Dolch Sight Words
- Students in our language immersion get French literacy instruction in Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade.
- Starting in Third Grade, students receive one hour of French and one hour of English. At the end of Third Grade, students are required to take the End-of-Grade Assessments that are administered in English.
- Also, on the Math MAP assessment, the English language instructions are read to them in Kindergarten and in First Grade. Starting in Second Grade, students will need to read the English language instructions on their own to complete this test (administered three times a year).
- It is important for students to practice reading in English at home.
Regardless of the language, reading is a technique, it is an acquired skill. It takes time and practice, and a bucket-load of self-confidence. For some, it may not come easily. Here are some tips to help your child learn--and enjoy--reading.
- Model reading for your child.
- Let your child see you engaged in your own reading.
- Set up a quiet reading area.
- Learners have to know the words verbally before being able to read them.
- Identify the sounds in a certain word--if a child cannot hear the sound, they will not read it (meaning the letters that make that sound).
- Use magnetic letters, like ones seen on refrigerators, for your child to make words.
- Record your child reading a text, then play it back for them to let them hear themselves read. See if they can improve on their reading fluency and expression.
Awareness of the Text
- Students can keep a journal to record new words as they read. The new vocabulary can be drawn or photographed, written in a sentence, researched online or in a dictionary.
- We have identified and labeled many items in the classroom; consider doing this at home to help your child associate the word spelled out with the tangible object. Practice reading from a variety of sources: recipes, newspapers, magazines, tables/graphs, fiction, poems, songs, scientific books, numbers, math story problems.
- If your child has younger siblings, let your child read to the younger ones as a role model.
- Set up an email account for your child to correspond with a relative, or even with yourself.
- Get family or friends to mail your child a postcard (writing in manuscript).
- Use the option for closed captioning or subtitles when available. Students can associate the audible word with the written form.
Comprehension
- When reading a book out loud, stop and check your child's understanding of the text. If they are not listening to you, they will not understand the text.
- If your child is listening to a book read online (for ex: RAZ-Kids), cover the screen so that your child cannot see the images or text. Stop the recording occasionally and check for understanding.
- Review prior knowledge about a topic before reading a book.
- Preview the drawings, headings, predict what may happen at the end of the text.
- Have your child act out parts of the story; or use puppets or toys to act it out.
- Identify words that are similar in meaning, complete opposites, or sound the same. Replace that word in the sentence and ask if it makes sense.
- Question your child about what was read. What is this text about? Who are the characters? When, where, how, why.... What if X happened instead of what was described?
Going Beyond
- Remember that our students are not taught English until Grade 3, when they have the End-Of-Grade tests. All literacy taught in the classroom is in French.
- RAZ-Kids is a great tool for building a student's skills in listening, reading and comprehension.
- Read material to your child that is a step above their reading ability. This will open them to new vocabulary and richer text.
- Research a topic with your child, reading from different sources. Students can then compare and contrast informational text. Add in an imaginary text on the same topic.