Big Ideas in Reading:      

1. Phonemic Awareness:  The ability to HEAR phonemes (single sound units).  Examples:

• Rhyming: /cat/ rhymes with /bat/ and /mat/.
• Onsets and Rimes:  the onset of /cat/ is /k/ and the rime is /at/.
• Oddity:  Identifying which word doesn't belong with the others in the group (Q. Which doesn't belong with the others: /cat/, /bat/, /mat/, or /ran/? A.. /ran/).
• Phoneme Blending: Combining individual phonemes to create a word (/k/+ /a/+ /t/=/cat/).
• Phoneme Segmentation: Dividing a given word into its phonemes (/cat/= /k/+/a/+/t/).
• Phoneme Deletion: Subtract a single phoneme (/cat/-/k/=/at/).
• Phoneme Manipulation: Substitute one phoneme for another.  (Replace the /t/ in /cat/ with /n/ to create /can/).

How Can I Support Phonemic Awareness at Home?

• Phonemic Awareness Activities        http://teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/patti/k-1/activities/phonemic.html

2.  Phonics: The ability to connect letters to phonemes (letter-sound correspondence) and blend sounds to decode words.

3.  Fluency:  The ability to automatically and effortlessly name or read letters, sounds, words, sentences, or passages with appropriate phrasing and intonation accurately and rapidly.

4.  Comprehension:  The process of obtaining meaning from spoken language and/or print.

How Can I Support Reading Comprehension?

• Comprehension Strategies    http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/h/compstrategies.cfm
• Model Questioning    http://www.teachervision.fen.com/skill-builder/reading-comprehension/48617.html
• Reading Response Journals    http://www.centralischool.ca/~bestpractice/response/index.html
• Discussion Questions to Use with Books you Read at Home    http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4/h/bookmark.htm
• Seven Strategies for Comprehension    http://www.readingrockets.org/article/3479
• Making connections    http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/unitplan.jsp?id=331

5.  Vocabulary:  The ability to understand and use words.

How Can I widen my child's' vocabulary?

• Marzano's Six Steps of Vocabulary Instruction                                                                http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/vocab/strategies.html#Step_2
• Marzano's Six Steps of Vocabulary Instruction http://www.docstoc.com/docs/19910627/Marzanos-Six-Step-Process

What Should My Child Be Able to Do in Each Area?

• Reading Skills Pyramid        http://www.time4learning.com/readingpyramid/index.htm