words represent speech and show how words are represented by letters arranged in a specific order.

ü     My child knows some punctuation marks and where sentences and paragraphs begin and end.

ü     My child is beginning to understand and explain why people read.

ü     My child can put together (blend) and break apart the sounds of most one syllable words and can count the number of syllables in a word.

ü     My child can sound out words he/she doesn’t know, and recognize some irregularly spelled words, such as have, said, you, and are.

ü     My child reads first grade books aloud, and can tell when he/she cannot understand what he/she is reading.

ü     My child reads and understands simple written instructions.

ü     My child uses what he/she already knows to enrich what he/she is reading.

ü     My child predicts what will happen next in a story.

ü     My child asks questions ( how, why, what if ?) about books he/she is reading and can describe what he/she has learned from the book.

ü     My child uses invented spelling in his/her writing and also understands that there is a correct way to spell words.

ü     My child uses simple punctuation and capital letters.

ü     My child writes for different purposes- stories, explanations, lists, letters- and reads and revises his/ her writing.

ü     My child uses language with more control, speaks in complete sentences, and uses more formal language at school than at home and with friends.

ü     My child is curious about words and uses new words when he/she speaks and writes.

ü     My child is beginning to see that some words mean the same thing (synonyms) and some mean the opposite (antonyms).

Checklist for Parents of Second Graders

These skills usually develop during grades two and three. Talk with your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

ü     My child reads and understands second grade fiction and nonfiction, and compares and connects information from different sources.

ü     My child reads for specific purposes and specific questions, and explores topics of interest of his/her own.

ü     My child answers “ how”, “ why”, and “what-if” questions, and recalls information, main ideas, and details from reading.

ü     My child interprets information form diagrams, charts, and graphs.

ü     My child takes part in creative responses to stories, such as dramatizations, and oral presentations.

ü     My child pays attention to how words are spelled and correctly spells words he/she has studied.

ü     My child spells a word the way it sounds if he/she doesn’t know its spelling.

ü     My child writes for many different purposes and writes different compositions (for example, stories, reports, and letters).

ü     My child makes thoughtful choices about what to include in his/her writing.

ü     My child takes part in writing conferences, revises and edits what he/she has written, and attends to the mechanics of writing ( spelling, capitalization, and punctuation) in his/her final versions.

ü     My child learns new words and shares them at school and at home.

ü     My child uses clues form the context and his/her knowledge of word parts (roots, prefixes, suffixes) to figure out what words mean.

ü     My child is increasing his/her vocabulary with synonyms and antonyms.

ü     My child uses parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) correctly.

Checklist for Parents of Third Graders

These skills usually develop during grades two and three. Talk with your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

ü     My child uses what he/she knows of phonics and word parts (prefixes, roots, suffixes) to sound out unfamiliar words.

ü     My child reads third grade level texts (stories, nonfiction, magazine articles, and computer screens) with fluency and comprehension.

ü     My child explores topics of interest and reads longer stories and chapter books independently.

ü     My child can explain the major point in fiction and nonfiction books.

ü     My child identifies and discusses words or phrases he/she does not understand.

ü     My child asks “how”, “why”, and “what if” questions and discusses the themes or messages of stories.

ü     My child uses information he/she has gathered and his/her own reasoning to judge explanations and opinions and distinguishes cause from effect, fact from opinion, and main ideas from supporting details.

ü     My child understands and reads graphs and charts.

ü     My child uses context to gain meaning from what he/she reads.

ü     My child correctly spells words that he/she has studied.

ü     My child gathers information form a variety of sources, including books, articles, and computers, and uses it in his/her writing.

ü     My child reviews his/her own written work for errors and works with teachers and classmates to make it clearer.

ü     My child is starting to use metaphors and other literary forms in his/her writing.

ü     My child discusses his/her writing with other children and responds hopefully to their writing.

ü     My child develops his/her vocabulary and knowledge through independent reading.

ü     My child builds his/her vocabulary through synonyms and antonyms.