1. Top 5 Reading and Writing Tips Susan Lloyd, PhD

2. Number 5 Understand the rocket science of reading

3. Three Sources of Information Meaning Cues (Semantics) Language structure Cues (Syntax) Phonics / Visual cues (Graphophonic)

4. Swimming through Text Students do not need to know all their letters or sounds before being able to read (Clay) Good readers think: 1. Does that make sense? 2. Does that sound right? 3. Does it look right? Readers swim through text

5. Number 4 Celebrate and praise approximations in Reading and Writing

7. EASY Text Enormous amounts of easy and interesting reading are absolutely essential to developing effective reading strategies, to say nothing of appropriate attitudes and responses. When children struggle with material they are reading, they cannot apply the strategies that good readers use, and they do not develop the habits and attitudes that good readers do. Allington, 2004

8. Danger… “Thinking can be overlooked or not taken seriously because the writing is not representational in the conventional sense” (spelling, grammar, sentence structure) 1. Writing that was changed… added … deleted 2. Identifying the audience for this piece of writing 3. Notebook writing that used to develop the piece 4. How the idea got started and was developed

9. Number 3 Reading and Writing volume is essential for growth

10. “Time spent reading books is the best predictor of reading achievement and growth in students” Routman “When writing everyday … students start to live their lives differently” Caulkins Achievement %Minutes of Reading per day 90 th 40.4 minutes 50 th 12.9 minutes 10 th 1.6 minutes

11. Number 2 Supporting good choices at home

12. 1. Make time for reading EVERYDAY Read a few pages and ask for your child’s opinion of the book Read a few pages and ask for your child’s opinion of the book Five finger rule Five finger rule Read aloud Read aloud 2. Make time for writing EVERYDAY Functional writing (lists, notes, messages) Functional writing (lists, notes, messages) Writers notebook Writers notebook

13. Number 1 Conversation and Praise!

14. Conversation is the Key Notice and praise children who stop and notice something isn’t right. Ask: What were the questions in your mind as you read today? How do they help you pay attention to the text? Ask: How does that connection help you understand/ pay attention to the story? Ask: How do you know what kind of a person the character is? Why is that important? Ask: What are three of the most important things that have happened so far in the story / text? Why do you think that?

15. Conversation is the Key Make opportunities to write to each other (notes, lists, dialogue journals, messages) Writers notebooks: PRAISE then… ASK: Why did you choose to write about this? ASK: What are you working on here? Set TIME aside everyday to read and write and LAUGH together!

16. Teamwork Understand the home reading text is and should be EASY Praise, praise, praise! Value approximations Have a genuine conversation about the meaning Time READING and WRITING