Aaaaaaand we jump back into the learning saddle with both feet today! I hope your break was relaxing, fun and memorable.
In just a few weeks, our kindergarten team will be involved in mid-year assessments. This is a very important time. The entire class will be taking the Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA) , in addition to the Kindergarten Literacy Assessment (KLA) which the kids took in October. We want to check progress, as well as get an idea of what we need to teach next to take your child to the next level.
The DRA is a simple reading test that tells what level your child is reading on. Early "reading" (up to about level 4) consists primarily of reading repeated simple words and looking at a big picture as a clue. For example, look at the story page pictured above. There is a big cat in the picture along with some sight words. An early reader would read the sight words, then look at the picture to figure out the last word. They might also notice the first letter of "cat" (c) to help them figure it out. As kids advance in their reading, they learn to rely less on the picture and more on the letters, letter blends and sounds in a word ("sounding out" the words).
The second big part of the DRA (and just as important) is the comprehension section. For this part, the students must close the book that they just read and retell the story from beginning to end, in sequence, with lots of details from the story. Many kindergarteners have trouble with this part, since they have never been asked to "retell" a story before"
So how can you help your child get a jumpstart on reading at home? Here are some great ideas:
1.) If you haven't already, establish a daily story time at home--maybe right after school, during bath time, or at bedtime. Read lots of different types of books--fiction, nonfiction, picture books, and chapter books. You can read magazines, flyers and the news also.
2.) Provide easy reader books on your child's level that he/she can read independently to you during story time. Scholastic book orders are perfect for this!
3.) When you read books to your child, stop periodically to ask questions--Why did she do that? What do you think will happen next? What was the cat's name? Where are the detectives? What would you do if this happened to you? Give your child time to think and respond. At the end, close the book and ask them to retell the whole story in order with details.
4.) Make regular visits with your child to the Bowie Public Library and the local bookstores. Both have tons of books for early readers, as well as soft, cozy spots where you can quietly read stories together. Some of my very best childhood memories are of me and my dear Mommy picking out books together at the bookstore. Now its me and my boys making fun reading memories!
Reading is fun, amazing, exciting, warm and fuzzy, and downright cool! Have fun reading with your babies this week.