Savin Rock’s Reading Newsletter
November 2013
Pre-K:
Pre-K: Our theme this month is “My Five Senses.” Using this topic we will read stories about how people use their senses. We will learn new vocabulary words related to the unit. The four year class will be
introduced to the Alpha Friends of the month. They are “Tiggy Tiger, Ozzie Octopus, and Mr. X-Ray”.
We will be focusing on the letter names Tt, Oo, and Xx. Students will begin to discriminate rhyming
from non –rhyming words.
You can help your child learn more by talking with him/her about the things that he/she is learning in
school. Please refer to the weekly family newsletter.
Kindergarten:
The kindergarten students are learning about characters and the setting of stories. They know that a character has a head, face
and eyes and the setting tells us where and when the story happens. As you read stories with your child, ask him/her to tell
you the characters and the setting.
We are also learning rhyming words. As you say nursery rhymes with your child, ask your child to identify the rhyming
words or leave out the rhyming words and have your child supply the missing words.
Ask your child to tell you the first sound he/she hears in a word and the last sound he/she hears in a word. Then ask him/her
to write the letter that makes the first sound in the word.
Your child should be able to write his/her first and last name correctly without copying. Please practice this with your child.
In order for it to be correct, the first letter needs to be capitalized and all the other letters need to be lower case letters.
Thank you for your continued support.
Grade 1:
We have begun unit 2 in reading. This unit includes words with short vowels a, i, and o. Also
the students are learning these sounds in chunks like /at/ in cat. You can help your child read and spell
these chunks (also called word families). Ask your child to read a chunk and think of other words with
that chunk. The spelling words each week are usually based upon a chunk or word family. Make learning fun by playing word games with your child. One game you can play is to ask him/her what word he/
she could make if you change the c in the word cat to a b (answer: bat).
An additional way to help your child is to be sure that he/she practices his/her sight words each
night. Your child needs to learn these words and know them automatically without sounding them out.
Another game you can play is to write each sight word on index cards. Have your child practice reading
a few words each night (no more than 5). Every time he/she knows the word automatically, write a
check
on the card. When there are five checks, replace the card with a new word card to learn.
Every now and then, ask your child to read a word that he/she has already mastered to be sure that he/
she is remembering the words already learned.
Have fun playing these games and don’t forget to tell your child that he/she is doing a great job!
Grade 2:
Second graders will be working on reading nonfiction texts. Kids love to read about real people, places, and
events. Nonfiction books present information in engaging and interesting ways. However, most kids read a
lot more fiction than nonfiction, so spend some extra time helping your reader learn how to navigate a nonfiction book. Begin by explaining that the book you're about to share is nonfiction. Explain that the book
will be organized around a specific topic or idea, and that you may learn new facts through reading. Most
good nonfiction books will have helpful features that are not a part of most fiction books. These parts include a table of contents, an index, a glossary, photographs and charts with captions, and a list of
sources. See if your child can identify these parts. For a fun activity, visit http://
www.funenglishgames.com/readinggames/nonfiction.html with your child.
Grade 3:
Can you believe that Grade 3 students have begun working on a new unit in reading and writing! They are now eagerly learning to read and write informational stories!
They are reading nonfiction literature or informational texts. The children are learning about the various access features that informational texts contain. Some of these access features include table of contents, captions, photographs,
maps, and labels. The children are learning to read to gather information in the following subject areas: strange plants,
our solar system, tornados, icebergs, and puffins.
Students have not only been learning to read from informational texts but they have been learning how to write informational essays. As the children read informational stories, they will learn how to take notes. They will incorporate
these notes into writing informational essays. Their essays must contain 5 paragraphs: a paragraph of introduction, 3
detail paragraphs in the body of the essay, and a final paragraph for the conclusion. The paragraph of introduction
must contain an interesting “lead” sentence that grabs the reader’s attention. Each paragraph in the body must have a
sentence that contains the main idea followed by several detail sentences that are related to the paragraph’s topic. The
conclusion paragraph restates that topic sentence or theme of the essay.
Grade 4:
Fourth Grade continues to work on informational organization (nonfiction) and text features. Students are
being taught how a paragraph in a given text is organized. They will have to identify texts as: problem/solution, compare and contrast, cause and effect, a description, etc. Extra practice and reinforcement
would greatly benefit your child. Please see www.teacher.depaul.edu/Nonfiction_Readings.htm for one page
informational passages.
Students are also identifying and writing main ideas/topic sentences and supporting details. In addition, students are reading informational texts, marking it up, and identifying similarities and differences. After comparing and contrasting, students are writing an essay. Students should continue to practice this skill. Practice
makes perfect!!!!.
Please sign and return the bottom portion after reading this newsletter. Thank you!!!
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Name
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Date
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