I've met with most of you now for our first formal interview. It was great to talk to you and really nice to know that you're still interested in doing a little bit of extra review, where needed, at home. Thanks for being so supportive!
I mentioned to most of you that our borrow-a-book program would begin today. This is what I explained at Curriculum Night, and I have now explained it to the readers. They know it is their job to exchange their books and keep them safe in their pochette, with the tracking log. However, it is your job to monitor their reading, help them here and there, and sign-off on books they have mastered. I have sent home a long page of information on this program, and tips for practising. This can also be found below.
It is also Monday, and that means new words of the week:
mardi, lu, vu, en, il
Aside: The kids knew all these words, except "en". We haven't learned this sound yet, I switched it for a different sound that I thought we needed to learn earlier, but I forgot to also switch it on our words of the week sheet. I taught them how to say it this afternoon. It's kind of like the sound you make when saying "huh?", kind of a nothing sound with the influence of 'n', but you never close on the 'n'. The word can mean in ("Mon anniversaire est en mai.") or can be part of the phrase there are ("Il y en a 7.")
Lastly, don't forget that Thursday is pizza day. If you didn't order this time, please be sure to send a lunch, and everyone will still need snacks and maybe a drink.
Here is the borrow-a-book letter that came home today:
Borrow a book – J’emprunte un livre
In addition to our Words of the Week, our borrow-a-book program, is now ready!
How it works
Your child now has a small tracking log in their communication pocket 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 colour-coded drawers 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 pockets. 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 pocket 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
Please keep the tracking log in the communication pocket.
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 labeling each book and we need to treat them carefully.
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