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Learn letters of the alphabet & utilize environmental print

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Parents can assist their child in learning letters and sounds of the alphabet by occassionally pointing out letters and asking their child to name it and produce the sound. They could also just point to the letters and name them while providing the sound for their child. By utilizing environmental print a child can make connections on what they see on signs or literature. They can then connect it to letter and sound work they have learned.

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Decoding is the ability to apply your knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words. Understanding these relationships gives children the ability to recognize familiar words quickly and to figure out words they haven't seen before. Although children may sometimes figure out some of these relationships on their own, most children benefit from explicit instruction in this area. Phonics is one approach to reading instruction that teaches students the principles of letter-sound relationships, how to sound out words, and exceptions to the principles.

Children will usually express their frustration and difficulties in a general way, with statements like "I hate reading!" or "This is stupid!". But if they could, this is how kids might describe how word decoding and phonics difficulties affect their reading:

I just seem to get stuck when I try to read a lot of the words in this chapter.

Figuring out the words takes so much of my energy, I can't even think about what it means.

I don't know how to sound out these words.

I know my letters and sounds, but I just can't read words on a page.

Here are some clues for parents that a child may have problems with word decoding and phonics:

She often gets stuck on words when reading. I end up telling her many of the words.

His reading is very slow because he spends so much time figuring out words.

She's not able to understand much about what she's read because she's so busy trying to sound out the words.

It's as if he doesn't know how to put the information together to read words.

Saying "sound it out" to her just seems to make her more frustrated.

He guesses at words based on the first letter or two; it's as if he doesn't pay close attention to the print.

Here are some clues for teachers that a student may have problems with word decoding and phonics:

She has difficulty matching sounds and letters, which can affect reading and spelling.

She decodes in a very labored manner.

He has trouble reading and spelling phonetically.

She has a high degree of difficulty with phonics patterns and activities.

He guesses at words based on the first letter or two.

Even though I taught several short vowel sounds (or other letter sounds or patterns), the corresponding letters are not showing up in his writing samples.

Even though I taught certain letter patterns, she isn't able to recognize them when reading words.

How to help

With the help of parents and teachers, kids can learn strategies to overcome word decoding and phonics problems that affect their reading. Below are some tips and specific things to do.

What kids can do to help themselves

Play with magnetic letters. See how quickly you can put them in alphabetical order while singing the alphabet song.

Look at written materials around your house and at road signs to see if you can spot familiar words and letter patterns.

Write notes, e-mails, and letters to your friends and family. Represent each sound you hear as you write.

When you're trying to sound out a word, pay close attention to the print. Try to look at all the letters in the word, not just the first one or two.

What parents can do to help at home

For a younger reader, help your child learn the letters and sounds of the alphabet. Occasionally point to letters and ask your child to name them.

Help your child make connections between what he or she might see on a sign or in the newspaper and the letter and sound work he or she is doing in school.

Encourage your child to write and spell notes, e-mails, and letters using what he knows about sounds and letters.

Talk with your child about the "irregular" words that she'll often see in what she's reading. These are the words that don't follow the usual letter-sound rules. These words include said, are, and was. Students must learn to recognize them "at sight."

Consider using computer software that focuses on developing phonics and emergent literacy skills. Some software programs are designed to support children in their writing efforts. For example, some programs encourage kids to construct sentences and then cartoon characters will act out the completed sentence. Other software programs provide practice with long and short vowel sounds and creating compound words.

What teachers can do to help at school

Have students sort pictures and objects by the sound you're teaching. At each stage, have children say the letter sound over and over again.

Teach phonics in a systematic and explicit way. If your curriculum materials are not systematic and explicit, talk with your principal or reading specialist.

Be sure to begin the systematic and explicit phonics instruction early; first grade would be best.

Help students understand the purpose of phonics by engaging them in reading and writing activities that requires them to apply the phonics information you've taught them.

Use manipulatives to help teach letter-sound relationships. These can include counters, sound boxes, and magnetic letters.

Provide more of your instruction to students who you've divided into need-based groups.

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Decoding is the ability to apply your knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words. Understanding these relationships gives children the ability to recognize familiar words quickly and to figure out words they haven’t seen befo…

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This is a resource for teachers to learn about phonics and how it should be taught.

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Singing, reading or reciting nursery rhymes helps children hear and identify different words that rhyme. You can ask them to tell you about two words that rhyme or provide them with a word that they have to connect a rhyming word with. Building letters out of play-doh is tons of fun and educational. You can discuss the letters and the sounds that they make.

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Encourage your child to listen for words that rhyme when you say them aloud, such as fun, sun; hat, cat; and fish, wish. See if your child can produce new words that rhyme with the words you say-fan, pan, ran, can, tan.

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Phonemic Awareness Activities for Parents | Heggerty

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Research shows that phonemic awareness is the strongest predictor of success in learning to read. Heggerty offers literacy activities for families.

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Rhyme time is when the teacher thinks of a word and asks what might rhyme with that specific word. Expand by asking the students if they can think of any other words that may rhyme. Sound Scavenger Hunt allows the teacher to pick a letter sound and hunt for items in the classroom that may start with that sound. This lesson can be differentiated by providing children with two objects to choose from.

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That's a complicated sounding term, but it's meaning is simple: the ability to hear, recognize, and play with the sounds in spoken language. Phonological awareness is really a group of skills that include a child's ability to:

Identify words that rhyme

Count the number of syllables in a word or in familiar names

Recognize alliteration (words with the same beginning sound)

Segment (break) a sentence into words

Recognize and play with the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. This is called phonemic awareness.

Strong phonemic awareness is one of the strongest predictors of later reading success. Children who struggle with reading, including kids with dyslexia, often have trouble with phonemic awareness, but with the right kind of instruction they can be successful. Learn some of the warning signs for dyslexia in this article, Clues to Dyslexia in Early Childhood.

For pre-K children, the focus is on rhyming, alliteration, syllables, and beginning sounds. Parents can make a big difference in helping their children become readers by practicing these pre-reading oral skills at home. Try some of the simple rhyming and word sound games described here.

Why phonemic awareness is the key to learning how to read

This video is from Home Reading Helper, a resource for parents to elevate children's reading at home provided by Read Charlotte . Find more video, parent activities, printables, and other resources at Home Reading Helper .

Try these speech sound activities at home

Rhyme time

"I am thinking of an animal that rhymes with big. What's the animal?" Answer: pig. What else rhymes with big? ( dig, fig, wig)

Body part rhymes

Point to a part of your body and ask your child to think of a rhyming word. For example, what rhymes with hair? ( bear). What rhymes with eye? (pie) What rhymes with head? (bed). Make it more challenging by asking for two or three rhyming words. Nonsense words count, too!

Read books that play with sounds

Try these books featuring rhyme, alliteration, and more:

All About Arthur (An Absolutely Absurd Ape)

Alphabears

Animalia

Buzz Said the Bee

Catch a Little Fox

Each Peach Pear Plum

A Giraffe and a Half

The Hungry Thing

Jamberry

See You Later Alligator

Sheep in a Jeep

Yours Till Banana Splits

Zoophabets

Clap it out

Practice listening for syllables. Explain to your child that syllables are the big chunks in words as you say them: some words have one syllable (hat), some have two (apple), and some have three or more (banana).

You can actually feel syllables! Have your child put her hand under her chin and say the word slowly so she can feel when her mouth goes down. Be sure to explain that each time her chin goes down, she's saying another syllable or part of the same word.

Think of everyday words your child knows (for example: apple, baby, toothbrush). Tell your child that you'll both clap the number of syllables in each word. Show her how to clap one time as you say each syllable: /ap/ (clap) /ple/ (clap). Try it with more words. Kids also love clapping their name!

Tongue ticklers

Alliteration or "tongue ticklers" - where the sound you're focusing on is repeated over and over again - can be a fun way to provide practice with a sound. Try these:

For M: Miss Mouse makes marvelous meatballs!

For S: Silly Sally sings songs about snakes and snails.

For F: Freddy finds fireflies with a flashlight.

"I Spy" first sounds

Practice beginning sounds with this simple "I spy" game at home, on a walk, or at the grocery store. Choose words with distinctive, easy-to-hear beginning sounds. For example, if you're in the bathroom you can say, "I spy something red that starts with the "s" ssss sound ( soap)."

Sound scavenger hunt

Choose a letter sound, then have your child find things around your house that start with the same sound. "Can you find something in our house that starts with the letter "p" pppppp sound? Picture, pencil, pear "

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Phonological and Phonemic Awareness: Activities for Your Pre-K Child

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Phonological awareness is a set of critical pre-reading skills: the ability to hear, identify, and play with the sounds in spoken language - including rhymes, syllables, and phonemes. Children with strong phonological awareness skills are ready to become readers.

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This handout provides parents with specific questions that they can ask their child before, during, and after reading. If your child struggles with answering a question guide them on where to find the answer or on how they might answer.

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Comprehension Strategies for the Classroom

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Comprehension Strategies for the Classroom

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Book talks allow teachers to introduce a story to the children. Introduce the story to the children by sharing the characters and the problem. Ask the children to make a prediction about what they believe will happen in the story. Sequencing can be done while a story is being read. Have children put pictures in the correct order of the story as it progresses.

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This post may contain affiliate links. See Disclosure for more information.

Reading comprehension - understanding and interpreting what is read - is one of the most important skills for students of all ages. Even when preschoolers are not yet able to read, they love to be read TO. A wise teacher uses before, during, and after reading a story as teaching time. Here are eight strategies for developing budding reading comprehension skills in even the youngest learners.

Before Reading

The goals of using a comprehension strategy with students before reading a story are to help them focus their attention, to activate their prior knowledge, and get them excited to read it! It is tough for students to transition to storytime, sit down, and just start reading. Teachers must "prep" them a little bit to be good listeners. There are lots of ways to accomplish this. Here are 3 strategies that work well:

Purposes of Before Reading strategies

Activate student's prior knowledge

Set the stage for reading

Get the children excited about the book!

Reading Comprehension Strategy #1 - Have a Book Talk

Book Talk Ideas

Give the children a "teaser" about what is to come

Introduce the characters and explain the problem

Invite the children to make a prediction

Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems is a perfect story for engaging students during a book talk. Young children find the main character, Trixie, very relatable and can empathize with the angst that she feels when her beloved stuffed toy is misplaced. The teacher can draw students in further by bringing a favorite stuffed toy or classroom mascot to the carpet, or even bring one of their own toys from their childhood. Discuss how the toy goes everywhere, it sleeps in the bed with the owner and is very important to that person. Then, ask the students if anyone has a special stuffed animal or blanket. Ask the students to imagine, "How would you feel if your special toy got lost?" After sharing their ideas, read about what happens to Trixie. (And for students that have lost their special items, try LostMyLovey.com to search for replacements or even the item itself!)

Reading Comprehension Strategy #2 - Book in a Bag

Book in a Bag Ideas

Put together a few small props or pictures that represent the story

Pull them out one at a time and invite the children to make a prediction about the story

Preschoolers (and many older students!) are visual learners. When the teacher sits down to read a story with a mysterious bag full of objects, it is guaranteed to grab their attention! Fill a gift bag with items and pictures from the story and pull them out one at a time. As each item is revealed, encourage the students to make a prediction about the story. What is it going to be about? Here is an example for a bag of objects for There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose!

Reading Comprehension Strategy #3 - Key Word

Key Word Ideas

Choose 1 important word from the story

Discuss the meaning of the word

Have students give examples of the word

Encourage children to make predictions

Introducing a "Key Word" is another way to get students thinking about the story before reading it. For example, in The Scarecrow's Hat by Ken Brown, ask students if anyone knows what swap means. Discuss how "swap" means to trade. Next, invite them to talk about things they like to swap. Then, tell them that in The Scarecrow's Hat, Chicken wants to swap something with Scarecrow. Encourage students to make predictions about what they might swap. Finally, read the story together.

During Reading

There are three strategies that teachers can use during reading. While reading aloud to children, the most important thing is the enjoyment of the book, of course. Young children benefit from being active listeners. They need to listen with their voices and their bodies in order to comprehend! Teachers can involve them by doing the following:

Reading Comprehension Strategy #4 - Incorporate Movement

Incorporating Movement Ideas

Have students use props from the story

Have students use their bodies to mimic motions in the story

Use simple musical instruments, such as shaker eggs, at key phrases

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything is an all-around fantastic book for fall. It is a good example of how to incorporate movement while reading a book to young children. The Little Old Lady in the story meets 2 big shoes on the path to her cottage, and the shoes go, "Clomp! Clomp!" It is so much fun for the children to "clomp" their own shoes. They also love it when they are provided props to go with the story- shoes, pants, a shirt, gloves, a hat, and a pumpkin head. As the teacher reads, they take turns moving the props to match the story. So much fun and the students are completely engaged!

Reading Comprehension Strategy #5 - Repeated Refrain

The reading jargon for repeating a refrain or line in a book is "Choral Reading." It's a term that means the children all join in reading the repeated lines in unison. The Pete the Cat books are perfect examples of this strategy. In Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes, the repeated line is, "I love my white shoes. I love my white shoes! I love my white shoes, etc." It's so catchy that the students will have a hard time not joining in!

Just a quick note: Be sure that you get the free audio downloads to go along with your Pete the Cat books. They're just not the same without the audio!

Reading Comprehension Strategy #6 - Sequencing

Sequencing Ideas

Use pictures of story events

Have students place pictures in a pocket chart as they happen

A final "During Reading" strategy perfect for preschoolers is Sequencing. Thinking ahead to elementary school, we know that students will have to retell stories with a beginning, middle, and end. They will have to recount events of a book in order. Preschool teachers can prepare them for this essential elementary skill by giving students practice putting events in order. One way to do this is to print pictures from the story and give them to students before reading. They can then place the pictures on a felt board, pocket chart, or easel in order as the story progresses.

After Reading

We know that in order for children to understand a story well, they have to start thinking about it before reading. They might look at the pictures and make a prediction. Then, while we read, we can involve the children by encouraging them to move and read with us. Now that the book is finished, there are other things we can do to reinforce the story and extend the students' understanding.

After Reading Comprehension Goals

Reflect on the story

Make Connections

Revisit the story

Reading Comprehension Strategy #7 - Act it Out

Lots of stories lend themselves to "Acting it Out." After reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff, for example, students can play "billy goats" by using a low balance beam to make a bridge and take turns TRIP-TRAPPING across it. Adding goats to the block center encourages students who want to build a bridge there. Simple costumes, such as themed hats made from paper for "The Little Red Hen" at the dramatic play center, ensure the story's reenactments. Puppets and other toys that mimic the main characters in other centers and access to the story itself make this a simple way for students to tell and retell the story.

Reading Comprehension Strategy #8 - Compare Similar Stories

Another important elementary school comprehension skill is "Making Connections." Students can make a connection in one of three ways:

TEXT to SELF - Does this book remind you of something that happened to you?

TEXT to TEXT - Does this book remind you of another book?

TEXT to WORLD - Does this book remind you of something you know about in the world (another place, a movie, a person you know, etc.)?

When reading a story to young children, teachers can encourage them to compare the story to something else that they know about. After reading Corduroy, students might tell about their favorite stuffed animal. They can compare Lisa's love of Corduroy to their own (Text to Self). It also might remind them about the Knuffle Bunny story mentioned earlier (Text to Text). They might even remember that Corduroy was purchased in a department store, much like one they saw in an ad on TV (Text to World).

The most important thing for the students is that they gain a love of reading first. These skills take it to the next level, providing more enjoyment and understanding, valuable skills for when they move to grade school and beyond.

An Important Note:

While using reading strategies with children, it is important to keep their attention spans in mind. It is crucial to remember these strategies should not all be employed on the same day, or even on the same story. Never use more than one strategy from each section with each book, and try to make it quick! The goal is to get students thinking about the book, but most of the time and effort should be the act of reading and enjoying the story.

Looking for more information?

NAEYC has loads of articles about reading with young children right here.

For more early reading posts, check out the literacy tab on our website!

Need some printable literacy materials for the classroom? Find them here!

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This post may contain affiliate links. See Disclosure for more information. Reading comprehension - understanding and interpreting what is read - is one of the most important skills for students of all ages. Even when preschoolers are not yet able to read, they love to be read TO.

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Invite children to explore books & integrate printed words throughout the classroom

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Inviting children to explore books allows them to talk about what they see and if it's a familiar text they can read to the teacher or a classmate. By integrating print in the classroom you are allowing children to identify these words and use them in daily conversation. To assist all children it is helpful to provide pictures with the words.

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Ways to incorporate literacy and build language development in the classroom!

Language and literacy are important components of any preschool classroom and building a child's vocabulary is a key component in facilitating language and literacy.

Build Vocabulary

Often times, when one things of the word "vocabulary" one might right away think of the word wall. A word wall in the preschool classroom can help draw attention to new words and words in print but vocabulary is about building meaning and understanding which comes from putting words into action and making meaningful connections. Promoting vocabulary in the early childhood setting should be a natural and fun part of the classroom experience. Let's take a look at ways in which you can promote a child's vocabulary in your preschool classroom.

Emphasize new Words

The first thing for you to keep in mind is that every new word counts. We are not talking about searching through the dictionary for complex words. What we are talking about is emphasizing words that are part of a child's natural environment and daily living. For example, if you are helping a child put on his or her jacket, say the words "jacket, zipper, on, and off" and invite the child to use the words through questions or casual conversation.

Weave in new Meanings

Make new words meaningful and practical to your students. Integrate new words into your student's play and daily experiences by naturally weaving them in and out of conversations you have with the children about their play.

Emphasize Feeling Words

Introduce words that give preschoolers a way to express their feelings and emotions. Words such as happy, sad, mad, aggravated, frustrated, tired, lonely, and enjoyable can be used in everyday conversations with your students.

Emphasize the Names of Objects

Introduce objects that are familiar and not-so-familiar and that will invite interest and promote conversation.

Use lots of Descriptive Words

"You have chosen to use the color green...Your hands are small and my hands are big...Hannah's hair is long and Juan's hair is short...the toys in this water table are wet and cold...please place your paper on the round table...you have two hands and two feet."

Emphasize Words through Books and Pictures

read aloud everyday and repeat favorite books often. Reading aloud with young children helps them to draw connection between the printed words and the pictures of the story. As the children hear the story they will draw connections the words you are reading and the meaning they share.

Invite the Children to Explore Books

Allow children to freely explore books of interest on their own time as well. Books you have read with the children are a wonderful addition to the children's book area because the children already have a sense of what the book is about and the kinds of words that are in the book. Take time to listen to the children as they read the book to each other or to you.

Integrate Printed Words throughout the Classroom

Include words that emphasize the name of familiar objects, concepts, and ideas and have the printed words displayed in strategic places throughout the classroom. As your students show interest in the words, help the children identify the words by using the words in everyday conversations.

Keep the Children's Names in Reach and in View

One of the first words a child learns and finds most meaningful is his or her name. Keep the children's names visible and accessible throughout the classroom.

Building vocabulary is an ongoing process that should be a balance of intentional and natural learning opportunities.

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Building a child's vocabulary in preschool

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Ways to incorporate literacy and build language development in the classroom! Language and literacy are important components of any preschool classroom and building a child's vocabulary is a key component in facilitating language and literacy. Build Vocabulary Often times, when one things of the word "vocabulary" one might right away

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5 ways parents can increase reading fluency 

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Reading to your child at home is a fantastic way to build their fluency. This gives them the opportunity to hear and see what fluent reading is like.

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Reading is one of the most important components of language learning and education. It forms the basis for learning how to read - only to learn from what we read. While most children gain the fundamentals of reading by the time they are in second grade, not every child develops the ability to read fluently. Reading fluency is more or less a skill that enables the reader to read quickly, accurately, and with expression.

If your child is struggling to read fluently, there are many strategies you can use at home to support this critical, lifelong skill. Don't worry! Any child who struggles with reading fluency can improve with practice, attention, and consistent feedback. Here are a few simple ways to get your kids reading pages and pages of text with absolute confidence.

1. Model fluent reading

Young children are naturally pretty fast learners. The one thing that we often overlook is their ability to learn from others. One of the best ways to improve a child's reading fluency is to model it for him. Let the child see and hear what fluent reading should sound like. Make sure you include plenty of expressions and emotion while reading and model proper phrasing and pacing. Then ask your child to read the same passage in the same style or manner as you did.

2. Stopwatch readings

Another strategy that works for improving reading speed, which is also a major part of fluency, is asking your child to read a given passage in a set time frame. Here's how it's done: Set a stopwatch for one minute, and have your child read a passage with as few errors as possible. Notice where your child stops or breaks his fluency and work on improving those areas. Perhaps there was a word he couldn't pronounce. Ask him to repeatedly pronounce the word after learning the meaning. Then once again, ask your child to read the passage with the timer set to one minute. This time the reading should be faster!

The one minute read works because it is a manageable chunk of time and your child will be able to practice several repeated reads in a row without losing focus or interest.

Use a graph to track the number of words your child read per minute, along with the number of errors and challenging words. Your child will be excited to know he/she is improving, so be sure to celebrate improvements regularly.

3. Choral read aloud sessions

"Choral reading," is when a teacher or parent reads aloud and asks the children to follow at the same pace. Choral reading is another way to show your child what fluent reading should sound like. Choosing a book at the child's independent reading level will make it easier for him/her to keep up with the accuracy and pace.

4. Marked reading

Take a passage and ask your child to read while you silently follow on a copy of that same passage. Mark places where your child made mistakes (mispronunciation, skipped words, etc.) and keep practicing these words and passages. This can be done during the stop watch reading exercise or a read aloud activity.

To track progress, mark the number of errors and challenging words each time the passage is read. Again, remember to celebrate progress with prizes and/or praise.

5. Re-read favorite books

Always encourage your child to re-read favorite books. Some parents or teachers discourage children from reading the same books again and again in an attempt to expose them to new information. However, constantly reading new material doesn't help reading fluency at all. In fact, the more accustomed to reading a particular book your child is, the more fluent he becomes at reading it. This gives them the confidence, accuracy, and speed needed to read fluently without focusing on just reading and instead more on comprehending and mimicking expressions.

Lastly, the best way to improve children's reading fluency is by encouraging them to read more often while keeping speed, accuracy, and expression in mind. The more they read, the better they get! Modeling positive reading behavior sets the tone for reading in your household.
Martin Berk is a well-trained personal tutor hailing from Los Angeles. He works as a senior editor at an online company offering the services of expert coursework writers UK . He's also an avid reader and a wannabe blogger with keen interest in teaching, tech and education, etc.

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5 ways parents can increase reading fluency | Reading Partners | Reading Partners

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Reading fluency is a practiced skill. Parents can help their kids increase reading fluency by using these easy, at-home strategies.

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Choral reading is an activity that can be done in the classroom. Students read along with the teacher using the same text. This activity can be differentiated by using different level texts or by providing patterned or predictable text. That way the student can know what to expect. Partner reading is another classroom activity that can help build fluency. This activity can be differentiated by pairing a high reader with a lower reader or pairing children on the same reading level to reread a familiar text.

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Guidelines for instruction

Provide children with opportunities to read and reread a range of stories and informational texts by reading on their own, partner reading, or choral reading.

Introduce new or difficult words to children, and provide practice reading these words before they read on their own.

Include opportunities for children to hear a range of texts read fluently and with expression.

Suggest ideas for building home-school connections that encourage families to become involved actively in children's reading development.

Encourage periodic timing of children's oral reading and recording of information about individual children's reading rate and accuracy.

Model fluent reading, then have students reread the text on their own.

What students should read

Fluency develops as a result of many opportunities to practice reading with a high degree of success. Therefore, your students should practice rereading aloud texts that are reasonably easy for them – that is, texts containing mostly words that they know or can decode easily. In other words, the texts should be at the students' independent reading level.

A text is at students' independent reading level if they can read it with about 95% accuracy. If the text is more difficult, students will focus on word recognition and will not have an opportunity to develop fluency.

The text your students practice rereading orally should also be relatively short – probably 50-200 words, depending on the age of the students. You should also use a variety of reading materials, including stories, nonfiction, and poetry. Poetry is especially well suited to fluency practice because poems for children are often short and they contain rhythm, rhyme, and meaning, making practice easy, fun, and rewarding.

Model fluent reading

By listening to good models of fluent reading, students learn how a reader's voice can help written text make sense. Read aloud daily to your students. By reading effortlessly and with expression, you are modeling for your students how a fluent reader sounds during reading.

Repeated reading

After you model how to read the text, you must have the students reread it. By doing this, the students are engaging in repeated reading. Usually, having students read a text four times is sufficient to improve fluency. Remember, however, that instructional time is limited, and it is the actual time that students are actively engaged in reading that produces reading gains.

Have other adults read aloud to students. Encourage parents or other family members to read aloud to their children at home. The more models of fluent reading the children hear, the better. Of course, hearing a model of fluent reading is not the only benefit of reading aloud to children. Reading to children also increases their knowledge of the world, their vocabulary, their familiarity with written language ("book language"), and their interest in reading.

Activities for students to increase fluency

There are several ways that your students can practice orally rereading text, including student-adult reading, choral (or unison) reading, tape-assisted reading, partner reading, and readers' theatre.

Student-adult reading

In student-adult reading, the student reads one-on-one with an adult. The adult can be you, a parent, a classroom aide, or a tutor. The adult reads the text first, providing the students with a model of fluent reading. Then the student reads the same passage to the adult with the adult providing assistance and encouragement. The student rereads the passage until the reading is quite fluent. This should take approximately three to four rereadings.

Choral reading

In choral, or unison, reading, students read along as a group with you (or another fluent adult reader). Of course, to do so, students must be able to see the same text that you are reading. They might follow along as you read from a big book, or they might read from their own copy of the book you are reading. For choral reading, choose a book that is not too long and that you think is at the independent reading level of most students. Patterned or predictable books are particularly useful for choral reading, because their repetitious style invites students to join in. Begin by reading the book aloud as you model fluent reading.

Then reread the book and invite students to join in as they recognize the words you are reading. Continue rereading the book, encouraging students to read along as they are able. Students should read the book with you three to five times total (though not necessarily on the same day). At this time, students should be able to read the text independently.

Tape-assisted reading

In tape-assisted reading, students read along in their books as they hear a fluent reader read the book on an audiotape. For tape-assisted reading, you need a book at a student's independent reading level and a tape recording of the book read by a fluent reader at about 80-100 words per minute. The tape should not have sound effects or music. For the first reading, the student should follow along with the tape, pointing to each word in her or his book as the reader reads it. Next, the student should try to read aloud along with the tape. Reading along with the tape should continue until the student is able to read the book independently, without the support of the tape.

Partner reading

In partner reading, paired students take turns reading aloud to each other. For partner reading, more fluent readers can be paired with less fluent readers. The stronger reader reads a paragraph or page first, providing a model of fluent reading. Then the less fluent reader reads the same text aloud. The stronger student gives help with word recognition and provides feedback and encouragement to the less fluent partner. The less fluent partner rereads the passage until he or she can read it independently. Partner reading need not be done with a more and less fluent reader. In another form of partner reading, children who read at the same level are paired to reread a story that they have received instruction on during a teacher-guided part of the lesson. Two readers of equal ability can practice rereading after hearing the teacher read the passage.

Readers' theatre

In readers' theatre, students rehearse and perform a play for peers or others. They read from scripts that have been derived from books that are rich in dialogue. Students play characters who speak lines or a narrator who shares necessary background information. Readers' theatre provides readers with a legitimate reason to reread text and to practice fluency. Readers' theatre also promotes cooperative interaction with peers and makes the reading task appealing.

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Fluency: Instructional Guidelines and Student Activities

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The best strategy for developing reading fluency is to provide your students with many opportunities to read the same passage orally several times. To do this, you should first know what to have your students read. Second, you should know how to have your students read aloud repeatedly.

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Expanding vocabulary at home is an easy task. One activity that is a favorite is I Spy. To play this game with your child you will need to pick an object and describe it briefly and then let your child guess what it is. Allow your child as many clues and guesses as necessary.

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Building vocabulary in early childhood is all about exposing children to language - by talking to them, reading to them and generally exposing them to a language-rich environment.

You can also find fun ways to teach vocabulary by planning specific activities, such as playing games or engaging in interactive language activities.

Here are some awesome vocabulary games for kids that are simple and require no prep.

I've put together a list of easy games I used to play in my classroom that the kids loved. Play them in class, at home, on the way to school or while doing chores like making dinner together!

My personal favourite is the last game as it is a real challenge.

1. Categories

The Categories Game teaches children new words as well as their meaning, context and the relationship between words.

Choose a category - fruit, kitchen, the zoo, music, clothes, etc.

Make a long string of words that belong in the category by taking turns adding words.

Each word may only be said once.

If you repeat a word, choose a word that doesn't belong or simply run out of ideas, choose a new category and start again.

Stay motivated by writing down the record of how many words are in a category and attempt to beat it.

This game is great for teaching children to understand the context of words and how they relate to each other. Words do not live in isolation but work together.

Children may have a good vocabulary of general words but are also able to start developing some theme-specific words that are more unusual in everyday language.

As they grow up and develop more interests they also learn the jargon related to their interests.

While playing this game, try to throw in some interesting, less common words now and again when it is your turn, explaining any words that your children aren't familiar with.

2. What Am I?

This game is about finding the words to explain something. It will expand your children's vocabulary of adjectives and verbs.

The children close their eyes and you find any object in the room and hide it behind your back.

You must describe the object while your children guess what it is.

Use riddle phrases such as I am long, I am shiny, I am used to eat with, I hold liquids, What am I? (a spoon) .

Give as many clues as you need to until the object is guessed.

Once a child guesses correctly, it is their turn to hide an object and describe it.

The reason you should go first is to model how to use descriptive phrases without giving away what the object is.

The younger your children, the simpler and more obvious the clues will be that they use but as they get older they will learn how to be more cryptic.

It's often difficult to see progress in a child while you are teaching them something through play - the progress is noticed with time.

However, this is a game where you will see how quickly your children go from giving very short, obvious clues to using language to describe the texture, colour, size, function, etc.

3. I Spy

The game I spy with my little eye is an old favourite that children love playing. It is a variation of the game above and also teaches children to use language descriptively.

How to play I Spy:

Begin the game by spotting something in the same room you are playing in.

Describe the object briefly and let your children guess what it is.

For example: I spy something that is very small, blue and makes a noise if you shake it .

Whoever guesses correctly, has a turn to spy on something and let you guess.

To vary this game, only give one set of descriptions and then let your children have as many guesses as necessary.

In the previous game, the object was hidden, whereas in this one the object is in the room and therefore should eventually be spotted. You may want to add one or two last clues if they need some assistance.

The process of guessing and listing the many potential items in the room is also good for building vocabulary.

4. Odd One Out

In a previous game, children made a long list of words in a particular category. Try this game where you now present a list of words and your children have to think of the context of the words and pick out the word that doesn't fit.

How to play Odd One Out

Choose a category (without saying it out loud).

Say a list of 4 or 5 words, all belonging to the category, except one word which should not belong to that category.

Your children must spot the word that doesn't belong.

This is not as easy as the previous games because it requires another level of thought.

Because you are not telling your kids what the category is, they have to first listen to all the words and find a common relationship between all but one of them.

You can make this as easy or as difficult as you want, depending on your children's age and how much they are ready to be challenged.

Here is the difference between an easy round and an advanced round:

Here are more Odd One Out game examples.

5. A Bird Flies

Teach your children to use action words (verbs) with this simple vocabulary activity.

Choose an animal, person or object (e.g. a bird).

Ask your kids to think of something a bird does (e.g. a bird flies, a bird chirps, a bird sings, a bird hops).

Take turns choosing words.

6. What Is It?

This game is a variation of It teaches children comprehension skills by making them use the information they have to solve the riddle.

Choose an animal.

Describe it in a riddle: I'm thinking of something that lives in the sea, has sharp teeth and swims very fast. What is it?

Whoever guesses the animal, has a turn to choose an animal and make up a riddle.

This game also encourages creative thought as your children have to make up riddles and find interesting ways to explain their animal.

It is best to play this game using the same theme, such as animals, for a few rounds until your kids have learned how to make up a riddle.

Later on, try a different theme such as people at work (e.g. I wear a long coat, I work in a hospital, I sometimes do operations. Who am I? )

7. Once Upon a Time

Making up stories is a great way to develop vocabulary as well as creativity and imagination.

There are 3 ways to make up a story:
1. Using a familiar story
For younger children, use a storybook that they have heard before. Page through the story and take turns to "tell" the story on each page.

Your children will remember some of the story from hearing it before and will use the pictures on the page as clues.

2. Using an unfamiliar story

Use a story with pictures that your children haven't heard before and page through, taking turns to make up the story by interpreting the pictures.

Follow your kids' lead and continue the story from their interpretation, while bringing in new ideas and events based on the pictures.
3. Making up a story
Make up a story without a book. This is a great game for the car or for bedtime.

Make up a beginning, such as "Once upon a time there was a little bear in the jungle." Take turns, adding one line to the story at a time.

I used to play this game often in my classroom and it always got the kids in stitches!

8. Keep It Going

You can play this game anywhere, but the best place is while driving. It's a great game for learning nouns and thinking fast.

As you pass things while driving, take turns naming as many things as you can.

For example, say "tree, building, sign, traffic light, shop, chair, grass, clouds", etc.

Try to keep an unbroken chain of words throughout the trip.

This game is really fun and also requires a lot of thinking. Your children have to really concentrate and think on their toes to not break the continuous stream of words.

I hope you've enjoyed these games and activities for developing vocabulary.

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9 Simple Vocabulary Games for Kids in Preschool

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These vocabulary games for kids are great for playing at school, home or in the car and will build language skills while having fun.

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What is comprehension and how to practice at home?

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This is a wonderful article that provides an explanation for comprehension. It also provides some tips on how to practice comprehension.

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What is phonics and some ideas to try at home

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This article explains to parents the meaning of phonics and some activities they can play at home to assist their child with this skill.

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Parents can refer to this website to learn what vocabulary is and how it is an important component to the reading process. Most vocabulary can be learned indirectly through conversation and being read to.

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More resources: Vocabulary: self-paced course Target the Problem: Vocabulary Vocabulary Apps Topics A-Z: Vocabulary Vocabulary refers to the words we must understand to communicate effectively. Educators often consider four types of vocabulary: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening vocabulary refers to the words we need to know to understand what we hear.

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Developing phonemic awareness in young children

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This article explains phonemic awareness and provides activities to help build these skills.

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This resource allows parents to learn about fluency and ways to help their child improve this skill.

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Fluency develops gradually over time and through practice. At the earliest stage of reading development, students' oral reading is slow and labored because students are just learning to "break the code" – to attach sounds to letters and to blend letter sounds into recognizable words.