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ABC Mouse is a great program for students to use to build their reading skills. They have so many different activities for students. While a paid subscription is required, this online program would allow students to practice their comprehension skills while having fun.

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ABCmouse.com helps kids learn to read through phonics, and teaches lessons in math, social studies, art, music, and much more! For kids ages 2 to 8.

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Without comprehension, children gain no meaning from what they read. It allows students to understand the meaning of what they read, and it's a key component of effective communication. It's a skill they carry with to succeed in school, work, and life in general.

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Many children in the United States haven't fully developed their reading skills. Between 2017 and 2019, the number of children in grades 4 through 8 reading at or above their grade level decreased. In other words, the number of children who lack the necessary reading skills increased.

The National Reading Panel Report identified five components vital to developing reading skills: phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Although each component is important in developing a child's reading ability, the following information focuses on four comprehension strategies that are used to help increase the reading comprehension of young children and older children who are struggling with reading.

Comprehension refers to the ability to understand written words. It is different from the ability to recognize words. Recognizing words on a page but not knowing what they mean does not fulfill the purpose or goal of reading, which is comprehension. Imagine, for example, that a teacher gives a child a passage to read. The child can read the entire passage, but he or she knows nothing when asked to explain what was read. Comprehension adds meaning to what is read. Reading comprehension occurs when words on a page are not just mere words but thoughts and ideas. Comprehension makes reading enjoyable, fun, and informative. It is needed to succeed in school, work, and life in general.

There are different strategies to use to enhance comprehension. It takes patience and continuous guidance when using these strategies. When working with children, remember to model the strategy as well as provide guided practice. As their skills increase, slowly decrease your guidance. The goal is to get children to use the strategies automatically. The following are strategies that can be used to help build reading comprehension in children:

Predicting

This strategy involves asking children to make informed predictions based on what they obtain from the story or text. Predictions require asking children to make guesses about what might happen. Predictions are made based on what they see, hear, or read relative to the book's cover, title, pictures, drawing, table of content, and headings.

When asked a question, such as "What do you think this book will be about?" or "What do you think will happen to/if ...?," children make predictions or guesses when answering. Predicting builds interest and understanding of the text, and it establishes a purpose for reading. This strategy keeps children actively engaged by connecting, reflecting, and revising their predictions.

Making Connections to Prior Knowledge

Making connections to prior knowledge involves connecting a new idea to knowledge and experiences already known. It requires getting children to relate their own experiences to something in the story. The goal is to get children to use their prior knowledge to help make sense of the text they read. Prior knowledge can include their experiences or knowledge of words, places, animals, or events. For example, the children know the word "bones" because of a previous discussion on bones because of a classmate's broken arm. When they read a new word, such as "skeleton", their prior knowledge of bones will be used to help them understand the new term.

Children start by making connections between text and their personal experiences (text-to-self). As they grow older, connections are made between different books, texts, or ideas by identifying similarities. In other words, to increase comprehension, get children to make text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world connections before, during, and after they read. For example, a discussion of the new or difficult vocabulary words before reading the text can help increase children's comprehension. When reading, they can then activate their prior knowledge of the new terms.

Visualizing

Visualizing is also a strategy used to increase reading comprehension. It requires getting children to create in their minds a mental image of what they read from the text. Children can mentally envision what they are reading. The mental image helps children understand, recall details, remember, and draw conclusions from the things they encountered while reading. For example, ask children to make a drawing based on what they read. Also, while reading a passage to children, ask them to close their eyes and listen. Ask them to create a movie in their mind of what the words are describing.

Summarizing

This strategy involves getting children, when reading, to identify the main idea in the text and putting the idea into their own words. Children must sort through the information to determine what information is important and what is unimportant. They take the most important information and put it in their own words and use as few words as possible to explain the text. This strategy is not to be applied only at the end of the story. Instead, children should be taught to summarize throughout the story.

Without comprehension, children gain no meaning from what they read. Comprehension strategies are used to increase children's understanding of the text to help them become active readers by engaging with the text. Learn more about Alabama Extension's Parent-Child Reading Enhancement Program to enhance a child's reading ability.

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The Importance of Reading Comprehension - Alabama Cooperative Extension System

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Many children in the United States haven't fully developed their reading skills. Between 2017 and 2019, the number of children in grades 4 through 8 reading at or above their grade level decreased. In other words, the number of children who lack the necessary reading skills increased.

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Comprehension is the ability to understand written text. It involves a mix of word reading, language comprehension, and the ability to integrate what you read with what you already know.

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This website is a great resource for students to practice vocabulary words. As the teacher, you can set the difficulty on the words, choose different categories, and engage in challenges. While students practice their vocabulary, they donate rice to children in need.

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Freerice is an educational trivia game owned by the UN World Food Programme (WFP). Join our movement to help end global hunger: start playing today!

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Vocabulary development is key to writing, communication, reading comprehension, and overall literacy. The larger a student's vocabulary, the more effectively they can express ideas, understand what others are saying, and engage with a variety of texts. It helps students recognize words instantly without having to be decoded or sounded out.

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Vocabulary plays a fundamental role in the reading process and is critical to reading comprehension. Children learn the meanings of most words indirectly, through everyday experiences with oral and written language. Other words are learned through carefully designed instruction.

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Vocabulary refers to the set of words that a student knows and understands. It includes the words a person can recognize and use in speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

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This website includes 15 activities that encourage students to practice fluency. It has the worksheets attached along with the directions. These are great worksheets that I could see being used in my future classroom.

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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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Fluency is key to gaining a strong comprehension of the text being read. It builds a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. Once student's become fluent, they will have more attention available to focus on the story. In short, fluency makes reading more enjoyable and easier for student's.

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Reading fluency is the ability to read accurately, smoothly and with expression. Fluent readers recognize words automatically, without struggling over decoding issues. When reading silently, in addition to recognizing words automatically, fluent readers group words rapidly to help gain meaning from their reading, which then translates into their understanding of the text. When reading aloud, fluent readers sound natural, as if they're speaking. Non-fluent readers read slowly and sound choppy. Fluency is important because it builds a bridge between word recognition and comprehension. It allows students time to focus on what the text is saying. They are able to make connections between what they are reading and their own background knowledge. Therefore, they are able to concentrate on comprehension. On the other hand, non-fluent readers have to spend more time decoding, leaving less time for comprehending the text. Due to mistakes made when reading, they will often have to read the same passage over several times to attain comprehension. In addition, non-fluent readers often do no read with expression.

Even when students recognize words automatically, they are not fluent if they don't read with expression. To read with expression a student should be able to divide a word into chunks, using proper phrasing. Not paying attention to punctuation often changes the meaning of the text. For example:

The children, without their toys, feel sad.
or
The children without their, toys feel sad.

Fortunately, reading fluency can be taught. It is important for adults to read aloud to children, modeling what good readers do. Show children how you pause for punctuation and change your voice to make text more meaningful. Children should be read to by their teachers, by their parents, and by their relatives. The more models of fluent reading children hear the better.

Next, it is important for children to practice, engaging them in repeated reading. Text should be easy to read and relatively short. There are several ways children can practice fluent reading;

Child/adult reading - The adult models, then the student practices.

Choral reading - reading in unison.

Assisted reading - reading along with a recorded text.

Partner reading - reading along with another child

Reader's Theatre - playing characters, as in a play.

Assessing progress is easy and most children think it's fun. Children love when you take out a stop watch and time them. Pick a passage on the proper reading level, time for 1 minute and graph the results. After several practices on the same text, time again. The children see immediate progress and become motivated to become more fluent readers.

In conclusion, reading fluency is the ability to read accurately and quickly. It is important because fluent readers comprehend better. It can be developed by modeling and practice.
By Fran Nieporent, Private Tutor

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What Is Reading Fluency? And why Is It Important?

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Reading fluency is the ability to read accurately, smoothly and with expression. Fluent readers recognize words automatically, without struggling over decoding issues.

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Reading fluency is the ability to read accurately, smoothly and with expression. Fluent readers recognize words automatically, without struggling over decoding issues.

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This website includes 12 different activities students could participate in to practice phonics.

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Phonics is important because it help students learn to decode words, read fluently, develop literacy skills, and encourage a love for reading. They provide a foundation for developing literacy skills that children will use throughout their whole lives. Phonics is most effective when taught in a structured method, starting with the easiest sounds and progressing to the most complex.

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Learning to read means many different things to different people. Certainly, when I was at school we learnt by 'rote'.

Thankfully over the years, things have developed significantly and our teachers at NAIS Manila are highly trained in this area.

Over the past couple of weeks, all children in Year 1 and Year 2 (Key Stage 1) have had their initial Phonics 'Baseline'. Mr. Barnett and his team have grouped the children and live daily phonics is now taking place through our Virtual Schooling Experience.

The smaller groups allow our teachers to cater for the individual needs of the children. It's clear to see the confidence the children are developing in this area.

Phonics is a token phrase that gets thrown around a lot in terms of education and language development. What exactly is phonics, and why are these skills so important for your child?

What is phonics?

Phonics is a way of teaching children to read quickly and skilfully by connecting sounds with letters or groups of letters. Using phonics children can:

recognise the sounds that each individual letter makes

identify the sounds that different combinations of letters make - such as 'sh' or 'oo'

blend these sounds together from left to right to make a word

These are just some major milestones, as there are many complicated components to phonics instruction that your child will learn from our teachers.

Why do we teach phonics?

Phonics as a teaching method is a great way to learn to read as it simplifies the English language down into just 44 sounds. Children, therefore 'decode' words by breaking it down into it sounds rather than having to memorise 1,000's of words individually (much like I was taught in school).

Research shows that phonics, when taught correctly, is one of the most effective ways of teaching children to learn to read - this is backed up by our assessment data at NAIS Manila. Sounds are taught from easiest to hardest: single letter sounds first then moving on to two letters making a sound and so on. Learning phonics is one of the most important stepping-stones in early reading.

When children are familiar with the sounds that the letters make, they are able to use them when reading, to segment and blend words together.

Top Tips for Parents - How Can I Support my Child?

Virtual Learning is truly a team effort and all children - regardless of ages or abilities - will benefit from support from an adult.

Here are a few tips to help you nurture your child's progress.

Take an interest - Ask your child what they have learned and ask them to demonstrate what they can do. Your praise and encouragement will help to boost their confidence and engagement.

Listen to your child read aloud - Ideally, we would like the children to read aloud for 30 minutes every day. Research suggests that this will help the children to make rapid progress. There are many benefits to this, as your child will be able to apply their phonetic knowledge, their vocabulary range will increase and their expression and fluency will improve. Reading regularly will subsequently help improve other areas of the curriculum, such as writing and maths.

Avoid telling them the answer - If your child gets stuck, encourage them to have another go and decode the sounds individually.

Read to your child - You are your child's most important teacher; they will learn from your example. It is also a great way to bond with your child in a calm environment.

Phonics can be tricky to understand if you have never used it to learn to read, but if you would like to know a little more, please speak to your child's teacher. They will be more than happy to arrange a virtual meeting to update you on your child's progress.

Happy phonics-ing! I'm sure that's not even a real word - perhaps I need to attend some of the KS1 phonics lessons myself!

- Chris Pooley, Principal

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What is phonics, and why are these skills so important for your child? At NAIS Manila daily phonics takes place through our Virtual Schooling Experience.

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Phonics teach students the relationship between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. Students learn the phonetic value of letters, letter groups, and especially syllables.

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This is what phonemic awareness could look like in the classroom. This video focuses on segmenting words. It takes words and asks students to listen closely and repeat what words they hear. For example, the word "pancake" is given. Students should respond with "pan" and "cake". This video is colorful and interactive to engage students!

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Let's Learn SEGMENTING WORDS {Phonemic Awareness}

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Phonemic awareness is important because it necessary for student's to read and write. When student's are able to hear, identify, and manipulate the sounds in words, they can decode (sound out) unfamiliar words while they read. Phonemic awareness is closely tied to spelling and writing as well. Understanding how words are constructed from sounds helps student's spell them correctly. Children who develop strong phonemic awareness skills before they start formal reading instruction tend to learn to read more easily and quickly.

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Phoneme awareness is necessary for learning and using the alphabetic code

Phoneme awareness predicts later outcomes in reading and spelling

The majority of poor readers have relative difficulty with phoneme awareness and other phonological skills

Instruction in phoneme awareness is beneficial for novice readers and spellers

Phonological awareness interacts with and facilitates the development of vocabulary and word consciousness

Moats, L, & Tolman, C (2009). Excerpted from Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS): The Speech Sounds of English: Phonetics, Phonology, and Phoneme Awareness (Module 2). Boston: Sopris West.

For more information on Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) visit Voyager Sopris .

For any reprint requests, please contact the author or publisher listed.

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Why Phonological Awareness Is Important for Reading and Spelling

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Phonological awareness is critical for learning to read any alphabetic writing system. And research shows that difficulty with phoneme awareness and other phonological skills is a predictor of poor reading and spelling development.

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Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear, identify, and work/ manipulate phonemes. It is a foundational skill student's must have before they can learn phonics.