Learning to read is one of the most exciting things about First Grade! Our literacy instruction will consist of lessons in word study as well as reading strategies, genre and author studies, and literacy skills. You may hear your child use terms that are unfamiliar to you, so I thought I would explain a little about how our learning will look.
Our class will have Reader’s Workshop every day to increase and strengthen our literacy skills. The workshop model includes whole group and small group lessons as well as one-on-one instruction, independent reading and partner work. All students will participate in a whole group mini-lesson each day and then practice independently while I meet with small groups and individual students.
In the beginning of the year, we will learn what it means to be independent and how Reader’s Workshop looks, sounds and feels. We will steadily increase our ability to read independently and build up to 30 minutes of self-sustained reading. Once we have built up our stamina and students can work independently, I will begin meeting with small groups and conferencing with individual students. The students and I will work together to set personal goals that they will focus on as they work on their literacy activities. Instruction is differentiated to meet each students needs.
Literacy instruction focuses on four areas:
Comprehension (Understanding what we read.)
Accuracy (Reading words correctly.)
Fluency (Reading smoothly and with expression and understanding.)
Expanding Vocabulary (Noticing, learning and using new words.)
The children will learn reading strategies within each category throughout the year. These strategies will become tools for the children to use to help themselves become stronger readers. In addition to learning reading strategies, we will progress through units of study with various focuses in both fiction and non-fiction.
It is going to be exciting to watch your child’s reading skills blossom throughout the year! Parents often want to know what they can do to help their child with reading. The answer is to simply read with them and to them. The more immersed a child is in literature, the stronger their literacy skills become.
If you have any questions about my literacy program, please do not hesitate to ask!