Fluency Matters By: Reading Rockets

Fluency: What is it? Why is it important?

If someone is fluent in speaking another language or in playing an instrument, there's a smooth, graceful and easy quality to it. The same is true with reading skills. Reading fluency is a child's ability to read a book or other text correctly, quickly, and with expression. A fluent reader doesn't have to stop and "decode" each word. Rather, most of the words can be read automatically. This means the reader can focus his attention on what the story or text means. For that reason, fluency is critically important — it is the bridge between decoding words and understanding what has been read.

How can we foster reading fluency?

Parents can help their child develop reading fluency through a few simple and fun activities.

Paired or "Buddy" Reading

The easiest and best way to help your child develop fluency is to sit with your child and read! Read together every day, which is often called paired or buddy reading. To use paired reading, simply take turns reading aloud. You go first, as your reading provides a model of what good fluent reading sounds like. Then, ask your child to re-read the same page you just read. You'll notice that your child's reading will start to sound more and more like yours. Do this for several pages. Once your child is comfortable enough, and familiar enough with the book, take turns reading page for page.

Reread Favorite Books

Another way parents can help develop fluency is to build a tall stack of books that your child can read quickly and easily. Encourage your child to reread favorite books over and over again. With each reading, you may notice your child reading a bit easier, a bit faster, and with a bit more confidence and expression.

Record It

Another fun way to practice reading and build fluency is to have your child create her own audio books. This can be done simply with a tape recorder or audio recording feature or app (like Audioboo) on your phone. Or, use something more sophisticated like StoryKit, where a user can create an electronic storybook and record audio to accompany it. Regardless of the method you choose, your child will be practicing what they want to record and that reading practice is critical. Sharing your audio recordings with family and friends is a great motivator too!

These activities are easy and require very few materials. Doing these activities with your child will help build fluency — a skill that will last a lifetime.

It's Going to be an AMAZING Year!!!!

Here we are!!  Another new school year!! We are so happy that your child is in our class this year!!  We are going to learn so much and have so much fun this year!!

I'm going to keep this short and sweet, but if you ever have any questions or concerns, never hesitate to contact us by phone, email, or text.  I hope you have enrolled to get our emails that will let you know any important information in a quick and easy way!! Just start a new text to 81010 and in the message portion type @jclair.  It's that easy.

We look forward to getting to know you and your child this year,
Mrs. Broadwell & Mrs. Clair

Dolch Sight Words

Parents:  Please make sure your child is able to read these sight words. 

Complete Dolch Word List Divided by Level

Pre-primer	Primer		Grade One	Grade Two		Grade Three
a and away big blue can come down find for funny go help here I in is it jump little look make me my not one play red run said see the three to two up we where yellow you	all am are at ate be black brown but came did do eat four get good have he into like must new no now on our out please pretty ran ride saw say she so soon that there they this too	under want was well went what white who will with yes	after again an any ask as by could every fly from give going had has her him his how just know let live may of old once open over put round some stop take thank them then think walk were when	always around because been before best both buy call cold does don’t fast first five found gave goes green its made many off or pull read right sing sit sleep tell their these those upon us use very wash which	why wish work would write your	about better bring carry clean cut done draw drink eight fall far full got grow hold hot hurt if keep kind laugh light long much myself never only own pick seven shall* show six small start ten today together try warm

* ‘shall’ has dropped out of use

How a 2nd Grader Thinks

by Laura Davy

Your second grader has figured out the ins and outs of elementary school, but even though he’s practically a school pro he’s still developing mentally. What are second graders capable of understanding? Jean Piaget, the psychologist credited with forming the theory of cognitive development in the late 1920s, created a list of the mental limitations for each age group. Here's what he said second graders were capable of comprehending:

•A second grader can understand and manipulate symbols related to concrete objects. They can understand, for example, that a plus sign means addition and can use them when appropriate.

•Second graders are becoming logical. Although there are still moments when they jump to conclusions, you'll be able to understand even their wackiest thoughts.

•Reverse thinking should no longer be an issue. Although a child may have a tough time retracing his mental steps, he should be able to remember how he came to his conclusion.

•Second graders are still a little egocentric, but much less so than they were previously. They believe everyone sees the world as they see it, but they can finally understand other people's points of view.

•Second graders are able to tell if there is a difference in number, length and volume when comparing two objects. Older second graders should also understand substance. For example, if they are shown clay and then watch someone break it up into little pieces and then put the pieces back together, a second grader will know that it's still the same amount of clay.

How to Improve Your Child's Handwriting

Even in the digital age, teachers still expect your child to write neatly. Try these exercises for better penmanship.

By Kathleen Reilly from Parents Magazine

• From worksheets to short essays, there are a lot of assignments for your kid to crank out -- and his teacher has to be able to read them. "Despite the increasing amount of technology in classrooms, a child's schoolwork still is mostly handwritten," says pediatric occupational therapist Jan Z. Olsen, founder of the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum program. "Teachers think good penmanship is crucial for communicating effectively." In fact, less than half of first- to third-grade teachers said that their students' handwriting was fast enough to keep up with classroom demands, found a Vanderbilt University poll
• If your child is struggling to put his words down on paper, he'll have less energy to focus on what he wants to say. Switching to a computer isn't the solution. Second-graders generated more ideas when writing by hand than by using a keyboard, University of Wisconsin researchers report. A sliver of kids who write illegibly, have a hard time forming letters, or find it difficult to complete written assignments may lack graphomotor skills and may benefit from occupational therapy.  Still, many kids with penmanship problems simply aren't getting enough practice. Bridge the gap at home with these clever ways to start off right.
  
  

  Invisible Ink

  Trace letters and simple words on your child's back and see if she can guess what you're writing. Then, swap and have her "write" a letter or word on you. Focus on the letters that are hardest for kids this age. Another Vanderbilt University study found that j, k, n, q, u, and z account for 48 percent of the mistakes when kids attempted to write the lowercase letters of the alphabet. Our how-to videos, above, and at parents.com/handwriting can help you teach your child these tricky letters.

  Get a Grip

  Kids who don't hold a pencil correctly may get tired of writing. Slide-on rubber grips, sold at school-supply stores, might help. But try a fun alternative: a small pencil, like the ones used in mini golf. Save them for games of pretend. Tell your child to imagine he's a waiter and have him write down your order. Or encourage him to dress up like a rock star; then ask for his autograph.

  Picture This

  Take out the markers or crayons and draw a single capital letter on a piece of unlined paper. Ask your child to make the chosen letter part of a bigger picture. She might turn a capital I into a butterfly or transform an O into an octopus. As she decorates the letter, she'll also be focusing on its shape.

  Outsider Art

  Using sidewalk chalk, have your child write a giant note that could be seen from outer space, then a tiny one for ants to read. (Or if your lawn looks like a winter wonderland, ask your glove-clad kid to write letters in the snow.)

  Mail Tale

  Buy a notebook and ask your child to keep a journal for a week. Send it to a relative to add comments on your child's week, record a week in her life, and mail it on to another loved one. The last person should mail it back to your child. She'll get reading practice too!

  Pick a Winner

  Designate one night a week as activity night. Help your child write down stuff he'd like to do on slips of paper and place them in a jar: Suggest games (board, card, or sports), movies, or whatever interests him (building with Legos or baking muffins). When it's time, have your kid choose one and ask him to add a fresh idea to keep the jar fun-filled.

  Love Notes

  Leave surprise messages for your child -- on her pillow, the bathroom mirror, or in her backpack. End each one with a question, and ask her to write an answer on the back and leave it for you in a surprise location as well.

  Minute Man

  Get into the habit of asking your kid to write things for you. Dictate shopping lists, have him address envelopes, and jot down reminders on the family calendar. The more practice, the better.

  Tools of the Trade

  Stock up on office supplies. Collect awesome writing tools (gel pens, scented markers, funny-shaped pencils) and all sorts of paper (lined sticky notes, doodle pads). Stow them in strategic spots around the house. She'll also be more psyched to scrawl if her pencil has a cute eraser.

Originally published in the January 2013 issue of Parents magazine.

Selecting Books for Your Child: Finding 'Just Right' Books

By: Kathleen Rogers

Five finger rule...

1. Choose a book that you think you will enjoy.
2. Read the second page.
3. Hold up a finger for each word you are not sure of, or do not know.
4. If there are five or more words you did not know, you should choose an easier book.

Read two or three pages and ask yourself these questions:

Will it be an easy, fun book to read?

• Do I understand what I am reading?
• Do I know almost every word?
• When I read it aloud, can I read it smoothly?
• Do I think the topic will interest me?

If most of your answers were "yes", this will be an easy book to read independently by yourself.

Will this book be too hard for me?

• Are there five or more words on a page that I don't know, or am unsure of?
• Is this book confusing and hard to understand by myself?
• When I read it aloud, does it sound choppy and slow?

If most of your answers were "yes," this book is too hard. You should wait awhile before you read this book. Give the book another try later, or ask an adult to read the book to you.

Choose a book that is a good fit for you!

Tips on reading with your child

When they can't read the word, say…

• Can you sound it out?
• Fingertap it.
• Can you think of the word or movement that helps you remember that vowel sound?
• What is the first and last sound? What word would make sense?
• Does it have a pattern that you have seen in other words? (ex-an, ack)
• How does the word begin?
• You said_______. Does that make sense?
• What word would make sense that would start with these sounds?
• Put your finger under the word as you say it.

When they want to read a book that is too hard, say…

• Let's read it together.
• This is a book you will enjoy more if you save it until you are older — or later in the year.
• [Be honest!] When people read books that are too hard for them, they often skip important parts. You will have more fun with this book if you wait until you can read it easily.

How Can I Support my Second Grader in Math?

Second grade students are being introduced to and further developing many basic mathematical skills. Regardless of your child’s current math abilities, the following suggestions can help your child progress in math throughout the year. Please keep in mind that all children progress at varying rates. I hope you and your child will find these ideas helpful this year...

· The best way to practice math skills is with real-world application. If you would like to help your child improve money skills, go to the store or create one at home. If you’d like to help your child with telling time, practice timing activities at home such as cooking or reading.

· Place value is an important skill to master in second grade. Help your child improve in this area by having your child read and/or write large numbers (into the ten-thousands if possible). Also, encourage your child to use the terms “greater than”, “less than”, and “equal to” when comparing large numbers. To young students, the numbers 75,239 and 81,619 can look very similar because they have the same number of digits. Finally, remind your child of the importance of ZERO in place value. The numbers 354 and 3,054 are VERY different! You can call out a number and have your child write the number down. Then have him/her identify which digit is in the ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, or ten-thousands place. You can also have him/her write a number in expanded form (example: 3,764 = 3,000+700+60+4).

· Not all math practice needs to be written down. The car is a GREAT place to practice math skills! You can call out addition/subtraction facts for your child to solve or use the numbers on license plates to make math problems. Even counting cars can be good practice. Try starting at a strange number, such as 583 and counting up from there. If your child is ready for a challenge, try picking a starting number and counting backwards!

· To improve measuring skills, have your child measure different objects around the house. Make sure to have your child measure length in a variety of units including centimeters, inches, feet, and yards.

· Second graders also need to know how to measure the volume of liquids. Your child can practice this by cooking. The best way to understand what a cup of something looks like is to see it! To help your child understand the relationship between the various units of volume, practice pouring water into containers of varying sizes to see how many of one unit it will take to equal another. This can be done with cups, pints, quarts, and gallons.

· Students also need practice with weight. You can have your child collect objects of various sizes and weights from around the house. Encourage your child to make estimates before using a scale to measure the exact weight. Challenge your child to find a small object that weighs MORE than a larger one!

· Learning to tell time is an important skill for second graders to master. However, in our technological society, analog clocks can be hard to come by. Be sure you have one available at home for your child to practice with. It may also be helpful to find your child an analog watch as well.

· Word problems can be difficult for many students to understand. Help your child practice this skill by creating word problems that involve family members or friends. Encourage your child to listen for the specific clues in your world problem that let him/her know whether the answer can be reached by adding, subtracting, or other means. When solving word problems, encourage your child to draw a picture when appropriate to help him/her figure out the answer.

· Having trouble with fractions? Help your child practice by using food! Pizzas and cakes can easily be cut into equal pieces. To practice fractions of a group, use your child’s favorite breakfast cereal. These can easily be manipulated into equal groups, and errors are simple to correct.