PRESCHOOL THROUGH GRADE 3
Success in school starts with reading.
When children become good readers in the early grades, they are more likely to become better learners throughout their school years and beyond.
Learning to read is hard work for children. Fortunately, research is now available that suggests how to give each child a good start in reading.
Becoming a reader involves the development of important skills, including learning to:
Preschool and kindergarten teachers set the stage for your child to learn to read with some critical early skills. First, second, and third grade teachers then take up the task of building the skills that children will use every day for the rest of their lives. As a parent, you can help by understanding what teachers are teaching and by asking questions about your child’s progress and the classroom reading program.
Preschool and kindergarten teachers set the stage for your child to learn to read with some critical early skills. First, second, and third grade teachers then take up the task of building the skills that children will use every day for the rest of their lives. As a parent, you can help by understanding what teachers are teaching and by asking questions about your child’s progress and the classroom reading program.
You can also help your children become readers. Learning to read takes practice, more practice than children get during the school day. This brochure describes what a quality reading program should look like at school and how you can support that program through activities with your children.
IF YOUR CHILD IS JUST BEGINNING TO LEARN TO READ
At school you should see teachers…
At home you can help by…
IF YOUR CHILD IS JUST BEGINNING TO READ
At school you should see teachers…
At home you can help by…
IF YOUR CHILD IS READING
At school you should see teachers…
Continuing to teach letter-sound relationships for children who need more practice. On average, children need about two years of instruction in letter-sound relationships to become good spellers as well as readers.
Teaching the meaning of words, especially words that are important to understanding a book.
Teaching ways to learn the meaning of new words. Teachers cannot possibly teach students the meaning of every new word they see or read. Children should be taught how to use dictionaries to learn word meanings, how to use known words and word parts to figure out other words, and how to get clues about a word from the rest of the sentence.
Helping children understand what they are reading. Good readers think as they read and they know whether what they are reading is making sense. Teachers help children to check their understanding. When children are having difficulty, teachers show them ways to figure out the meaning of what they are reading.
At home you can help your child by…
MAKE READING APART OF EVERY DAY
PUT READING FIRST
Helping Your Child Learn to Read
The Partnership for Reading
This brochure was published by The Partnership for Reading, a collaborative effort of the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the U.S. Department of Education to make evidence-based reading research available to educators, parents, policy-makers, and others with an interest in helping all people learn to read well.
RMC Research Corporation developed this brochure with funding from the National Institute for Literacy under contract number ED-00-CO-0093. The comments or conclusions do not necessarily represent the positions or policies of NIFL, NICHD, or the U.S. Department of Education and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.