Fun Activities with Books

Reading with children can inspire fun activities. After you read a favorite book with your child use your creativity and come up with an art project, puppet show, play, or something creative.

Reading a story is important in developing comprehension. Understanding how words make a story is the beginning of teaching the alphabetical principle. Letters make sounds, sounds make words, and words make stories.

I would like to show you two ideas to demonstrate what I mean. A favorite book of mine is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, illustrated by Lois Ehlert. This book is full of rhythm and rhyming as the letters dance through the pages and take on a life of their own. The pictures in the book are magical. There are bright pictures at the beginning and end of the book where the letters are in alphabetical order, upper case and lower case together. This is a good place to point to the letters and say the ABC's.

When you are through with the book make a coconut tree. Go to your local store where crafts are sold and buy colorful foam letters and stick them all around the coconut tree. You can spell names from your family, Mom, Dad or any words you want. You can do this activity over and over. Children relate to their own name and often these are the first letters and sounds they learn.

Another favorite of mine is The Three Billy Goats Gruff. You can teach: over, under, up, and other words like, youngest, tiniest, first, second, third, bigger, loud and roared. You can use

funny voices as you make the sounds of the Billy Goats and the troll. After you have read the story a few times act the story out. You can take turns being the troll and the Billy Goats.

My Kindergarten children made a puppet show this year. They colored and cut out the troll and the 3 Billy Goats. Then they colored and cut out the bridge and glued it on half of a file folder I had cut in two. This helped the bridge stand up. It was fun to watch as the children told and re-told the story to each other. They used expression and their comprehension was enlarged.

Stories are a great launching board to teach the strategies that lead to reading: vocabulary, comprehension, phonemic awareness, phonics, literature, and fluency. Be creative in teaching these steps. I hope my blog has given you some ideas.

Make reading an important part of your family. Think of your children saying, "Read to me."

Rhyming/ Phonemic Awareness

Rhyming is one of the easiest steps in phonemic awareness. So what exactly is phonemic awareness and how can I help my child learn phonemic awareness?

A phoneme is the smallest unit of sound in our language. For example, “hat” has three phonemes and letters: /h/ /a/ /t/. “Chick” also has three phonemes, but five letters: /ch/ /i/ /ck/. Let’s take a look at “hat”. By changing the first phoneme we can create another word, “sat” (which is rhyming). By changing the last phoneme it creates another word, “ham”. And also by changing the middle phoneme it creates another word, “hot”.

As we learn to read children need to become aware of phonemes as individual parts of words. A simple definition for phonemic awareness is; a child’s ability to manipulate and notice the sound in words.

Rhyming becomes one of the easiest and most basic steps in phonemic awareness. Start rhyming orally. As you drive turn off the electronic devices, talk while cleaning, bathing or cooking, and rhyme with your child.

Read nursery rhymes, rhyming books and Dr. Seuss books to your child. Dr. Seuss is a great source because he uses nonsense rhyming words in many of his books. Say the rhyming words with your child. Have your child make up new words that will rhyme.

A game to play is to say 4 words, three that rhyme and one that doesn’t. Have your child pick the word that does not rhyme: hog, dog, dot, log.

As your child gets older and starts to read and write letters, transfer this phonemic awareness into reading and spelling. Say, “write /a/, now write /t/. What do your have, ‘at’. Now put /h / in front of it. What do you have, ‘hat’. Erase /h/ and what is left, ‘at’. Now add /b/. What do you have, ‘bat’”. If your child is not writing, but can read letters and sounds, you do the writing Transitioning from oral phonemic awareness to reading and spelling is a very important step in learning to read and write.

Instruction in phonemic awareness should be a part of every reading program. Make your child aware of phonemes in words. As always make it fun. Explore literature together. Reading creates emotional bonds. Happy reading!

Questions Answered

1. At what age do you recommend starting memorizing the sight words?

The quick answer to this question is when your child enters Kindergarten or shows interest, but I would like to tell you the reasoning behind this. Reading is part of language. It has to be taught. It is not acquired like speaking. A child has to learn to speak, and then transition speaking into reading. In order to do this we have to help the child break up spoken words into smaller parts. Children have to realize that words are made up of sounds, and print represents these sounds. We call these sounds phonemes. Cat has three phonemes /c/ /a/ /t/. Children have to develop this awareness. (My next blog is about rhyming and why it is so important to teach children to manipulate sounds.)

Teach children the letters and sounds. They need to realize that letters represent a sound and it is related to words. When you read to a child they start to develop this knowledge base and also build vocabulary.

Children need to be able to orally manipulate sounds. Talk about rhyming words. Say a word that has more than one syllable and have them take out a syllable, for example: say “teacher”, now say it without “er”, “teach”. Say a word and have them take out a phoneme, for example: say “man”, now take off the /m/, “an”.

Sight words are words that need to be memorized. If a child does not have a basic sense of language he/she cannot understand what a words is and that words unlock print. Memorizing sight words is a higher-level skill. When your child is ready and wants to learn to read or is teaching himself/herself to read, then definitely help him memorize sight words. If he/she is not interested wait until Kindergarten and continue to work on oral language and mastering letters and sounds.

2. How can reading to my child help her learn to read?

There are many steps in teaching children to learn to read. These include phonemic awareness, phonics, literature, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension. Let’s go through each of these steps to better understand them from a pre-reading or beginning reading stand point:

1. Literature and vocabulary are high up on the list of teaching reading. When you read to a child they come to love stories and literature. They also develop vocabulary, which is a big part of learning to read. Stories have plots and characters. Stories draw you and your child into another world. When your child asks what a word means, take time to explain it. If they don’t ask, take the time to explain vocabulary. This is one reason reading to your child is important in teaching him/her to read.

2. On a Kindergarten level, fluency is memorizing and retelling a story. Children want to retell the story with the same expression that they heard you use. Children develop fluency by listening to you read to them. They want to learn to read like you.

3. Comprehension can be taught as you talk about the story and ask questions. Become involved in the story with your child. Ask questions about the story.

4. Phonemic awareness is helping children manipulate and notice the sounds (or phonemes) in words. (See my next blog for a detailed definition of phonemic awareness).

5. Phonics is systematically teaching reading rules, starting with the letters and sounds, blends, diagraphs, vowel rules, and how to divide a word into syllables so they can be decoded.

When you put this altogether children can actually have the motivation to learn to read.

Motivation leads to enjoyment. Enjoyment leads to reading. We want children to learn to read words, but we want them to learn to enjoy reading more. Make the world a better place, read to a child today!

Reading Beginning Books

A Dad of one of my students said, “John was reading the book he brought home from school, but I could tell it was memorized. When I covered the pictures, or printed the words on a paper so he could read it to me, he didn’t know the words.” He seemed very concerned.

There are a lot of steps in learning to read. The National Reading Panel identified two steps: phonetic instruction, and fluency. On a Kindergarten level, fluency is memorizing and retelling a story.

Don’t be discouraged if your child is memorizing beginning books. This is an important step in reading fluency. A good reader uses inflection in his/her reading. He/she knows about punctuation to make reading flow. When a child memorizes a short book or parts of books, he/she is copying how a loving adult reads to him/her. He/she knows how it should sound so he/she memorizes and copies what the words should say. This is OK. This is beginning reading.

“Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man,” said over and over in a story teaches fluency. If your child had to sound those words out he/she might get; run, can, man, but the other words take higher reading skills. Your child knows the gingerbread story and he/she knows he/she wants to read it like his/her teacher. The sight words and other phonics skills will come later.

In Kindergarten we have books with repetitive text. I see airplanes, I see flowers, I see balloons, I see bags, and I see Dad.

Once the child has decoded the pattern, he/she only needs to figure out the last word. Some of the words are easy and can be sounded out. Other words are above a Kindergarten level, but there are picture clues on the page. Have your child look at the beginning consonant, and then look at the picture on the page. If the child says, “I see suitcases,” when it really says, “I see bags,” have them look at the word. Ask them, “what does suitcases start with? Do you see an “s”? Now look at this word. Look at the beginning consonant. Get your mouth ready to say that sound. Now look at the picture and see if there is anything that starts with /b/ in the picture.” Then your child will say “bags”. Good, now lets sound out the whole word, /b/ /a/ /g/, bag.

Beginning reading has many steps; phonics, sight words, memorization, fluency and developing language. Have fun with books. If your child knows you love books, he/she will catch the enthusiasm.

Mom’s 90th Birthday

I spent the weekend with my sisters and friends in Boise for my Mom’s 90^th birthday. On the invitation to her birthday party it said, “optional, if you want to bring a gift we suggest a new or used book.” At 90 my Mom reads constantly. It keeps her mind sharp. She is full of life and fun to be around!

It made me think about reading. Readers nurture their children to love reading. This cycle continues. My Mom loves to read and all her children love to read. They are passing that love of reading to their children and grandchildren. So I asked these questions:

1. When did you learn to read?

2. Do you remember how you learned to read?

3. When did you know you loved reading?

4. Do you remember your Mom reading to you?

Think back to your own life; and ask those questions to yourself.

I asked many people these questions and got various answers. Many remember those first Dick and Jane books. They were little books with beautiful pictures and words that they could read. In them they discovered the wonder of unlocking print, turning print into words and words into stories.

When we were children, at bedtime we would gather in our little sister bedroom to hear the latest chapter in the book Mom was reading to us. My two little sisters were tucked into bed and the rest of us would bring pillows and sit on the floor to hear Mom read. It was a quiet and peaceful time. We were involved in the story and wanted to know what came next.

Most have no recollection of learning the ABC’s, but a vivid recollection of stories in their lives. A young man said he remembers struggling to learn to read until his 1^st grade teacher sat down with him and “explained to him how reading worked.” As a teacher of reading that really interested me, but he couldn’t remember anything specific.

It’s interesting, isn’t it? We can’t remember specifics, but we definitely remember stories in books. Stories touch our soul, change our lives, excite us and leave us wanting more.

A friend remembers her Mom reading the classics to her and her siblings at the dinner table. My sisters said they remember reading all the Beverly Cleary books, Little House on the Prairie, Dr. Dolittle, and cereal boxes. My Grandma had my Mom memorize poetry and small stories, and then Mom would entertain at parties.

Life is just better with reading in it. We can go places we would not otherwise visit and see places we may never really be able to experience.

Let’s help all children in the world discover reading. Help them love life and learning. You are the key to helping a new generation of children learn to read. Open the door to the future--read to a child today.

Sight Words/ High Frequency Words

When I was 6 I remember walking, skipping, running home with the first book I had mastered reading. My teacher let me take it home to read to my parents. My Mom was not home so, clutching my book; I went to the field near my home and climbed a steep ladder to sit on a billboard waiting from my Mom to return home. I could not sit at home. I was too excited. From the top of the billboard, I could see far down the road and I watched all approaching cars. One had to be my Mom’s. I could not wait to read to her.

Reading sparks excitement in children. We can add to their pleasure and cheer and congratulate them. We can also help them with the process. When children first start reading it is a chore to be patient and listen to them read. If you will take six months, grit your teeth, and listen to them as they slowly put sentences together, it will pay off. After that you will have a reader.

As your child begins to sound out and read simple words it is time to begin to memorize sight words or high frequency words. What exactly are sight words/high frequency words? With beginning phonics these words cannot be sounded out.

Your child’s teacher will send home a list of sight words for your child to memorize. Usually teachers within the school make up these lists. There is no state regulation on these words. Teachers usually work as a team to pick out the best words for their classrooms. These words generally come from a list of words known as the “Dolch List”.

If you want to make a list of your own words, google: “dolch words.” Edward Dolch identified a list of 220 words that represent one half to 75 percent of all words found in children’s books. Many of the “Dolch words” cannot be sounded out through the use of conventional phonics rules or easily represented through the use of pictures. This is why they need to be memorized as “sight “ words.

On the Dolch web site you can find games to help you with teaching your children the sight words. Some ideas are:

1) Flash cards

2) Concentration or matching games

3) Sound out the initial consonant sound then they can memorize the rest of the word.

4) Look for these words in books, stories, magazines and newspapers. Hi-light the words or cut them out. Make collages with the words.

5) Start with “the”. It is the most common word in the English language. When a child learns “the” he/she feel successful. As he/she looks through books he/she will find the word and point to it.

Memorizing sight words leads to more success. We will have successful children if we partner schools with parents, families, and communities. Let’s keep working together. Our goal is to make ALL children successful! Success breeds success!

Blending Small Words

Children can learn to read simple words by playing activities with you centering on letter sounds and connecting these sounds together to make words. Provide relaxed game-like learning opportunities. Once letters and sounds have been mastered children can start blending small words.

Step two: Blending Small words. At Maeser Elementary we teach Saxon Phonics. This has become a program that I would hate to be without. It puts reading into small simple steps.

The first 3 letters we learn are “l”, “o”, “g”, then the next 3 are “h”, “t”. “p”. With just those six letters we start to put words together. The first word is log. Then we move to hog, hot, pot, top and got. You can see even with 6 letters we can create many words. Make little cards and put the ABC’s on them, (lowercase is the best.) Start putting the letters together.

Play the rubber band game. Say each sound, stretch the word apart, /l/ /o/ /g/, then snap it together: log. Do this with many words. After doing this orally, then start to do it with your cards, spelling words together.

As you are blending the words together, blend the first two letters, /l/ /o/=/lo/, then put on the /g/. Once you have the word blended and sounded out, take off the “l” and put on an “h” for hog.

Do this with all sorts of small 3 letter words. Do it with all the letters and sounds. Help children read small words about things they love like cat and dog. After they read the word look for a picture to cut out from a magazine or paper. Glue it by the word. Make your own illustrated book, or flashcards with the words you and your child are reading.

As you are helping your child read small words, focus on one word or one skill at a time and celebrate each accomplishment. Ask your child’s teacher or librarian for phonetic books. Also look in bookstores or Scholastic book orders. In phonetic books each word can be phonetically sounded out. Make your own books with the words you are reading together.

I believe strongly in systematic phonics instruction. You have just become an expert. Blending simple 3 letter words is the first step. Remember read together. Never stop reading to your children no matter their age. Stories are magical. They take us places we may never go except within the pages of a book! Happy Reading!

Mastering the Letters and Sounds

There is so much about reading and teaching children to read that I want to share with you. My last 2 blogs I got ahead of myself. Its like I’m trying to cram 35 years of experience into 350 words or less. I will just slow down and try to be more productive. I will take it one step at a time.

My next seven blogs will focus on teaching children beginning reading. I am concentrating on Kindergarten skills, but if your child is ready for it go ahead. Remember, “Early literacy instruction begins in the home and shouldn’t wait until a child is in Kindergarten or first grade. Teachers are important but the first teachers are the most important teachers—parents.” (Patricia Edwards Reading Today Oct/Nov 2010). Until a child is about 5 years old do not force these things on them. Children and parents need to build a bond through reading together. Introduce your child to the sounds and letters, as they are interested. If by Kindergarten they are not engaged in letters and sounds, then the drilling begins.

Step one: Mastering the letters and sounds. Think about letters from a child’s point of view. There are 26 letters with 5 vowels, but they don’t always make the sound that your loving adult just taught you. Of those 26 letters there are upper and lower case letters. It can seem confusing to a child. Where to begin?

Show your child the letters together and separately. “Aa”, “A”, or “a”. Let them know that to learn to read, type on the computer, or to write anything in the world, you only need to master those 26 letters.

Even when you as the parent know how to read sometimes you wonder what exactly are the sounds I need to teach my child. Teach the consonants and short vowel sounds.

Vowels are the letters that change their sound the most often. Start with the short sounds. Think of a short 3-letter word with the vowel in the middle. Then isolate that sound. /a/= the sound found in the middle of “fan”. /e/= the sound found in the middle of “net”. /i/=the sound found in the middle of “pig”. /o/= the sound found in the middle of “dog”. /u/= the sound found in the middle of “mud”.

About the consonants: “K” and “C” share a sound /k/. “C” has 2 sounds /k/ and /s/. “G” has 2 sounds /g/ and /j/. “S” has two sounds /s/ and /z/. Teach the first sound to start with.

Ideas to learn ABC’s:

1) Get magnetic letters to put on your fridge.

2) Get ABC flash card and puzzles.

3) Write the letters and put them around your house.

4) Start with teaching the letters in his/her own name. Then follow with Mom, Dad, and siblings. The other day Sam said to me “Grandma, here is a “G” it is your name.”

5) Let your child get on www.starfall.com

6) My favorite ABC video is “Leap Frog: Letter Factory”. It presents the letters and the correct sound. If you are thinking of presents for your child this is excellent.

7) Teach the letter with a picture for the initial consonant and then say the sound of the letter. For example: “Aa” apple /a/ /a/ /a/; “Bb” balloon /b/ /b/ /b/; “Cc” cat /c/ /c/ /c/.

8) Read a variety of ABC books and talk about the sound the picture starts with and the letter on the page.

9) Other ideas: Sandpaper letters, alphabet games, letter stencils, dry-erase boards, play-doe, paper, pencils, markers, and painting easels

This is a slow process but don’t be frustrated. It is easy to you but complicated to your child. Enjoy the time with your child as you unlock the key to reading. Reading will change his/her life. “Reading sparks the fire of learning”! (Reading Today)