1ST GRADE HOMEWORK AND AT HOME READING PROGRAM
Your child will begin our At Home Reading Program. Every
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings, your child
will bring home a book he/she is required to read to you. The book your
child brings home will have a colored dot with a letter on it to specify a
particular reading level. I have determined a “starting point” for his/her
reading level. Level “A” books are for beginning readers. By the end of first
grade, our goal is to have ALL first graders reading at level “I”. As your
child progresses in reading, he/she will be assigned a new level of book to
read.
As your child reads to you, please help reinforce the
reading strategies we are using at school:
1. Have your child point to the word as he/she says it. This technique is
called tracking and is very important in the beginning stages of reading.
2. When your child approaches an unfamiliar word, have him/her go
through these steps to help decode the word:
a. Encourage him/her to look at the picture. The reader can ask
him/herself “What would make sense in this sentence? Do the
letter sounds match the picture?”
b. The reader can sound out the word. Blending is a complicated
skill and we will continue to work on this in first grade.
c. The reader can look for smaller words or phonograms inside a
familiar word (Ex: “I know and, then I can read sand.”). Covering
up endings, such as –ing or –ed, is often very helpful.
d. The reader can skip the word and read to the end of the
sentence. He/she can then go back and think about what would
make sense in the sentence and matches the sounds.
e. Tell your child the word.
3. If your child is still unable to use these strategies successfully, try
reading one sentence aloud at a time while your child repeats and
tracks the sentence back to you.
At Home reading should be quick and should offer much success at this
age. If the books are TOO challenging, it will discourage your child. Reading
books and practicing the reading words should take no more than 15 minutes.
Please do not let yourself or your child become frustrated. If you see this
happening, write me a note so that I can adjust the level of the book.
While it is our goal to do our best when leveling the books, you may find that
some “C” books, for example, are easy while other “C” books are more
challenging. If you find an unusually hard one, just read it WITH your child.
I will NOT adjust your child’s level based on 1 book, but when you find after
3 days that a level is too easy or too difficult, let me know with a note in the
planner and I will make adjustments.
Here’s what you can expect for homework:
Monday:
1st grade basal stories*
Reading words
Spelling words (will start in the coming weeks)
 BEFORE Tuesday, parents read aloud LIBRARY books TO your
child****
Tuesday: Leveled Reading book from the library
OR
Guided Reading book (will start in the coming weeks)**
Reading & Spelling words
Math Homelink***
Wednesday:
Leveled Reading book from the library
OR
Guided Reading book (will start in the coming weeks) **
Reading & Spelling words
Math Home Links***
Continued
Thursday:
Guided Reading book
Reading words
Spelling practice test in planner
Friday: Enjoy your weekend-No homework!
*Basal story: This is the first grade reading textbook story. This may or may NOT be
at your child’s reading level. This is a gauge to see how well your child is reading and
keeping up with GRADE LEVEL material. We will have practiced reading it several times
before it comes home, so it should be a quick read. These stories will offer good
practice with the skills we have worked on from the previous week. Remember to stop
and talk about any words your child may not understand in these books as well as other
books that come home. Ask questions like “What does signed mean?” “What is a
supermarket?” What was the place called that the fox was in?” It is not uncommon for
children to read words and not TRULY understand the meaning of the word. Taking time
to discuss words increases your child’s vocabulary.
**Guided Reading Books: Books chosen by a teacher to be at your
child’s reading level. Some small group instruction is
done with the book prior to coming home. The book has been
read 1, 2 or 3 times in small group. Groups are flexible
and changed when necessary to meet students’ reading needs.
***Math Homelinks: Math practice worksheets. These are meant to give your child added
practice with a skill that has just been taught. These also keep parents informed of what we are
learning about in math. Most Homelinks will be able to be completed independently by your child,
but please check your child’s work for accuracy before returning it. Most will be sent on Tuesdays
and Wednesdays, but days may differ depending on the math lesson for the day. I always give a
MINIMUM of 2 days for Homelinks to be returned. These are corrected and recorded in grade
book and reflected on trimester report cards. *Recognition is given at the trimester for
those who turn in ALL Homelinks.*
****Library Books: Because I believe reading aloud to your child is so important, I’ve
included it as part of his/her weekly homework. Children learning to read need to hear
good readers read (like you!). Picture books offer wonderful vocabulary
opportunities, so talk about words you think your child may not be familiar with. Most
importantly, taking time to snuggle and read with your child is so
important in our busy lives. Library books should be returned by
Tuesday so new books can be checked out.
Reading words: These are words from our weekly story. Many are high frequency words and
when your child can read these quickly, his/her reading rate or fluency increases…which is good!
Practice these nightly……they take only a minute.
Spelling words: Spelling tests are given on Fridays. We practice the words at school,
but many children need the extra practice at home also. Every Monday, new spelling
words will be stapled in your child’s planner. On Thursday evenings, please remove the list
from the planner and give your child a practice test by reading each word aloud as
your child writes the words on the numbered spaces in the planner. A gum reward
is given on Fridays for hard work and practice if practice tests are written in the
planner!
Just a reminder….if you have a busy night and don’t get to homework, please
jot a note in the planner (“too busy”). I understand a busy life, but
remember that the more homework practice missed, the less progress your
child may make in reading. Simply put…….it takes a lot of practice to be a
good reader.
I will work very hard to provide your child with a successful reading experience, whether
he/she is a beginning reader or is well on his/her way. Thank you in advance for your
support.
Happy reading,
Keri Peterson
P.S. Please help your child return the books and planner
in the YELLOW plastic bag daily. Empty folder contents daily.