Magnetic Letters

Magnetic letters are a simple tool you can use to help with letter name and sound identification.  Magnetic letters (or even non-magnetic plastic letters) are available in grocery or retail stores in small quantities, or can be purchased at a teacher supply store (either the physical store or online).  Once you have a variety of letters available, try some of these activities:

• Start with the known letters.  Put the letters on a cookie sheet or table, and ask such questions like, “Can you find the b?” or “Which letter makes the “buh” sound?”…etc. 
• If you have multiple letters that are the same, you can have your child sort the known letters, asking a question such as, “Can you find all of the Ms?” or “Which ones are the Cs?”  You can mix upper and lower case letters and try the same activity.
• Play “mystery letter” by holding a magnet letter behind your back and saying, “I am holding a letter that says “fff”, which letter am I holding?”
• To teach new letters and sounds, add more magnet letters into the activity by introducing the letter name and sound, then mixing it in with the other known letters.  Mix them around and ask, “Can you find the letter we just added?  Where is the w?” or “Where is the new letter that makes the “w” sound?”
• You can also use the magnet letters in a similar way to an ABC book when your child is reading and writing.  Have the known letters nearby to refer to when your child gets “stuck” on a letter or sound.
• Magnet letters are also a good aid to use when teaching your child letter formation.  Your child can trace the letter with his/her finger, and even “write” on top of the letter with a pencil to practice the correct form.  Combine this practice with a verbal description of the movements as well!

How to Read a Report Card

The purpose of a report card is to communicate about a child's progress across the subject areas.  Most report cards also include an effort, behavior, and personal skills section as well.  Here are some suggestions for making report card time positive and productive.

• Become familiar with the grading system at our school.  
• Make sure you understand the different competencies on the report card.  If it is vague such as "uses time wisely", ask your child's teacher for more details if you don't understand.
• As you look at your child's report card, resist the impulse to jump directly to an area with a lower score.  Find an area with a good grade and focus on that first.  
• Once you've focused on the positive, talk about areas in which your child's grade was lower.  "Tell me how things have been going in science lately".  Start an open conversation about the difficulty your child may be having in that area.
• Together, develop strategies to help in subject areas that are difficult for your child.  Is there a book or website that could help?  If you are not sure, call the teacher for some ideas.
• Last, let your child know that he/she is so much more than just a report card.  Remind them of all the things that make him/her special and important in your family.  

Report cards should not contain any huge surprises about how your child is doing.  Most teachers work to talk with parents if a child is having difficulty. A strong school-home partnership is what makes children succeed!   

Take a break, but bring a book!

Kids look forward to some time away from homework and tests, but summer is not a time to take a break from reading!  When students don't read for three months, their academic skills can easily slip! Three months may not seem like a long time, but by middle school some experts say this down time can put kids up to two years behind!  Reading over the summer not only keeps your child from losing ground, but actually improves skills for the coming year.  Here are some suggestions to keep a book in your child's hands over the summer months:

1.  Visit your local library. They offer free books, audio books, and DVD's that can be borrowed for free!

2.  Bring along a book whenever you leave the house.  Kids can find time to read in the car, at the park, or on the beach!

3.  Don't make reading a punishment.  

4.  Reward reading progress!  Add a shell to a bucket each time your child reads a book and when you've filled it up, do a fun summer activity like making a cool milkshake together!

Have fun reading this summer!

Tracking Print

Tracking print is an important tool a beginning reader must learn.  Tracking print is when you point to each word as you read it aloud.  While reading with your child encourage them to track print as you read aloud or as you're reading together.  Tracking print helps your child learn new words by seeing them and hearing  you read them aloud.  Tracking print also lets you know if your child is paying attention while listening to a read aloud.  Children can track print with their finger, a pencil, or a cool pointer!  Modeling how to track print as you read aloud is important too!

How to read with a beginning reader

• Complete a picture walk BEFORE reading.
• Predict what may happen in the book.
• Model and encourage your child to track print.
• Read a word or sentence and have your child repeat it.
• Take turns reading each page.
• Talk about the story as you read.  What do you think will happen next? What does this story remind you of?
• Read the story again!  Repeated readings build fluency and confidence!

Choosing the Right Books

When reading with your child you want to find the "Goldilocks" of books.  You want a book that's not too hard, not too easy, but one that's just right.  Use these tips to find a book that is just right for your child.  

The Rule of Five

1. Open the book to any page.

2. Read the words on that page.

3. Count the number of words you cannot read.

4. Use your fingers to decide if this is a good book to read. 

one word: ok

two words: still ok

three words: you may need help

four words: tough to read

five words: too hard

Sorting coins by name

Fold a paper into fourths.  Label the sections with the words penny, nickel, dime, and quarter.  Have your child quickly sort all of the coins into the correct sections.