Thanks for all the returned forms and money, it was like Christmas for a person that really likes checklists! Once again, there are many notes for you today. Firstly, everyone is invited to a pot luck breakfast this Friday morning in the gym. I ran out of copies, so I'll try to get the details and put them on here for you.
The school is also hosting a vision and hearing clinic in December. It's only $6 for each check-up, and saves you the effort of booking appointments with specialists if you suspect there may be a problem. It's amazing how many children have vision or hearing problems that go unnoticed, and it has a great impact on their ability to follow instructions and succeed at school! I highly recommend signing up for this. If you would like to, please return the registration form by November 19th.
Now then, my own note is about the Borrow-a-book program. Students are very excited to get started and have brought their first book home with them tonight! The instruction sheet explains the system and gives you some great ideas for making reading fun and keeping it interesting. Please take the time to read over the outline (also posted below). The children are responsible for exchanging their books when they are ready for a new one. You are responsible for monitoring their reading at home and signing off on each book when you agree that they have done a good job reading it. I hope that you find this system manageable and easy. It won't take up much of your time, and should build on what you are already doing when you read with your children. Your support from home is VERY much appreciated and makes a HUGE difference in your child's journey towards reading!
The following note is coming home today with the necessary materials...
Borrow a book – J’emprunte un livre
In addition to our Words of the Week, many grade 1 classes have organized a borrow-a-book program, and ours is now ready!
How it works
Your child now has a small tracking log in their yellow folder containing a list of books. We are beginning with simple books that usually have a pattern to them, making them easier for beginning readers to read and understand. Your child is responsible for bringing home books from this list, which are kept in a specific bin in our class.
Once you’ve worked on a book at home (see suggestions for reading), please initial beside the title in the tracking log. Then, your child is responsible for bringing the book back and exchanging it for another from the list.
A good guideline is to read 2 books a week, but some children will need more or less time on each book and that’s ok. I will suggest that children exchange their books every Monday and Friday at the end of the day when we prepare our communication folders. That way, you will have something to read over the week, and something to read over the weekend. However, children may exchange their books at anytime.
Please help your child keep track of the book they have taken. It should stay in their yellow folder or other very safe place in your home. We have a very limited number of books!
Once your child has worked with every book on this list (indicated by your initials), I will add the next list of slightly harder books and we continue in the same way.
Suggestions for reading
« Start by looking at the pictures to make sense of what’s happening. Ask your child to predict what the book is about. This will contribute greatly to your child’s understanding of the text, and that’s very important since the words themselves may be new.
« Looking at the pictures can also help us guess a word that we do not recognize.
« Refer to the blog to review the sounds we have learned and search for them, or other familiar words (such as the words of the week), in the text.
« Have your child point to each word as he/she sounds it out. Cover parts of words to isolate sounds that you know we should know!
« After reading, ask questions like What patterns can you see in this book?, What do you like/not like about the book?, Does this remind you of anything you did?, Does it make you think of anything/another book?
« Make sure your child has understood what the book was about – this is just as important as being able to say the words correctly!
« Make it fun by having your child read to their teddy in bed, or over the phone to grandma.
« Record (or video) your child reading it, and then let him/her listen to the recording over and over!
« You or your child can make a simple word search using words from the book. Ask your child to read each word that they find.
« Play hangman using words from the book.
« Read the book using different voices (in a whisper, with a fun accent…)
« Read the book to your child and let them correct you (they love this!)
The important thing is to read the book many times so that your child is building their vocabulary and developing confidence as a reader. These are just some ways that you can keep it interesting when you have to read the same book 27 times, but feel free to think of other cool ideas as well!
Reminders
ü Please keep the tracking log in the yellow folder.
ü While it is ok to colour a page or two in pencil crayon, please make sure that your children do NOT use markers or pens in the books. Many hours from patient parent volunteers went into copying, folding, stapling and labelling each book and we need to treat them carefully.
ü Again, please help your child take responsibility for returning their book once they are through with it. We can’t afford to lose them!
Thank you for your time in progressing your child’s French reading and comprehension skills.
Tamara Mitchell
