1. The Reading Journey
Parents
as Partners

2. Books as Passports Into Magical Worlds
When children are young, they love to listen to stories. They focus entirely on the meaning of a book and use books as passports into magical worlds. When they go to school it sometimes seems that their reading turns into a struggle to read words and they lose focus on meaning.

3. It’s Meaning That Matters
We must always help children to see it is the meaning that matters.
Words are just a means to an end.
We must always help them to see that it is the meaning that matters, words are just a means to an end. If children are thinking about meaning they can guess a word or two here and there and not lose meaning. Good readers often do this

4. Where reading begins. Spoken word Discovery through play
Metalinguistic awareness (knowing a sentence is made up of words)
Phonemic awareness
Research has shown that Phonemic awareness is the most powerful predictor of success in learning to read and spell.
*First children learn to speak. The most important thing a young child has to learn when beginning to read and write is how the written language works and how it relates to speech.
*The things that children think about written language are all very logical and are based on what they have experienced. Their challenge is to work out HOW language works. Through play children discover how things work, whether it is building a tower or pouring water from a jug to a mug. They need to experiment and play with language before they ‘learn words’ or work with sounds. It is as if language as a big jigsaw, with lots of pieces which fit together to make a whole picture. When we want to assemble to the jigsaw we have a good look at the whole picture, then we put the pieces in place by trial and error, using clues and having a go.
* It takes a long time for children to work out that:
the flow of speech is made up of separate words. “Come over here” to a child sounds like 1 word because words are run together
a spoken word can be written down and that each block of words stands for a specific word.
a written word consists of a block of print with a space on either side. This is known as METALINGUISTIC AWARENESS. Knowing a sentence is made up of words which in turn are made up of a sequence of sounds. Older children need the same amount of praise and encouragement to try new things and to move from one milestone to another.
*The ability to hear and manipulate these sounds they hear in words is called PHONEMIC AWARENESS. * QUOTE
(Shane, Jorm, Maclean and Matthews, 1984)

5. (Alphabetic Principle)
Decoding
Fluency
Phonics
(Alphabetic Principle)
This pyramid demonstrates HOW children decode words. What is decoding? Does it mean the children understand and comprehend what they are reading?
The base of the pyramid is phonemic awareness. It is the foundation that the rest of decoding is built on.
Phonemic Awareness

6. Phonemic Awareness A phoneme is a sound dog – 3 phonemes d-o-g
fish – 3 phonemes f-i-sh
shoe – 2 phonemes sh-oo
Phonemic awareness = the awareness of sounds in words
Not a natural process
Practice it. Play with it. It’s fun!
(rhyming, blending, segmenting, substituting, omitting)

7. Phonics (Alphabetic principal)
Sounds vs. letter names
Pure sounds
(M = mmmmm, not muh)

8. Reading smoothly, accurately and with expression
Fluency
Reading smoothly, accurately and with expression

9. HARD BOOKS HURT READERS
The Good News
It can be taught.
Screening test.
Immersion and explicit activities.
HARD BOOKS HURT READERS
*Starting in Kindergarten, children are involved with a Phonemic awareness screening test. This is like a map that tells us where to begin and where to go with the children. Here is an example of how by children informally being exposed to books, rhymes and talking about letters and sounds in any language. Here is a checklist you might to see if your home environment is promoting literacy. VIDEO
Once we know where a child is in regards to their phonemic awareness we work with them by immersing them in a variety of activities using many of the multiple intelligences to help them further develop this awareness. We explicitly teach and model correct sounds. This is an ongoing and continual process that occurs everyday in the classroom. The children are involved in songs, games, stories, sensory and kinesthetic activities and then when they are developmentally ready, they have a Running Record. A running record tells us what is the child’s independent and instructional level for reading.
*We do not want children to be taking home books which are too difficult for them as they are like us. They like to spend their time doing things they like and are successful at. If it is daunting or makes no sense they will not want to do it and can lead to a sense of failure and stress.” Hard books hurt readers”

10. Reading levels
Independent Reading Level: The level at which a reader can read text with 95% accuracy (i.e., no more than one error per 20 words read) and with high comprehension. Independent reading level is relatively easy text for the reader.
How do we know what books are right to send home with your child?
3 types of books
Independent: refer to slide
At this level, your child can read comfortably, but more importantly, your child can understand almost all that she is reading. These are the types of books the classroom teacher sends home with your child. Your child should be able to read this book to you easily. You may even think this book is ‘too easy’ for your child.
We have been working hard on creating systems in our classrooms for the students so that they are taking home books at their independent reading level on an ongoing basis. The frequency of books coming home will depend somewhat on your child’s reading development.
The books coming home can also be a guide to you when you are buying or choosing books for your child.

11. Instructional Reading Level:
The level at which a reader can read text with 90% accuracy (i.e., no more than one error per 10 words read). Instructional reading level is challenging, but not frustrating for the student to read successfully with normal classroom instruction and support.
Refer to slide
Instructional means just that. The child will need support and instruction in different reading strategies and behaviors to be successful reading these books. The teacher will make sure your child is able to decode the book, and also understand the main idea and details in this book. This is the level that the teacher is working on with your child at school.
The teacher will not send this type of book home with your child until your child demonstrates that he/she can read it independently (over 95% accuracy and high comprehension).

12. Frustration Reading Level
The level of reading that is too difficult to be read successfully by a student, even with normal classroom instruction and support. The student experiences less than 90 percent accuracy in word identification and less than 50 percent comprehension.
(Unit of Inquiry reading can be at this level. Read the information to your child and talk about it.)
No child should have to read a book at this level. As we have said…HARD BOOKS HURT READERS… If a child is consistently asked to read at this level, she will lose confidence and see herself as a non-reader. It is very dangerous to impose books on your child that are at this level. You will risk turning your child off of reading completely.
How do we find out what your child’s independent reading level is?
We complete what is called a Running Record. It is an assessment that allows us to observe reading skills, behaviors and reading comprehension. There is a simple formula that shows us the level of accuracy being demonstrated and how well they are understanding the text at a given level. Through this assessment we are able to determine a child’s independent, instructional and frustration level.
Here is an example of a running record. VIDEO OF RUNNING RECORD

13. Reading is… Decoding + Comprehension = Reading Pleasure
The basic equation of reading is
Decoding (based on phonemic awareness, phonics, and fluency)
Comprehension
Which results in reading pleasure. At our age, the reason we pick up books, or other reading material is to enjoy or learn. We would not be able to do either of those things if we could not decode effectively or understand what we were reading.

14. Understanding and enjoying what you read.
Ultimate Goal!!!
Comprehension
Understanding and enjoying what you read.
Important to remember that is our ultimate goal. Not being able to read big books with hard words. But being able to feel the book, understand the book, learn from the book, so that you value reading. If you can’t understand what you are reading, the purpose of reading is lost.

15. Kids who comprehend well….
Link the ideas to their own experiences
Have developed necessary vocabulary (keep reading to your children!)
Can summarize, predict, and clarify
Instinctively answer the 5W questions (Who? What? Where? When? Why?)
To comprehend or understand what they are reading well, children ……
Go through slide
For some children this process is more difficult, but the good news, is that it can be taught. You are the best teachers of comprehension. Use your every day life experiences. Ask questions, what if, how, why, what did we do yesterday, why was that special? What was your favorite part of the movie? What would you have done in that situation? Does that remind you of something you have done? Felt? Gone through?
Keep reading to your children. Read them books that may still be in their frustration or instructional level. You are enriching their vocabulary, their language experiences and their understanding. Discuss what you have read.
READ TO THEM IN YOUR MOTHER LANGUAGE. EVERYTHING WE ARE TELLING YOU TODAY RELATES TO YOUR MOTHER LANGUAGE AS WELL.

16. Go back and re-read to help you read a word you are unsure of.
Reading Strategies
People use different strategies to read. For example:
Look at the picture to help you read a word.
Go back and re-read to help you read a word you are unsure of.
There are a variety of reading strategies that we teach and they are displayed and refered to continually in classrooms and the library. Here is an example of a couple but we have all of the strategies here on this handout to take home and use as a reference.

17. READING COMPREHENSION
What is Reading?
Reading is constructing meaning from print…
READING COMPREHENSION
Talk with your child about their reading...
Good questions and conversations could be:
Who are the characters?
Who do you like or dislike the most? Why?
What was your favorite part of the story? Why?
Was there a character with a problem in the story? How was the problem solved?
If you could have changed a part in the story, what would you have changed? Why?
*Thus reading is really all about READING COMPREHENSION
*We need to help our children understand that reading is BOTH “saying” the words AND understanding what is being said.
**Try not to ask questions children will answer with a simple “yes” or “no”. Ask them more open-ended questions and have them explain their reasoning. THIS READING GUIDE OFFERS more ideas about asking comprehension questions to your child.

18. READING COMPREHENSION
As students become readers, it is important to be sure they continue to focus on understanding what they are reading.
The shift from “Learning to Read” to “Reading to Learn” takes place and reading comprehension becomes crucial.

19. The Montillation of Traxoline
Consider this…
The Montillation of Traxoline
It is very important that you learn about traxoline. Traxoline is a new form of zionter. It is montilled in Ceristanna. The Ceristannians gristerlate large amounts of fevon an then brachter it to quasel traxoline. Traxoline may well be one of our most lukized snezlaus in the future because of our zionter lescelidge.

20. Now think about these questions:
1) What is traxoline?
2) Where is traxoline montilled?
3) How is traxoline quaselled?
4) Why is it important to know about
traxoline?
*You may be able to answer these questions…
But what really is your understanding about traxoline?

21. What can you do to help your child’s reading comprehension?
Provide a time and place for reading.
Speak with your child about what he or she is reading.
Ask open-ended questions about what non-fiction or fiction books they are reading.
*What have you learned from this book?
*Do you identify with any of the characters? Why or why not?
*Is there a part you have read that you really haven’t liked? Why or why not?
*Did a character have a problem in the story? How
did the character solve this problem?
Provide a good comfortable place and undisturbed time for your child to read…Make sure the TV is not on or younger siblings won’t disturb reading.
Speak to your child…
Ask them what Library books they have borrowed from the Library this week. If your child says they left their books at school, ask them to bring them home tomorrow. Know when your child’s Library day is and ask about their books that day.
Ask if they are reading a non-fiction or fiction book. Why did they choose that specific book??
Ask….
Don’t ask questions that can be answered in YES or NO. If your child says “It was good…” Ask them what made it good.

22. Are you Reading?