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This is a simple activity in which a teacher writes down words on index cards, and then randomly selects and lays them out in a line on a table, and tasks a student with reading them all back to back before the sand in an hourglass/sand timer runs down. To differentiate, use timers that provide more time or more complex/multi-syllable words.

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The concept of the sentence involves having students read sentences that have a single word, and then adding another and another until the student finds themselves able to read a complete sentence. This is a great way to build fluency and adaptable to students of all abilities as there is not limit to how simple or complex the sentence can be.

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In this activity, the teacher and class recite a song or nursery rhyme and clap on every syllable. This a great introduction to the idea that all words are made up of smaller parts. For a child with exceptional abilities, challenge them to clap out the actual phonemes. This means clapping three times for the word cat!

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Rhyming is one of the most common activities for teaching phonemic awareness as recognizing rhymes is a basic level of phonemic awareness (WGBH Educational Foundation, 2014). Challenge gifted students by asking if they can find other rhyme pairs that begin with the first parts of the words instead of the rhyming parts, for example, slow, go, and slate, gate.

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https://brightlittleowl.com/phonemic-awareness/
Parents can play "I Spy" with their children where, for example, they ask their child to spy an object starting with a "t" sound. The important part is the make the phonemic sound and not the actual letter sound. This activity works with children with and without exceptionalities as the difficulty can be easily scaled by including phonemes that can be represented by more than one letter or letter group, such as "f" and "ph."

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How To Increase Phonemic Awareness With These 4 Sound Games

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How To Increase Phonemic Awareness With These 4 Sound Games: Learn how to do the Montessori I-Spy Games

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https://www.tejedastots.com/15-easy-activities-to-increase-fluency/
Reading to a child and then having the child repeat the sentence back as they emulate your speed and rhythm is an easy to encourage fluency. To differentiate, vary your speed and consider pointing to words as you go. Also consider reading, and having the child repeat back, longer passages from the text. Oral modeling has a positive effect on children's fluency (Al Otaiba et al., 2009). This is adaptable activity that can help children of all abilities develop fluency as works with all types of learning styles.

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Did you see the movie Zootopia? Well, there's a famous scene at the DMV where a sloth takes fooooooreeeeever to help the main character, who is in a huge rush! Even the sloth's laugh is super slow and the whole scene is really very funny.

While it's hilarious in a cartoon movie, when it happens in person, it's anything but!

Over the years, I've had students who read too fast and make careless errors, read too slow and forget what they were reading, or read at a good pace but in a monotone voice.

All of these problems have to do with fluency.

Fluency is the ability to read text at an appropriate speed, with accuracy and expression.

When kids don't have fluency, not only do they sound choppy, but their comprehension also suffers. Luckily, I have some fluency practice activities to help your kids increase their fluency and comprehension!

1. Model Robot Reading

This usually gets them giggling. Speak like a robot when introducing your lesson!

Give them directions to come to the carpet or meeting place, but use a monotone, choppy robot voice. When they comment on it, explain that just like our talking should be smooth and not robotic, so should our reading. Tell them sometimes when people read, they may sound like a robot if they are not reading fluently. Let them know they will learn strategies to help them sound smooooooooth!

2. Reread

Often, students read slowly because they are working on decoding the text. Rereading a sentence several times helps to increase fluency, once the hard work of decoding is done. I often tell my students that the first time they read a sentence, it may sound-like-a-robot, but each time they reread it, it sounds smoooooother!

Encourage kids to use expression as they reread. Have them practice with familiar texts. I had our poems around the classroom for a fun read around the room center. I also made small copies of our Poem of the Week and laminated them before placing them in the table book bins. Kids read them during centers or whenever they finished their work early.

TIME-SAVING TIP* You don't have to type up your poems if you have them on chart paper. Just take a picture of them and print them out before laminating.

3. Echo Read

Model reading fluently with shared text- a big book or text displayed on a screen. Read a sentence, then have kids read the same sentence trying to emulate your fluency and expression. Students can also work with a partner to echo-read books.

4. Reading Contests (against themselves)

My students loved this activity because they were in a race against themselves. I gave students a text (usually a differentiated reading passage, reading warm-up, or sight word fluency passage) and used a 2-minute timer. Students read independently and when the time was up, they circled the last word they read in one color. Then, I'd reset the time and they reread the text, circling the last word in a different color. After a few readings, students were able to notice improvements in their fluency speed.

You can also have partners work together on this. At a fluency center, place different texts as well as sand timers. One student reads while the other is in charge of the timer and helps to monitor accuracy.

4. Record Reading

Sometimes kids don't even notice that they are reading too slow or without expression. It's helpful if they can hear themselves reading. Use a voice recording app to let kids record themselves reading a text. Then, have them listen to it while reading the text again. What do they notice? What can they do better?

is a great platform for this if you have a subscription. Or, a free voice recording app like Kids Recorder. Or, if you don't have either, simply use a camera with the lens facing down on the table to just get the audio without the visual distractions.

6. Practice with Punctuation

Often, errors are made when punctuation is disregarded or misplaced. Teach children how to use punctuation as a guide to help with fluency. I always get a kick out of using the phrase, "Let's eat grandma!" When I read that first, of course kids are appalled, but those shocked looks turn into giggles when I add the comma after the word eat!

Model reading a text with no punctuation, emphasizing awkward parts of the text. It didn't make sense, did it? Authors include punctuation to help us read and understand, so we have to pay attention to them!

Also, practice reading the same sentence with different punctuation marks. This helps with expression! The skill cards below are included in my Guided Reading Warm-ups.

The book Punctuation Takes a Vacation is a fun way to teach about punctuation too (although it includes advanced punctuation that will likely go over kindergartners and first-graders heads). Here is a link to the book being read on YouTube.

7. Use Silly Voices

Rereading can be boring, right? It's less so when you use different voices! We love changing our voice to practice fluency. You can have kids read the text in a "Mickey Mouse" voice, monster voice, or any creative voice you can think of.

The picture below shows my Sight Word Pocket Dice cards. I use these to practice sight word fluency.

I also have fluency review slides in my Sight Word Body-Spelling Bundle.

8. Reader's Theater

Most kids love acting out stories, so why not add a little extra fluency fun with mini-plays? Rehearsing for a class presentation is a great way to practice fluency (and team collaboration).
Having a solid sight word vocabulary increases fluency as well. When they don't have to stop and decode every word, they'll be able to read faster and with better comprehension. Have your kids practice sight words in context, using multisensory methods when possible.
9. Teach Sight Words

10. Scoop Phrases

Sometimes kids can decode words, but are used to reading one word at a time. Train the eye to look at several words at once with scooped phrases. They can read each word carefully, then reread and scoop their fingers on the arch to read smoothly.

These scooping phrase cards are part of the 900 skill cards in my Guided Reading Warm-ups. They're included for each level after A.

11. Mini-lesson on Just-right pace

Some kids think that reading super fast is reading fluently. We know that reading too fast is just as bad as reading too slow! Here is an easy activity to demonstrate just-right reading.

Write the following sentence on paper, each word on a separate sheet: We like to play with friends.

Invite student volunteers to come up and hold the papers, one for each word.

Squish all the kids together and read the sentence super fast, so that kids can't understand what you said.

Then, ask students to stand as far apart as they can around your room. Read the sentence slowly as you walk to each student.

Discuss what made it hard to understand each way. Explain that a just-right pace is neither too fast nor too slow. Place kids just a few inches apart and read at a just-right pace to model.

12. Point

Have kids point to a text while they listen to it being read with good fluency and expression.

13. Stop the Pointing

What? I just told you to have kids point!

Pointing past a certain level can actually hinder reading. If students are reading one word at a time choppily, it's time to put the finger away so their eyes can glance across the page at several words.

14. Read a short text with an Assigned Emotion

This can be hard (and silly), but give kids a text and tell them to read it while displaying a certain emotion- sad, happy, shy, afraid... If the emotion doesn't match the text, it's extra silly (and therefore more fun!).

Ask them to think about how the characters are feeling in the stories they read, and to use expression accordingly to show that emotion.

In addition to listening to their own recordings and your modeling, have kids watch short YouTube clips of kids giving reviews. Discuss how kids used their voices to show their emotions, using fluency and expression.

Without fluency, it's extremely difficult to have good comprehension. In my Reading Strategy Tent Cards, I include teaching cards for fluency and expression with examples you can use to model each. Hopefully, the activities above will also help make teaching these skills fun for your students!

What other activities do you use for teaching fluency? I'd love to hear about them!

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15 fun and easy fluency practice activities to get your K-1 students reading at a just-right pace, with accuracy and expression!

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Read a story to the class, but before reading, ask the students a question that they will only be able to answer if they pay full attention to the story. To differentiate, ask high-ability children two questions before the story. For struggling students, repeat or emphasize important parts as you read.

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Using a large beach ball, teachers can write down a different essential part of a story, like "main character" or "setting," and toss the ball around class. When a student catches it, they must recall whatever is written on the side/section of the ball they caught. Differentiation techniques include reading out the parts, instead of bouncing the ball, having a partner catch the ball, and having a high-ability student recall two sections of the ball.

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https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101-guide-parents/kindergarten/comprehension-activities-your-kindergartner
Read your child a story and pause at points to ask the child to close their eyes and imagine themselves in the story. Ask them to describe sights, sounds, and smells. Ask them why and/or how they are describing some of their senses this way. As this activity does not put cognitive pressure on the child, a child with or without exceptionality should be able to draw just on the words they have heard to make a mental note. With guidance, the child will develop a stronger sense of interpretation they can take with them to new stories.

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Just 15 minutes each day makes a big difference! Reading aloud is a great way to help your kindergartener absorb new words and see how stories are structured. It's also one of the best ways to help children learn about the world and make connections between their own lives and what's in the book - that helps children see the world with empathy. And last but not least, it's a wonderful time to snuggle up with your child and share the experience of reading and discovery together.

Remember that reading together should spark curiosity, joy, and a desire to explore and learn. Conversations about books should be enjoyable, and not a set of quizzes and questions. As you try some of the activities listed below, remember to keep it light and lively for your child.

There are so many great nonfiction and informational books for very young kids (such as the popular DK Eyewitness series and National Geographic series). Try to include some of these during your next trip to the public library. Children love learning about the real world and are proud to share what they know!

Even a walk around the neighborhood or a trip to the grocery store can be a rich learning experience for young children. A child may see an urban bunny for the first time on a walk, and then be able to connect it to stories about rabbits. These personal connections help children connect what they read with what they know - a powerful way to build comprehension skills!

Try these comprehension activities at home

"I predict ..."

When you sit down for a read aloud, look at the book's cover together. Ask, "What do you think this book might be about? Why? Can you make some predictions?" Guide your child through the pages, discuss the pictures, and brainstorm what might happen in the story. Talk about any personal experiences your child may have that relate to the story.

Five-finger retell

After reading a story together, have your child tell you five things about the story, using her fingers to talk about each one:

1. Characters: who was in the story?

2. Setting: where did the story take place?

3. Events: what happened in the story?

4. End: how did the story end?

5. Favorite character or part of the story

Active reading

Model active reading when you read with your child. Talk about what's happening as you're reading. Stop and discuss any interesting or tricky vocabulary words. Help your child make pictures of the story in his mind. Ask your child, "What just happened here? How do you think that character feels? Have you ever felt like that? What do you think will happen next?" Not only will this develop your child's comprehension, but critical thinking skills as well.

Mind movies

When you come to a descriptive passage in a book, have your child close her eyes and create a mental movie of the scene. Encourage her to use all five senses. Read the passage over together, looking for details that bring the scene to life. Ask questions like, "How do you know it was a hot day? Which words help you understand that the child was lonely?"

Tell me about it

After a read aloud, one of the best and easiest ways to check for understanding is to ask your child to summarize what the book was about in their own words. You can ask a question or two to help your child clarify her thinking or to add more detail.

Think alouds

Connect the book to your child's own life experience. For example, A River Dream: "This book reminds me of the time my father took me fishing. Do you remember the time we went fishing?"

Connect the book to other books they have read. For example, Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: "This story reminds me of Cinderella. Both stories are about sisters. Do you know any other stories about nice and mean sisters? Let's keep reading to find out other ways the stories are similar."

Connect the book to big ideas/lessons. For example, Stellaluna: "This story helps me understand that we are all the same in many ways, but it's our differences that make us special."

Wordless

Wordless picture books provide your child with practice using clues to create meaning. There are no wrong stories with wordless picture books, only variations based on what the "reader" sees and puts together. Rosie's Walk, Good Dog, Carl, and Beaver Is Lost are all interesting and fun wordless picture books to explore. Find more wordless books on BookFinder.

Family stories

This is a wonderful activity for a family picnic or for a rainy day when you're snuggled together on the couch. Share a favorite story about your childhood or a family story that's been passed down from generation to generation. Use vivid language and details about people, places, and things. Funny or scary will really get your child's attention! Your child will probably have lots of questions, which keeps the storytelling alive. You could also ask your child if she has a favorite family story of her own.

Map this book!

Draw a map of the book's setting, and be sure to include the places where the main action happens!

Beginning-middle-end

This is a great way to see if your child understands the main parts of a story. After reading a book together, give your child three sheets of paper, with "beginning" on one sheet, "middle" on the second sheet, and "end" on the third sheet. Ask your child to think about the three parts of the story, and then draw what happened on each on the sheets. Arrange the sheets in order, left to right. What happens if you re-arrange the sheets? Does the story still make sense?

Words, words, words

Be sure to include books with rich vocabulary in your read alouds and call attention to interesting words and phrases from the story. This may include repeated phrases or idioms (such as "get cold feet" or "I'm all ears"). Offer a kid-friendly definition and connect the new word or phrase to something your child already knows.Talk about how the author used language or words to make the text interesting, informative, funny, or sad.

Picture walk

Talk about the book before you read it. Show the cover illustration and ask your child to predict what the book is about. Flip through the book, look closely at the pictures together, and talk about what's on the jacket flaps.

Remember when ...?

Connect what your child reads with what happens in life. If reading a book about birds, relate it to birds you've seen on walks in your neighborhood.

Story detectives

As you read with your child, stop and ask questions such as: What's happening in the picture? Why do you think the puppy is sad? Have you felt that way yourself? Why do you think the spider wanted to help the pig? What do you think is going to happen next? How do you think the story will end? Take turns and let your child to "be the detective" and ask you questions about the book. Not only will this develop your child's comprehension, but critical thinking skills as well.

Picture the character (Part 1)

Try this activity from the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR). The FCRR "At Home" series was developed especially for families! Watch the video and then download the activity: Picture the Character. See all FCRR comprehension activities here.

Picture the character (Part 2)

Try this activity from the Florida Center for Reading Research (FCRR). The FCRR "At Home" series was developed especially for families! Watch the video and then download the activity: Picture the Character. See all FCRR comprehension activities here.

More comprehension resources

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Just 15 minutes each day makes a big difference! Reading aloud is a great way to help your kindergartener absorb new words and see how stories are structured. It's also one of the best ways to help children learn about the world and make connections between their own lives and what's in the book - that helps children see the world with empathy.

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This simple activity just involves giving the students worksheets with a word bank featuring words with a specific sound (like "ar" or "oo") and a grid of pictures representing those words and having the children match them. For gifted students, it can be as easy as adding word with multiple syllables.

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After going over a set of vocabulary words, create a word search with the puzzle on one side of the sheet and a list of definitions on the other. This will make word recall fun for students. To differentiate, you can adjust the size of the puzzle and the numbers of words on the list.

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Have students search newspapers and magazines for objects that contain the sound spoken out loud or written on the board. To differentiate, have struggling students work with partners or have gifted students search for objects where the sound is in the middle of the word.

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Conversation in the classroom can be a primary way for children to build vocabulary (Steele & Mills, 2011) so encourage use of the word through role play that allows the students to act out the meanings of words in brief skits. To differentiate, try pairing or grouping students of high ability or mixed ability.

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At-home Activity - Expanded Conversation

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At-home Activity - Expanded Conversation

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https://www.readingrockets.org/reading-101-guide-parents/first-grade/vocabulary-activities-your-first-grader
Purposely use unfamiliar words with your child, then give the definition when the child asks for it. Continue to use the words No matter the level your child is at currently, there will always be words with which they are unfamiliar. Many students of socioeconomic suffer from small vocabularies not because of ability, but because of the limited vocabularies of those around them (Florit et al., 2021). By using a more expansive vocabulary in front of a child, you can expand their vocabulary as much as you believe they can handle.

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Talking to and reading with your kindergartner are two terrific ways to help them hear and read new words. Conversations and questions about interesting words are easy, non-threatening ways to get new words into everyday talk.

Even very young children love to hear and learn new words! Help your child expand their word bank and knowledge of the world by using interesting and vivid words instead of simpler language in your everyday conversations.

Reading aloud exposes your child to lots of vivid language that is not found in books for beginning readers. When you come upon a new and interesting word, take the time to stop and ask your child what they think that word might mean in the context of the story. Then offer a kid-friendly definition of the word and connect it to a similar word and a shared experience.

Word learning and vocabulary growth takes time and patience. Don't expect your child to learn a new word after one conversation or one read aloud. True word learning happens after being exposed to words several times. We all learn about words throughout our lifetime. You're getting your child off to a great start by developing an early interest in words.

Try these vocabulary activities at home

Read aloud every day

Reading aloud to your child and having your child read books on their own is the best way to increase their vocabulary. Books provide words they won't encounter in everyday conversations as the language of books is more complete and formal than talking. A great story also provides context and illustrations for learning a new word.

Bring in the nonfiction

Nonfiction and informational books (such as the DK Eyewitness series) offer young children a treasure chest of new and interesting words about our world. If the book has a glossary, spend some time discussing the words with your child, and as you read aloud stop as often as needed to think about new words and how they connect to what your child already knows about. Learn more in this article, The Vocabulary of Science.

Talk about new words during read alouds

Talking to and reading with your child are two terrific ways to help them hear and read new words. Conversations and questions about interesting words are easy ways to get new words into everyday talk. "The book says, 'The boy tumbled down the hill,' and look at the picture! How do you think he went down the hill?"

Sharing a new word with your child doesn't have to take a long time: just a few minutes to talk about the word and then focus back on the book or conversation. Choose which words to talk about carefully - choosing every new word might make reading seem like a chore. The best words to explore are ones that are less common to see in the books your child might read. When introducing new words to your young learner, keep the following four helpful hints in mind:

1. Provide a simple, kid-friendly definition for the new word: Enormous means that something is really, really big.

2. Offer a simple, kid-friendly example that makes sense within their daily life: Remember that really big watermelon we got at the grocery store? That was an enormous watermelon!

3. Encourage your child to develop their own example: What enormous thing can you think of? Can you think of something really big that you saw today? That's right! The bulldozer near the park was enormous! Those tires were huge.

4. Keep your new words active within your house. Over the next few days and weeks, take advantage of opportunities to use each new vocabulary word in conversation. Kids often need to hear a new word in context ten times or more before they "know" that word.

Grocery store vocabulary

The produce section is a great place to hear new interesting words. Words like rhubarb, asparagus, artichoke, and kiwi are fun to say, and fun to eat. As you introduce each one, use descriptive words to help your child learn. "A kiwi has a fuzzy outside, but the inside is bright green with black seeds!"

Start at the root

Begin with a simple root word, such as push. Ask your child to come up with words they know that contain that word, such as pushing, pushed, pushover, push-up. Talk about how all these words have some shared meaning related to the word push.

Consider the prefix

Numeric prefixes like bi- and tri- are a part of many words kids know and use. Discuss words like tricycle, tricep, triangle. All these words share the prefix tri-, which means three. Can they develop a list of words that begin with the prefix bi- (like bicycle and binoculars)? This gives you a great chance to introduce new words, like bicentennial, bicep, and biped. You can generate similar word lists with the numeric prefixes uni, octo, and cent.

Homonym fun

Homonyms - words that sound the same but have different meanings - provide a great opportunity for word fun. Say a word out loud, and see if your child can generate more than one meaning for the word. For example:

bark: the sound a dog makes
bark: the covering on a tree ring: jewelry you wear on your finger
ring: the sound a doorbell makes

Explore your world

Visits to a museum, the zoo, the botanical garden, historical sites, and even your neighborhood park are terrific opportunities to introduce your child to new words. Spend some time looking at the signage and identifying new words, then connecting them to what you see right there.

"What's another word for ..."

This game helps your child learn there's more than one word for everyday things. For example, look around you and say, "what's another word for couch?" (sofa, ottoman). Or, "what's another word for cup?" (glass, mug) .You can extend the game by talking about how two things are similar but not exactly alike (glass, mug). That helps your child learn about the subtle differences in related words.

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Vocabulary: Activities for Your First Grader

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Talking to and reading with your kindergartner are two terrific ways to help them hear and read new words. Conversations and questions about interesting words are easy, non-threatening ways to get new words into everyday talk.

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https://www.whatdowedoallday.com/lazy-moms-guide-to-teaching-phonics-without-electronics-summer-learning/
For this activity, a parent can read to their child but purposely mess up some of the syllables of the words and wait for the child to correct them. For gifted readers, try books with bigger, more complex words.

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Have I ever mentioned that I can be a bit lazy when it comes to organizing elaborate and crafty learning activities? I think I have. Have I ever mentioned that I'm too cheap to buy "educational" electronics or apps? I think I have. ( Also, I think they are annoying.) I present to you: The Lazy Mom's Guide to Teaching Her Child Phonics.

Summer Learning and Reading Readiness

My 4 year old will be entering Kindergarten this fall. (I nsert cliché here: "where oh where does the time go?") I'm happy to see that he's showing signs of reading readiness. ( He's not the rockstar reader like his brother was, who was reading chapter books by this age. If I can't brag to the internet, who can I brag to?) I want to make sure his skills continue to develop over the summer both without pushing him and without taxing myself. ( I mentioned my laziness, right?)

(This post contains affiliate links that may earn commission.)

Easy Ideas for Teaching Phonics:

Fortunately, you can develop your kid's phonetic understanding without Leapfrog or an iPhone! Here are a few of the ways I am doing it:

Play a simple word choice game. With our magnetic word set* I put two words next to each other and asked him to point to the one I named. For example, "Which word is 'monkey'?" ( see above photo) He only needs to know the sound of the first letter to do this, but it gets him ready to read whole words. (*Pictured above is the Magnetic Poetry Kit - Really Big Words, which both boys love playing with.)

Use an alphabet puzzle to practice and introduce phonic sounds. See how I did this with my son here.

When you read books "mess" up words. For example, your reading conversation may go like this:

Mommy ( reading a book): ... and the farmer drove the duck...

Kid ( giggling): No! Mommy! Truck! Not duck!

Mommy ( putting finger on the letter T): Oh, yes. You are right that is a "t" not a "d". How could I be sooooo silly? "T" is "tttttt" sound, not a "ddddd" sound!

Add a lot of simple rhyming games to your everyday life. Rhymes are one of the very best ways to build the skills necessary for reading.

Recite tongue twisters. Tongue twisters are also excellent distraction tools when your kids are going insane getting antsy in public. I can't tell you how fun they are. Plus the look on the kids face when you suddenly bust out with a tongue twister is fantastic. Alliteration, which is the foundation of tongue twisters, is great for phonics understanding.

Let you child play with Scrabble tiles or a Boggle game. They can sort letters while you make the sound. Or just drink your coffee chai while they stack them up. That works, too.

Try a frozen word hunt in the bath. This does take a bit of planning but is still very easy.

And of course... read, read, read. Pick one of these fantastic summer picture books.
MORE: Get loads more summer literacy ideas right here!

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Lazy Mom's Guide to Teaching Phonics without Electronics

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Teaching phonics to kids without the help of electronic games or software is easy, simple and fun.