1. Reading with your children at home
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Megan Buck, Reading Specialist
Kelly Green, Reading Specialist

2. Reading Program in Loudoun
Pathways to Reading and Writing =a balanced literacy approach informed by research and best practices in literacy.  
Skills that student’s work on in the classroom:
Letters and Sounds: Letters have distinctive features and may be identified by names or sounds.
Word Study: The phonetic and structural features of words.
Comprehension: The process of constructing meaning while reading.
Phonics: Letter and sound relationships and how they are used in reading and writing.
Independent Reading: Students read texts independently with teacher support as needed.  
Shared reading: Teacher and children read text together concentrating on targeted skills.
Guided reading: Teacher guides the reading of small differentiated student groups with appropriate leveled texts.
Read aloud: Teacher reads text aloud to students to model and focus on skills.
Writers Workshop: Students are engaged in the writing process and produce pieces of writing in many genres.  
Readers workshop: The students are explicitly instructed in reading strategies with ample opportunities for students to practice
independently, with a peer, and in small groups.  

3. DRA Levels (Developmental Reading Assessment)
During the fall and winter the teachers in grades 1-5 will administer the DRA2.  
In the spring the teachers in grades K-5 will administer the DRA2.
The DRA2 identifies the student’s independent reading level, their reading fluency, and comprehension of what was read.  
In second grade (some levels) through fifth grade, the DRA2 requires a written response to the story.  
With this information at hand, the teachers can provide informed instruction and present developmentally appropriate materials.
DRA Book Lists
1st Grade – DRA 4 – 16
2nd Grade – DRA 16 – 28
3rd Grade – DRA 28 – 28
4th Grade – DRA 38 – 40
5th Grade – DRA

4. PALS (Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening)
K-3 Assessment
PALS is an assessment tool for early literacy skills. 
PALS-K assesses
Phonological Awareness
Alphabet Knowledge,
Letter Sound Knowledge
Concept of Word in Text
Word Recognition in Isolation.
PALS 1-3 assesses
Oral passage reading
Word recognition
Spelling
Letter sounds
Phonological Awareness
Concept of word
PALS Website
For Parents
Monthly Activities

5. How to Help Prepare for DRA/PALS at Home
Read every night
Have your child complete an oral retell after he/she finishes reading the book
For upper grades, have students write a written retelling of story
Keep a response journal while reading books
Sticky notes to mark thinking of the books being read
Discuss favorite part and why
Discuss connections (text to text, text to self, text to world)
Practice reading and writing sight words
Practice chunks and vowel patterns/sounds
Have your child find books that they are interested in and enjoy reading
Enjoyment of reading = lifelong readers

6. Importance of Reading

7. Building Reading Strategies
What to do when your child is stuck on a word: 
1.    Remind your child to look at the picture for clues.
2.  Prompt him/her to "get their mouth ready" (make the sounds for the beginning letters of
the word.)
3.    Have your child look for chunks of the word that are familiar (for example, the –ing
 in looking).
4.    Prompt him/her to think about what words would make sense.
5.  Have your child go back and reread the whole sentence.
Once he/she has made  a guess, have him check it. Does it look and sound right? Does it make
sense?

8. Comprehension Questions
Questions to ask to develop comprehension skills:
Who are the characters in the story?
What is the setting?  Where & when does the story take place?
What is the problem in the story?  What is the solution?
What was your favorite part of the story? WHY?
Choose one character.  Why is that character important?
What is another way the story could have ended?
Would you recommend this book to a friend? WHY?
Were you able to guess the ending? What clues helped you?

9. Checking for Comprehension
Main Idea
Supporting Details
It tells you what the story is about.
 It is a Central Idea that author is trying to communicate to his readers.
It is an overall idea of a paragraph or section of a text.
 It is the most important information or topic.
It could be a moral of the story.
They tell facts and things about the main idea.
 They describe the main idea.
    
Characters  
Settings
The people or animals who take
part in a story.
Where and when the action takes
place in a story.
Who are the main characters/supporting characters?
Who would you choose to be your friend? Why?
Did you like the character? Why or why not?
What is your opinion of the character?
Was the character a hero or villain? Why?
What is the similarity/difference between you and the character?
Do you know someone like the main character? How are they same? How are they different?
Which character would you invite over for a play date?  Why?
How would the character be different if this book took place in the future? In the past?
What are the character traits? Explain. (Brave, humble, fearful, courageous…..etc.)
 Where did the story take place?
When did the story take place?
Look at the picture.  This story is….
Why is the setting important?
How would the story be different if the setting had been different?
How does the setting affect the story?
How did the setting affect the mood of the characters/story?
What would happen if setting were in the future? In the past?
       
      
                    

10. *Copies will be provided*
Sight Words
Sight words are common words that are found in children’s reading books. They provide an excellent base for reading at an early age. They are often called sight words, because some of these words can’t be sounded out, they just need to be learned by sight.
These sight words are based on Jan Richardson’s guided reading levels in the Next Step of Guided Reading. We have also combined any grade level specific words that K-2 send home.
*Copies will be provided*