Kindergarten- Ms. Conforti's Busy Bees
Ten Things to Know Before Starting Kindergarten
By covering these learning objectives before your child begins Kindergarten, he/she will have an easier time transitioning into the higher-level thinking skills that will be used. Take a look at this list and implement whatever you can to prepare your child to enter their first year of school.
1. First and Last Name
It’s important that your child be able to recognize his/her name on paper and be able to write at least his/her first name. Make sure they are using a capital letter in the beginning of their name and lowercase in the rest. In Kindergarten, they will practice writing their name each day.
2. Recognition of the Alphabet
Capital letters are most common in the pre-school world. Blocks, typing pads, and multiple other learning tools often use only capital letters: ABC. However, lower case letters are actually used more often in everyday print, therefore they are very important. If you have the opportunity for your child to know both upper and lowercase, this is ideal. Either way, letter recognition is highly important for a successful start in Kindergarten.
3. Sounds Heard in Words
If your child is already recognizing their letters, start going over the sounds that letters make at the beginning middle, and end of a word. However, it’s not necessary that they can match letters with their sounds yet. The more important thing is that they recognize that words are made up of different sounds found in the beginning, middle, and end. Ask your child what sounds they hear in the word cat (they would say c – a – t).
4. Rhyming Words
Young children love finger plays, poems, rhymes, songs, and chants. By making these a daily routine, children will learn expression through words and sounds. Rhyming enables students to decode words and practice necessary listening skills that will benefit the reading process.
5. A Love of Books
It’s important at a young age for children to gain a fondness for books. Make it a priority to read every day with your child, even for as little as 5 min. As you’re reading, point out features within the book such as the letters, words, and pictures that your child sees. Analyze expressions on faces or body language and help them predict what might happen before turning the page. They may not be able to read the words yet, but they can begin to gain an understanding that letters form words, words are read from left to right, and pages are turned in order. Having a love for books will foster a lifetime of learning.
6. One-to-One Counting Correspondence
It’s a good idea during the preschool years to begin to model for your child how to count small objects, one at a time. Use playtime as an opportunity to show your child how to count: pointing to one object at a time while saying out loud: “One, Two, Three…”. Preschoolers should be able to count to ten verbally while pointing to one object at a time. If they can recognize those numbers before Kindergarten, that’s a plus, but not a necessity as most kindergarten curricula include number recognition.
7. Basic Colors
Talk to your child often about the colors of objects he/she sees and touches throughout the day. They will pick up on this necessary vocabulary in no time! It’s ideal to teach them the basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, as well as brown, black, and white.
8. Basic Shapes
Squares, Circles, Ovals, Diamonds, Stars, and Triangles are shapes your preschooler can recognize all around his/her environment on a daily basis. Point these shapes out to them and talk about their features such as sides, curves, and points.
9. Vocabulary in the World Around Them
Give your child every opportunity to learn what the names of animals, people, places, or things are. Reading board books and picture books to your child helps them build their vocabulary. Talk to them about the many different objects in their world and ask them what sounds they make, what color they are, or how they taste, smell or feel.. For example, teach them all different ways to say “big”: gigantic, enormous, huge, and compare it to something else. “That bear is larger than 10 dogs put together.” You will be amazed at all the words they can use to express the world around them.
10. Independence
Kindergarten is a huge year of emotional growth and independence for young children, and they’re ready to show you what they can do all by themselves! Begin to prepare them by having them do things on a daily basis, such as learning to tie their shoes, using the bathroom independently, putting away their own dishes after meals, or cleaning up their toys after they’ve made a mess.
As parents, you are your child's most influential teacher with an important part to play in helping your child to learn to read.
Here are some suggestions on how you can help to make this a positive experience.
1. Set a good example
Help your child see that reading is important! Set a good example for your child by reading books, newspapers, and magazines. Create a quiet, special place in your home for your child to read, write and draw. Keep books and other reading materials where your child can easily reach them.
2. Introduce new words
Discuss new words. For example, "This big house is called a palace. Who do you think lives in a palace?" Point out the printed words in your home and other places you take your child such as the grocery store. Spend as much time listening to your child as you do talking to him.
3. Make reading enjoyable
Make reading an enjoyable experience. Sit with your child. Try not to pressure if he or she is reluctant. If your child loses interest then do something else.
4. Maintain the flow
If your child mispronounces a word do not interrupt immediately. Instead, allow the opportunity for self-correction. It is better to tell a child some unknown words to maintain the flow rather than insisting on trying to build them all up from the sounds of the letters. If your child does try to 'sound out' words, encourage the use of letter sounds rather than 'alphabet names'.
5. Be positive
If your child says something nearly right to start with that is fine. Don't say 'No. That's wrong,' but 'Let's read it together' and point to the words as you say them. Boost your child's confidence with constant praise for even the smallest achievement.
6. Talk about the books
There is more to being a good reader than just being able to read the words accurately. Just as important is being able to understand what has been read. Always talk to your child about the book; about the pictures, the characters, how they think the story will end, their favorite part. You will then be able to see how well they have understood and you will help them to develop good comprehension skills.
7. Begin collecting books
Encourage your child to use the public library regularly. Help your child start a home library; paperback books are fine. Encourage your child to swap books with friends. Check used bookstores. Give books as gifts.
Use the "Rule of Thumb" to see if a book is on your children's reading level: Have them read a page of the book aloud. Have them hold up one finger for each word they don't know. If they hold up four fingers and a thumb before the end of the page, the book is probably too hard for them to read alone. But it might be a great book to read aloud.
8. Variety is important
Remember children need to experience a variety of reading materials eg. picture books, hard backs, comics, magazines, poems, and information books.
9. Reading on the go . . .
Take books and writing materials with you whenever you leave home. This gives your child fun activities to entertain and occupy him while traveling and going to the doctor's office or other appointments.
10. Communicate with teachers
Be knowledgeable about your children's progress! Talk with your child’s teacher and other specialists at your school if you have any concerns about your child’s reading or progress.
Most importantly . . . Read with your child EVERY day!
A great resource for students in Kindergarten and first grade. This site reinforces literacy skills such as letter names, letter sounds, beginning sounds, word families, and beginning reading skills.
Use this link - www.starfall.com
Learning to read is one of the most important skills your child will learn. Reading Eggs helps parents and home educators support their child’s reading journey from the very beginning, and grows with them at their own pace.
Please sign into this program 2x a week.
Use this link - www.readingeggs.com
Strategy #1: Sky Writing
- Student finger traces letters of the word in the deck while saying each letter out loud.
- Student uses extended arm and pointed finger to write each letter in the air while saying each letter as it is written.
- Repeat 3 times per word in the deck.
Strategy #2: Read it, Type it, Write it
- Place green key board and card deck in front of student on a desk or table.
- Student finger traces letters of the word in the deck while saying each letter out loud.
- Student types each letter while saying it out loud, then hits “enter” to signify the word being blended together. Type each word 3 times.
- Flip the paper over and write the word from memory 3 times. Check using word card. Be mindful of handwriting and neatness (high and low letters).
- Students will then use it correctly in a sentence that shows they understand the meaning of the sight word.
Strategy #3: Arm Spelling
- Ask student to hold card deck in non-writing hand, and extend arm all the way out in front of them.
- Starting at the shoulder, tap each letter on a new spot on the arm moving towards the wrist.
- Swipe from the shoulder down to wrist and word is repeated at the end.
- Repeat 3 times.
Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI)
The Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Literacy Intervention is a powerful, short-term intervention, that provides daily, intensive, small-group instruction, which supplements classroom literacy teaching. LLI turns struggling readers into successful readers with engaging leveled books and fast-paced, systematically designed lessons
Any Kindergarten student who is still struggling to read in January, will get asked to join this reading intervention program.
LLI Orange books-LLi orange books
See you tomorrow! Don't forget to read and play