Reading Websites
Phonics Skills
What exactly is phonics?
Phonics is knowing that sounds and letters have a relationship — it's that simple, and that complex. It is the link between what we say and what we can read and write. "Children need very explicit instructions on how the letters on a page correspond to the spoken word," explains Margie Gillis, Ed.D., project director of reading research studies at Haskins Laboratories in New Haven, Connecticut. A child who has mastered phonics can connect the sounds he knows with letters, then put them together to make words. (And then he can put words together to read sentences, and so on.)
Phonics offers your beginning reader the strategies she needs to sound out words. For example, she learns that the letter D has the sound of "d" as in "doll." Then she learns how to blend letter sounds together to make words like dog. It's not as easy as it sounds, because the 26 letters in our alphabet correspond to 44 sounds. But when your child has mastered it, this knowledge helps her read familiar words at an appropriate pace, and gives her the ability to decode and spell words she hasn't seen before.
Why is phonics important?
The ultimate goal of reading is good comprehension. But in order for your child to understand what he reads, he must be able to do it quickly and automatically, without stumbling over words. Phonics facilitates that process. With lots of practice sounding out words, in combination with other important reading skills such as phonemic awareness, letter recognition, vocabulary building, and concepts of print, he learns to read more fluently. Then he can turn his attention to grasping the passages.
Taken from "Sounding Out Phonics: Get the lowdown on why this teaching method is key to reading success" by Ellen H. Parlapiano at Scholastic.com Read more about Phonics at Scholastic
Phonics Websites
BBC's Phonics Practice
Starfall's Phonics Practice
Word Study at Fact Monster
Turtle Diary
Comprehension Skills
Comprehension requires the reader to be an active constructor of meaning. Reading research has demonstrated that readers do not simply "perceive" the meaning that is IN a text. In fact, expert readers co-construct meaning WITH a text. The research base shows that reading is a "transaction" in which the reader brings purposes and life experiences to bear to converse with the text. This meeting of the reader and the text results in the meaning that is comprehension. Comprehension always attends to what is coded or written in the text, but it also depends upon the reader's background experiences, purposes, feelings, and needs of the moment. That's why we can read the same book or story twice and it will have very different meanings for us. We, as readers, are an equal and active partner with the text in the meaning-making process of comprehension.
What processes and strategies are required to be an active constructor of meaning as a reader? Again, the processes have been underarticulated. There is wide agreement among reading researchers that every time a reader reads anything, they make use of the following strategies:
Activate prior knowledge, and connect the applicable prior experiences to the reading (if students don't have the requisite background knowledge about a topic, they will be unable to comprehend)
Set Purposes
Predict
Decode Text — identify word and sentence meanings
Summarize — bring meaning forward throughout the reading, building on prior information to create new and fuller meanings
Visualize — see characters, settings, situations, ideas, mental models
Question
Monitor understanding - the most salient difference between good and poor readers is that good readers know when — and often why — they are not comprehending
Use Clarifying and Corrective strategies where needed
Reflect on and Apply the meaning that has been made to new situations
Taken from "Understanding Reading Comprehension" by Jeff Wilheim at Scholastic.com
Read more about Comprehension at Scholastic
Comprehension Websites
Sylvan's Book Adventure
Raz-Kids Reading Room
Read-Alouds/Stories
Reading together helps build vocabulary and literacy skills, but it also boosts listening comprehension, sparks imagination, and helps you discuss tough topics. And of course, snuggling up with a book strengthens your relationship. Benefits begin at babyhood and last well into the teen years, so get reading! These videos offer age-by-age tips on how best to capture your child's attention when reading aloud.
Taken from "Read Aloud With Your Child: Video Demos, What's the best way to help your child succeed in school and life? Read to him, early and often!" at Scholastic.com
View Videos about Read Alouds at Scholastic
Read-Aloud/Stories Websites
PBS Between the Lions - Stories
Starfall's It's Fun to Read! - Early Readers
Starfall's I can Read! - Fluent Readers
Scholastic News
Book Pals StoryLine Online
Mrs. P's Children's Storybooks Online Library
Reading Strategies to Help your Child
*Point to Words- For beginning readers, point to each word
*Use Picture Clues- Look at the pictures on the page to help figure out a word
*Cover Up Endings- Put your finger over the endings (such as -ed in played, read play, and then add the ending to read played)
*Read Ahead- Skip the unknown word, read to the end of the sentence, and then use the context of the sentence to help figure out the missing word
*Look for a Little Word in a Longer Word- Example - Monday, kids are familiar with the word day, they can read this part and use that to help them figure out the read of the word
*Look for Chunks- A chunk is a vowel and the consonants that follow it (such as -it, -am, or -at in the words sit, ham, and rat)
*Look Back- Look back to what has already been read to understand what is written
*Look at the First and Last Letters- When a word is unknown, look at the first and last letter to see what might make sense in the context of the story
*Chunk It- Divide the word into smaller parts
*Stop and Think- Pause and think about what has already been read
*Read it Again- Re-read the sentence to see if a word makes sense
*Ask an Expert- If none of the other strategies work, ask someone for help
Parental Reading Resources
PBS Parents
Compact for Parents - List of Reading Activities
Jim Trelease's Website - The Read Aloud Handbook
Reading Is Fundamental
Websites for Reading - Internet4Classrooms
Scholastic's Parent Homepage
Printable Reading Resources
Comprehension Questions
Fluency Practice
Before Reading Questions
After Reading Questions
Main Idea & Details
Summarizing/ Sequencing
Compare & Contrast
Fact & Opinion
Text-Text, Text-Self, and Text-World Connections
Cause & Effect
Problem & Solution
Story Maps
Author's Purpose
Making Predictions
Making Inferences
Using Context Clues
