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Phonics is the understanding of letter sounds and how letters work together. Utilizing this information helps readers learn to decode, or sound out, words that are unknown. This ability to decode new words helps improve reading skills.

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Vocabulary is the words we utilize and comprehend when speaking, listening, writing, or reading. When readers have a strong vocabulary, they can easily grasp the significance of a word in text. This helps improve reading comprehension. A strong vocabulary can also increase fluency because readers will not have to spend as much time decoding unknown words.

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Phonemic awareness refers to the skills needed to manipulate, hear, and identify phonemes (individual sounds) in each word. When readers recognize the significance of each sound, they are more prepared to decode each part of a word when reading.

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The information we are able to understand when we read, or hear something read aloud, is reading comprehension. This is the ability to grasp what message words in the texts are coming together to convey.

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Fluency refers to the preciseness and rate in which a person reads. When reading is fluent, readers are more able to focus on the meaning of what they are reading, as opposed to decoding each word. Therefore, reading comprehension improves.

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Classroom and Home Activities to Increase Reading Comprehension

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Classroom and Home Activities to Increase Reading Comprehension

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Reading comprehension is crucial to reading. To help with this skill in the classroom, graphic organizers can be beneficial. This aids students in connecting ideas from text, which promotes critical thinking skills and helps improve memory. After reading with students, teachers should ask questions that are going to encourage discussion and interpret text. Offering visual supports for students with exceptionalities can help create connections and answer questions pertaining to the text.

A way that parents can help enhance children's reading comprehension skills is to engage in open-ended questions concerning stories that have just been read. Questions can vary depending on children's abilities. This is a way to encourage students to critically think about stories they have read and check comprehension. The website Reading Rockets has an abundance of information on other strategies to improve reading comprehension skills.

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Classroom and Home Activities to Increase Phonics Skills

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Classroom and Home Activities to Increase Phonics Skills

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One method that teachers can employ to improve student's phonics skills is utilizing magnetic letters. Teachers can have a list of words that contain the skill students are currently learning. They can use these letters to create words that contain this specific skill and have students read the word. The teacher can then scramble the words and have students practice spelling each word. This is a hands-on activity that allows students to apply skills that have been discussed to practice reading and spelling words. Having separate lists for students, based on their ability levels, is a way to ensure that all students are being challenged appropriately.

"Wild Wacky Words" is a game that is engaging to students. The teacher will create sentences for students but leave out certain letters in words. These letters or letter combinations have been, or are currently being, taught. This game helps students apply the letter sounds and phonetic rules that have been discussed to spell words. Some students may not be ready to edit full sentences, so teachers can differentiate by allowing these students to fill in missing parts of independent words. This can keep students with exceptionalities from feeling overwhelmed.

Playing games, or putting puzzles together, at home can increase these skills. Many puzzles have pictures that correspond to letters or letter sounds and children can work to match these. Some puzzles focus on letter recognition, single letter sounds, and combination of letter sounds. The complexity can differ depending on children's skills.

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Classroom and Home Activities to Increase Vocabulary

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Classroom and Home Activities to Increase Vocabulary

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While discussing a specific theme or topic in class, teachers can choose specific vocabulary words that are relevant to that subject and add vocabulary word cards to a vocabulary wall. This can be a visual support for students to apply these new words in writing and discussions. Teachers can then be intentional about utilizing these words in conversations and encourage writing assignments where these new words are used. Teachers can add pictures to these word cards to assist students with exceptionalities and add the translations of students' home languages to aid ESL students.

Another way teachers can help improve students' vocabulary is teaching students how to apply context clues to understand the meaning of new words when reading. When children know how to use pictures or text around an unfamiliar word to discover their meaning, their independence increases. This, in turn, allows them to build their vocabulary. Utilizing varying levels of text to teach how to use this strategy can be beneficial those students with exceptionalities.

As parents read to children, they can pause at unfamiliar words and discuss their meaning. This helps build vocabulary and also gives children the appropriate context in which the word should be used.

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Classroom and Home Activities to Increase Phonemic Awareness

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Classroom and Home Activities to Increase Phonemic Awareness

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An example of a classroom activity to improve phonemic awareness is a learning card game. Sight words, vocabulary words, etc. can be written down on cards and turned face down in a pile. Student will choose a card, read it with an adult, and discuss each sound that is heard in that word. This helps children learn to read the words, but also ensures that they are isolating each phoneme in the word. This can be differentiated by the complexity of the words. There can be several sets of word cards. Children's abilities will determine which deck of cards they use.

Another way to practice these skills is the Ball Pass Sound Game. A list of sight words, vocabulary words, etc. will be placed in a randomizer on the SmartBoard. Students will take turns passing the ball identifying the first, middle, and last sound heard in the chosen words. To differentiate for children with exceptionalities, students can roll the ball instead of throwing it on each sound. Students can also be allotted more time to complete if needed.

Phonemic awareness can be practiced at home by singing songs with children and telling nursery rhymes. Songs and nursery rhymes help children practice rhyming and manipulate various sounds in words.

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Classroom and Home Activities to Increase Reading Fluency

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Classroom and Home Activities to Increase Reading Fluency

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Choral reading, in small reading groups, is one strategy that can be beneficial in increasing reading fluency. This occurs when several people read aloud simultaneously. Reading fluency increases with this strategy because students are getting more opportunities to read aloud. They also hear the flow that should be occurring as they read with their peers. Ensuring that students are paired in small groups with peers of similar abilities, and have texts appropriate for their level, is a way that choral reading should be differentiated. To assist those students with exceptionalities, smaller groups may be required.

Another technique to help increase fluency is echo reading. During small group, teachers read a line of text and students repeat this line exactly as it was delivered. As with choral reading, students hear the flow that is expected and can model that rhythm. The pace the teacher uses can be adjusted to ensure that all students can benefit from this method.

Families can increase children's fluency by rereading children's favorites books. They learn the appropriate pacing and expression that should be occurring. Stories with repeating words can be helpful for children with exceptionalities because they are predictable, and children understand the appropriate rhythm.

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Reading Rockets is a website that is committed to improving children's literacy skills. There are numerous articles that give insight on different aspects of reading and many include strategies that can help increase these abilities.

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Reading Rockets. (2024). Phonological and phonemic awareness: activities for your kindergartener. Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your Kindergartener | Reading Rockets

Reading Rockets. (2024). Phonological and phonemic awareness: introduction. Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Introduction | Reading Rockets

Reading Rockets. (2024). Reading 101 for parents: comprehension. Reading 101 for Parents: Comprehension | Reading Rockets

Reading Rockets. (2024). Reading 101 for parents: fluency. Reading 101 for Parents: Fluency | Reading Rockets

Reading Rockets. (2024). Reading 101 for parents: vocabulary. Reading 101 for Parents: Vocabulary | Reading Rockets