read, read, read
What and how to read at each stage?
Phonological Awareness Stage
Phonological awareness (the ability to hear and say the distinct sounds of language)(no letters or words - just sounds) has been shown to be the single most powerful predictor of future reading ability in beginning readers.
When: Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten.
(your child may know the letter names, but doesn’t yet know the sound-letter correspondences)
What to do: Read to, sing, or rhyme out loud with your child. Make up stories. Get to know books and stories. Any time of day.
Your child isn’t reading at this stage, just recognizing and speaking sounds.
*** We’ll be adding some fun and easy activities soon, on the “phonological awareness” page.
Read Out loud
a parent, a friend, grandpa can read out loud with your learner
engage them with the book
let them choose the book
let them turn the pages
ask questions along the way or at the end “why did ___ do ___”?
or make comments “what a clever rabbit”
Make up stories
just sit with your child and tell them a made up story, or a story from your life. You are teaching them to hear, listen, and focus. You are teaching vocabulary, comprehension and even the fundamentals of grammar and sentence structure as you pause, get louder or ask a question.
you can also make up a story together:
(adult) “once upon a time there was a turtle” … (child) “the turtle’s name was Plop” … (adult) “Plop was small, but had superpowers …” etc.
Sing songs or rhymes
ok, this isn’t for everyone, as some people don’t love to sing out loud or can’t remember nursery rhymes, but if you do have a few songs or rhymes up your sleeve, this is definitely the best way to build phonological awareness, so give it a try.
The alphabet
When: Pre-Kindergarten to Kindergarten.
There are letters, and there are letter-sounds. In order to move to the letter-sound stage, your little ones need to recognize the letters and their names. The symbol a is the letter “ay”. A wooden letters puzzle, and a cheery song, and you’ll be there in no time. Starting Kindergarten without knowing the letter names is absolutely fine, though. Most important is phonological awareness.
Letter-Sound Stage
When: Kindergarten to first grade (and beyond).
We want your kids to be successful at reading and to love reading. Therefore, in the morning (or after school) they read letters, words, short passages or books at their level, practicing what they’ve learned. Then in the evening you can read to your child. These books are often above their reading level, but perhaps better tailored to their interests. This will motivate and inspire your reader.
Read letters, words,
short passages or “decodable” books at their level (coming soon)
your child reads out loud to you
in the morning or after school
(not at bedtime when they’re tired, because reading is very tiring for beginning readers).read at their level (or a tiny bit above)
read in short bursts
praise and encourage
increase the reading time slowly
Read out loud
a parent, a friend, grandpa can read out loud with your learner
at bedtime (or anytime)
your learner can follow along as you read, picking up sight words,
learning new vocabulary, engaging with the book and the storythey can choose the book
they can turn the pages
ask questions along the way or at the end “why did ___ do ___”?
or make comments that relate to the reader’s life “that rabbit is just like grandpa”
Make up stories
just snuggle with your child and tell them a made up story, or a story from your life. You are teaching them to hear, listen, and focus. You are teaching vocabulary, comprehension and even the fundamentals of grammar and sentence structure as you pause, get louder or ask a question.
you can also make up a story together, taking turns:
(adult) “once upon a time there was a turtle” … (child) “the turtle’s name was Plop” … (adult) “Plop was small, but had superpowers …” etc.
Fluency, Vocabulary + Comprehension Stages
When: grades 1 to 7 and beyond
Once our readers have mastered the letter-sounds, they begin to be able to decode words, then sentences, then books. Fluency, vocabulary and comprehension are intertwined into this ongoing reading process.
Our goal is prevention, not intervention. We’re not waiting to see if your kids will struggle, we’re setting them up for success.
“Reading is magical, but it’s not natural.”
— Liben & Liben, 2019, pg.48