Reading
In Dr. Seuss's timeless words, "The more you read, the more things you'll know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." We will go on a reading adventure every day in class. Visit the links below for engaging, interactive activities for some educational fun with your awesome budding reader! Of course, nothing beats read aloud time at home. This is going to be an exciting year of growth and adventure, as your fabulous first grader becomes an even stronger reader...with many places to go - and SOAR!
Resources for Home
Helpful Tips - CLICK HERE
Read Alouds by Children's Authors - CLICK HERE
Read Alouds by MORE Children's Authors - CLICK HERE
Read Alouds by Astronauts - CLICK HERE
Read Alouds by Actors - CLICK HERE
Read Alouds by Children's Authors - CLICK HERE
Read Alouds by MORE Children's Authors - CLICK HERE
Read Alouds by Astronauts - CLICK HERE
Read Alouds by Actors - CLICK HERE
Reading Activities - Online
ABC Match - Letters and Sounds - CLICK HERE
Sky Riding - Letter Recognition - Letters in different formats - CLICK HERE
Picture Match - Identify beginning letter sound - CLICK HERE
Bemboo's Zoo - Watch letters become animals! - CLICK HERE
Construct a Word - CLICK HERE
PBS Kids - LOTS of fun activities - CLICK HERE
Learning to Read - CLICK HERE
I Can Read - Sight Words in Sentences - CLICK HERE
KidPort - LOTS of fun language arts activities - CLICK HERE
Professor Garfield (Yes, THAT Garfield!:)) - Phonics Practice - CLICK HERE
Rhyming Words - CLICK HERE
Word Family Sort - CLICK HERE
Storyline - Wonderful Stories Read Aloud - CLICK HERE
ABCya - LOTS of fun reading activities for every grade level - CLICK HERE
Sky Riding - Letter Recognition - Letters in different formats - CLICK HERE
Picture Match - Identify beginning letter sound - CLICK HERE
Bemboo's Zoo - Watch letters become animals! - CLICK HERE
Construct a Word - CLICK HERE
PBS Kids - LOTS of fun activities - CLICK HERE
Learning to Read - CLICK HERE
I Can Read - Sight Words in Sentences - CLICK HERE
KidPort - LOTS of fun language arts activities - CLICK HERE
Professor Garfield (Yes, THAT Garfield!:)) - Phonics Practice - CLICK HERE
Rhyming Words - CLICK HERE
Word Family Sort - CLICK HERE
Storyline - Wonderful Stories Read Aloud - CLICK HERE
ABCya - LOTS of fun reading activities for every grade level - CLICK HERE
Word Wizards - Sight Words (Fry)
Did you know that 300 Fry words comprise 65% of all written material? As first graders, students will focus on the first 100 Fry words and will move on to the next 100 and so forth, as each set is mastered. Let's get started! Here are some great resources you may use at home, to help your fabulous first grader become an amazing and successful reader!
An important and engaging component of our first grade literacy curriculum is our Word Wizard program! Your child will come home with Word Wizard lists to practice at home and to review at school. These lists are words and phrases comprised of these important sight words.
Word Wizard Instructions
* Start with list #1 (Red/Red Word Wizard), and help your child practice those words until he/she can read all 25 words in 25 seconds or less with 100% accuracy.
* When mastery is reached, sign your initials under the list and return it to school to pass off with your child's teacher.
* Next, work with your child on the corresponding Fry phrases that are located on the back of the word lists page.
* When your child successfully reads the phrases in a group to you in 60 seconds or less with 100% accuracy, send the initialed paper back to school to pass of with his/her teacher.
* Continue this process until all 100 words on the list and their corresponding phrases have been mastered.
* When the completed and mastered lists are returned to school, words 101 - 200 will be put into the folder. The process repeats for each set of 100 words.
Words 1 - 100 - Red Page
Words 101 - 200 - Yellow Page
Words 201 - 300 - Blue Page
Words 301 - 400 - Green Page
Words 401 - 500 Purple Page
Words 501 - 600 - Gold Page
There will be a CELEBRATION for your child every time he/she passes off 100 words! When your child passes off the FIRST (Red) 100 words, he/she will "officially" become a First Grade Word Wizard. (Hooray!) However, we also realize that most, if not ALL, students will be able to go beyond the first 100 words. There will be fun REWARDS for every group of 100 words that is mastered! In fact, every student who masters ALL 600 WORDS will receive a "Golden Wand" - the highest Word Wizard reward!
Of course, the joy and adventure of reading and writing will be the greatest reward that will last a lifetime!
Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions.
Happy Reading!
Extra Practice at Home...
CLICK HERE
Printable Flash Cards - CLICK HERE
Sight Words Games - CLICK HERE
Practice Online - CLICK HERE
MORE Online Practice - CLICK HERE
An important and engaging component of our first grade literacy curriculum is our Word Wizard program! Your child will come home with Word Wizard lists to practice at home and to review at school. These lists are words and phrases comprised of these important sight words.
Word Wizard Instructions
* Start with list #1 (Red/Red Word Wizard), and help your child practice those words until he/she can read all 25 words in 25 seconds or less with 100% accuracy.
* When mastery is reached, sign your initials under the list and return it to school to pass off with your child's teacher.
* Next, work with your child on the corresponding Fry phrases that are located on the back of the word lists page.
* When your child successfully reads the phrases in a group to you in 60 seconds or less with 100% accuracy, send the initialed paper back to school to pass of with his/her teacher.
* Continue this process until all 100 words on the list and their corresponding phrases have been mastered.
* When the completed and mastered lists are returned to school, words 101 - 200 will be put into the folder. The process repeats for each set of 100 words.
Words 1 - 100 - Red Page
Words 101 - 200 - Yellow Page
Words 201 - 300 - Blue Page
Words 301 - 400 - Green Page
Words 401 - 500 Purple Page
Words 501 - 600 - Gold Page
There will be a CELEBRATION for your child every time he/she passes off 100 words! When your child passes off the FIRST (Red) 100 words, he/she will "officially" become a First Grade Word Wizard. (Hooray!) However, we also realize that most, if not ALL, students will be able to go beyond the first 100 words. There will be fun REWARDS for every group of 100 words that is mastered! In fact, every student who masters ALL 600 WORDS will receive a "Golden Wand" - the highest Word Wizard reward!
Of course, the joy and adventure of reading and writing will be the greatest reward that will last a lifetime!
Please contact your child's teacher if you have any questions.
Happy Reading!
Extra Practice at Home...
CLICK HERE
Printable Flash Cards - CLICK HERE
Sight Words Games - CLICK HERE
Practice Online - CLICK HERE
MORE Online Practice - CLICK HERE
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We love Lexia! :)
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By Mrs. Crandall:
I have taught for 18 years, and I truly have not seen a literacy/reading supplement program as effective and user-friendly as Lexia. Is it perfect? No. However, it can and does make a difference...if it is being used correctly.
I put together this "Lexia At-a-Glance", so you can make sure that Lexia is helpful in meeting your child's needs and developing his/her reading, grammar, and language skills. These activities are very helpful, as they are used to supplement, review, and preview what we do in class.
HELPFUL LEXIA INFO
1) The GOAL for ALL first graders is to complete Level 9, by the end of the year. (First grade skills are taught and practiced in levels 6 - 9, in Lexia. May a child go beyond that to other grade level skills, in first grade? Of course! )
2) If your child has not done this yet, he/she will have a "Minutes Goal" (small blue banner) on the home page, when he/she logs in. This is the WEEKLY usage or "Minutes" goal.
I have taught for 18 years, and I truly have not seen a literacy/reading supplement program as effective and user-friendly as Lexia. Is it perfect? No. However, it can and does make a difference...if it is being used correctly.
I put together this "Lexia At-a-Glance", so you can make sure that Lexia is helpful in meeting your child's needs and developing his/her reading, grammar, and language skills. These activities are very helpful, as they are used to supplement, review, and preview what we do in class.
HELPFUL LEXIA INFO
1) The GOAL for ALL first graders is to complete Level 9, by the end of the year. (First grade skills are taught and practiced in levels 6 - 9, in Lexia. May a child go beyond that to other grade level skills, in first grade? Of course! )
2) If your child has not done this yet, he/she will have a "Minutes Goal" (small blue banner) on the home page, when he/she logs in. This is the WEEKLY usage or "Minutes" goal.
3) If your child is past Level 9, Lexia can still be very helpful. The increasing levels introduce concepts and skills for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, grade and beyond. They also strengthen skills and understanding for what we are doing in first grade. Your child will NOT have a small blue usage banner, but he/she should continue to do Lexia for practice and enrichment that is focused on his/her needs and abilities. Keep up the great work! :)
4) FOR ALL GROWN UPS - PLEASE make sure that you are aware of your child's UNITS. This is shown in the green circle, next to the blue Minutes circle on your child's home page, after he/she logs in.
4) FOR ALL GROWN UPS - PLEASE make sure that you are aware of your child's UNITS. This is shown in the green circle, next to the blue Minutes circle on your child's home page, after he/she logs in.
The "Units" are the completed lessons. If a child has a lot of minutes but not a lot of units, that shows me that A) he/she is struggling with one of the skills in that unit and needs some additional help, or B) he/she is not focusing on the task and is switching to different activities before completing a unit, not paying attention, etc., and the Lexia time is being wasted.
On average, one unit takes about 5 minutes to complete.
So...if I see a child's home screen that looks like this (below)...I know that he/she is struggling with a skill/concept or he/she is not focusing on the task. Either way, time is being wasted because it's not helping the child. Intervention is needed.
On average, one unit takes about 5 minutes to complete.
So...if I see a child's home screen that looks like this (below)...I know that he/she is struggling with a skill/concept or he/she is not focusing on the task. Either way, time is being wasted because it's not helping the child. Intervention is needed.
If I see a child's home screen that looks like this (below).... Woohoo! That kiddo is rocking! Lexia is working exactly how it should and the student is benefiting from the activities.
PLEASE NOTE
Your child knows this, but it's helpful to know as a parent as well, a unit is not "complete" until the green line at the bottom of the screen (shows during an activity) goes all the way from the left side of the screen to the right side of the screen. If a child leaves the activity before the line gets all the way to the right side, it does NOT save, until the unit is complete.
Your child knows this, but it's helpful to know as a parent as well, a unit is not "complete" until the green line at the bottom of the screen (shows during an activity) goes all the way from the left side of the screen to the right side of the screen. If a child leaves the activity before the line gets all the way to the right side, it does NOT save, until the unit is complete.
One of the features that I am thankful for with Lexia is that it doesn't keep going, if a child needs review. If a child gives a wrong answer for a particular task more than once, it will immediately stop the activity and do a quick practice. At this time, the line turns blue. Then you know that the kiddo is in "practice" mode, and then it will automatically move on, after the child finishes the practice and gives the correct answer.
However, if the child gives an incorrect answer, even after the practice, Lexia goes into a "reteach" mode where more intensive review is given for the skill or concept. When this occurs, the line at the bottom turns yellow. Then, it goes back to the original activity and progresses according to the child's needs.
I apologize if you already knew all of this, I just thought it was helpful to know as a teacher, and that it would be helpful to parents and families, as your child does Lexia at home.
Lexia does NOT replace my (or any teacher's) instruction or other in-class or online-instruction activities. It is a wonderful supplement, IF it is used correctly and effectively.
The kids are loving passing off the levels and the activities. I often hear "This is what I did in Lexia!" with a smile, as we review something in class. There are truly "lightbulb" moments! :)
Thank you for all that you do!
Happy Reading!
- Chris
Lexia does NOT replace my (or any teacher's) instruction or other in-class or online-instruction activities. It is a wonderful supplement, IF it is used correctly and effectively.
The kids are loving passing off the levels and the activities. I often hear "This is what I did in Lexia!" with a smile, as we review something in class. There are truly "lightbulb" moments! :)
Thank you for all that you do!
Happy Reading!
- Chris
