Wow I M Reading

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(ONTENTS ‘Autograph, Please? 52 To Beginning Readers 6 Special Words | 54 To Grown-ups 8 Wordwear 6 oe “Brand-Name Lotto SB LET’S TALK ABOUT IT! Read-Aloud Print Power 60 Collage Collection ™ Let's Pretend with Print 62 Sequence Crown 18 Know These Words! 64 1-2-3 and Do! — 20 WhatAm I? 2s NOW I KNOW MY ABC'S What's Next? 24-26 Friends Flash Cards ‘Write My Words 26 Eating the Alphabet 70 Letter Look-Out Kes START WITH SOUNDS 28 Milk-Cap Mania 74 RhymeTime AlphaPet 16 Rhyming Treasure Hunt 34 Syllable Sam i 36 Monster Munch 38 Starting Sounds, Ending Sounds! 40 Blend Id _ 2 Unglue It! 44 Switch-A-Roo 46 PHONICS FUN 26 Terr Alphabet Crowns 82 ‘sin the Mail 100 Alphabet Matchups - 84 Wild, Wacky Wr 102 Electronic Alphabets 86 Spell-a-Phone 104 Focus on Phonies 88 Print Pals 106 Word Puzzlers 90 Books Galore __ 108 Phonics Gizmos 92 Awesome Albums 110 Building Words 94 Writing to Read 12 BEYOND THE TALE its a “ Teeny-Tiny Theater 120 Storybook Cook 122 On with the Show! 124 Huff-and-Puff Science 126 APPENDIX Lett Alphabet Lists 130 Chart INDEX 133 TO BEGINNING Becoming a reader is like growing up — it doesn’t hap- pen all at once. You hardly notice that you’re learning, but you can tell you know so much more about letters and words than you did as a baby. Do you like listening to sto- ries and looking at books? Can you read a stop sign or the name of your favorite store? Can you write some of the letters in your name? Then you already know a lot about how to read! 6 WoW! I’M READING! READERS Come join in the fun of learn- ing to read and write. Let’s play with words and letters, rhymes, and tales. You’ll be building the skills you need to become a super reader and writer. It won’t be long before you'll be reading any book you like. You'll read direc- tions to make and do things, and you’ll write about what- ever is on your mind. The world of terrific tales will be open to you anytime, any- where! INTRODUCTION 7 TO GROWN-UPS Young children are readers. Just think of how they love turning the pages and retelling tales from favorite storybooks. Young children are ‘writers, Hand a child a pencil, and she'll promptly take your order for her make- believe restaurant. ‘The literacy activities in this book not only support « child’s sense thal she is already a reader, they give her the skills to truly become one! Some activities are language games that can easily be played on the go. These simple yet powerful ways to play with the sounds of language will make learning phonics easy and meaningfl Because the alphabet is central to literacy, the activities in this book empower children with mastery of every aspect: letter recogni- tion, formation, and sound. Writing is an interactive way for young children to experience the dynamics of priat. So the writing activities included here encourage all attempts, from those carly scribbles to spelling and sounding out words, Best of all, we'll show you how to transform your home or classroom into a literacy-rich laboratory where print will have meaning Here a child can explore the fascinating world of spoken and written language, sto- ries, and ideas Learning to read requires many literacy experiences over time, s0 the activities are designed to be shared again and again, You'll find a main activity that introduces a key concept or skill. More Fun For You! invites Wow! IM READING! children to practice the same ssill in new ‘ways. Teaching Time offers valuable insights into the learning process and tells why the activity is effective. ‘All activities are adaptable to a wide range of abilities. Whether you model reading for a child or share in the process, or the child independently figures out the words on the page, everyone can join in the learning fun. A Peek at the Process ‘What sort of knowledge do children need to become readers and writers? To find ont, let's see what it takes to read and spell the word at. For most Kids, a cat is that warm, furry ccitter who cuddles on your lap and gives you a rough, wet kiss But to become successful readers and writ- ers, kids must think of cat in a completely different way and learn lots of new concepts @ Letters represent sounds, The letters ¢, &, and t each stand for a particular sound. ‘@ Strung together, letters form words. The Ictters c—a-t = cat. @ To figure out the word, the sounds are uttered in order. The child holds onto each sound while moving to the next one, and ¢ a f becomes car! @ Words have meaning. Those blended- together sounds sound like a familiar word — cat! So to read, a child has got to know what letters and words are. He must be able to match a particular sound (o a particular letter symbol, then be able to blend those sounds together in the correct order. What he utters ought to sound familiar and make sense (like “cat”). ‘Writing requires the same skills in reverse order, Let’s give it a try: ‘@ Words are separate units of meaning. The utterance “cat” is a word that refers toa favorite pet. @ Words contain separate sound units. Cat has three:¢ a t. ‘@ Each sound is represented by a particular symbol, called letter. The sound ¢ is repre- sented by € @ To form words, letters are written In the same order that the sounds are uttered. So to write, a child has got to know a word (like cat), be able to “unglue”” that word into its separate sound parts fe a #), soarch his mind for the letter symbols that represent ‘each of those sounds (c, a, t), and then, write those symbols down in the correct order (cat). At last! Ang that’s just what it takes to figure out a single word. Imagine reading or writing an entire sentence, The child also must under- stand the structure of spoken language: how ‘words connect together to have meaning. No small task! Now back to the part about the cuddly crit- ter. Comprehension is based on experience. Tf someone has shared a book about cats with that child, she will already have a sense of what words and letters are all about. If she loved the book, she'll begin to understand th payoff for making the effort to read the word cat. And if reading cat successfully jogs her memory to recall one of life’s rich experi- ences, feading becomes super fun and mean- ingful! Someday she'll have the power to make sense of the print around her, print that contains a wonderful world of stories and fantastic facts about her favorite furry friend! PHONEMIC AWARENES: WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT? Phonemic awareness — it’s the mysterious-sounding buzzword that demystifies phonies for kids. Simply put, phonemic awareness is the understanding that spoken words consist of a sequence of sounds. Whether or not this understanding “clicks” can determine a child’s level of success as a reader, Here’s a sampling of activities that build ‘phonemic awareness: @ Rhyming: Think of words that rhyme with hor, dot, cot... Counting syllables: How many syllables in the word fish? candy? dinosaur? Same-sound matching: Think of a word with the same begin- ning sound as pie, pancake, and ¢ Blending sounds: Can you guess my slow-sounding word: mmmaaannn? ¢ Breaking words into sounds (Segmentation): What three sounds do you hear in the word book? b-oo-k Sound manipulation: Take the t fom trip, What word is left? Change the a in cat to u ‘What's the new word? Because kids are exploring sounds in phonemic awareness (not symbols), no worksheets, pencils, or flash cards are need- ed. Kids can practice phonemic awareness through language play on the go, anytime, anywhere — and the more practice, the better! potato. To Sum Up: 1. Reading takes knowing about letters and words (print awareness), 2, It requires ear training (recognizing sounds in words) and eye training (recogniz- ing letter symbols). 3. Link symbols to sounds (phonies), and a child can figure out most words written in our alphabetic code. 4. Those words only have meaning (com- prehension) if they relate back to an experi- ence the child has been given language to define and appreciate (concept and language development). A Sound Start Let's start with ear training because sound awareness is absolutely critical to read success. As we saw in the cat example above, readers must be able to identify the individ- ual sound units (phonemes) that make up words, Why? Because the code we use to record speech happens to be alphabetic — written symbols represent spoken sounds. So understanding phonemes, called phonemic awareness, is the key to figuring out that code. It's no surprise that a child's level of phonemic awareness is one of the most reli able predictors of reading achievement. What makes building awareness of phonemes a challenge is that kids (and adults) are not used (o listening for them. In fact, if we paid attention to the sounds of words instead of the sense of words, we'd never understand what people were saying! ‘Yet to become readers and writers, kids must introbUCTION 9 do just that: Listen (o sounds and hear lan- guage in this new way From hearing words (units with meaning, like banana), to syllables (sound units like ba-na-na), to phonemes (the smallest sound units ike @ on an q),the child is trying to identify increasingly less meaningful units of speech, so the task becomes more and more difficult. Building phonemic awareness does not happen overnight, And it’s tough to learn because sound awareness is so abstract, The good news is that it's best developed through play — joyous experimentation with the sounds of language: songs with great rhythms and rhymes, fun language games, nursery rhyme classics, and Dr. Seuss-style books. Check out the Sound Start activities in Chapter 2 for fun with phonemes. 10 wow! 'm READING! ‘The Eyes Have It All the phonemic awareness in the world won't make a child a reader unless that understanding is coupled with print aware- ness, As we saw in the caf example on page 8, readers must be able to identify letter sym- bols and link them to particular sounds. That's exactly how our alphabet works: The alphabet is a code of written symbols that represent spoken sounds. Recognizing letters and identifying sounds to figuring out that code, so they'e both powerful predictors of reading ability. To become capable readers, kids must focus on the abstract shapes and letters, There are 52 symbols, uppe lowercase, in hundreds of fonts (lypefaces) that actually look quite similar to each other. To get an idea of the difficulty of this task, just take a lock at text in the alphabet of a language you don’t speak. That's how all let- ters look to a young child So how can we give kids ownership of the alphabet? Celebrate each marvelous letter though the vivid learning experiences described in Chapter 4. Point out print every- where and all the time, From the letters in your child's name to the barrage of print she ees from her car scat, think of the world as a giant set of flash cards for learning! Print Power Kids are driven to explore and figure things out, Everything in their environment is up for discovery — including print. And it’s a good thing because there's so much fo learn about how print works: What's print for? What's a letter? A word? In which direction are words read? These questions and more are answered when kids grow up in a print-rich world with an informative grown-up as their guide. While most kids can identify the MeDonald’s sign, its those who are guided 10 look beyond the logo and focus on the let- ters who first catch on to what print is all about, Give kids extra oomph from a read- aloud story with on-the-spot literacy lessons Point out the title of the book, how words are separated by spaces, and track each read- aloud word with your finger. Kids understand what a word is when they experience what it does. When grown-ups depend on print for information and fim, kids see print as valuable. When grown-ups share tips about reading and writing, kids begin to crack the code. Literacy skills are best built ona strong foundation of print awareness The activities in Chapter 3 promote print knowledge and power! Wow! I’m Reading! When is a child ready to read? Reading requires phonemic awareness letter recognition print awareness With this knowledge in place, most kids learn to read and write with ease, sometimes on their own. ‘What's the best method? Kids who are taught explicitly how our alphabetic code works consistently show the most achieve- ment. Here’s where phonics instruction plays an enormous role. Phonemic awareness gives kids the knowledge that words contain sound units. Phonics instruction teaches kids how those sound units link with letter symbols to record words — words that can be written or read, Phonics empowers kids to figure out what print says and to put their own words in print The phonics activities in Chapter 5 playful- ly add print to the phonemic-awareness expe- | riences described in Chapter 2. With reading SHE CHANGING ¢LASSROOM still there, but kids may | LABS FOR | LITTLE ONES Those who fal grade rare! Tevel ability. Leaming letters in preschool? Reading in kindergarten? If you're wondering where the OR LITERACY modeling clay is, look again. It’s itto form letters along with their pies! What's going on here? Early literacy learning is eriti- cal: Kids who get off to a good start hang on to their advantage. Kids who don't, seldom recover. behind in first catch up to grade ‘But is carly literacy learning developmentally appropriate? Yes, ifthe activities meet the needs and learning style of the child. Young children are hands- on, minds-on leamers, So expect readiness confidently in place, it’s an easy step to lake. Kids who can blend spoken sounds like ¢ @ t into cat can now sound out printed words to read. Kids who can “unglue” words like mom into m © m can now use letters to represent each sound and spell to'see such materials as tactile letters, marker boards, alphabet puzzles, and beautiful books not worksheets — in a preschool setting. Expect to hear the sounds of stories, songs, and thymes resonating throughout ‘the room. Expect to see print thoroughly explored and enjoyed. Educators estimate it takes 1,000 “literacy lab” hours (see Putting It All Together described on page 12) with a caring adult before a child is ready to read. Early childhood edueators are taking on the challenge by trans- forming classrooms into literacy ¢ labs. Here children can playfully discover the woaders of print and language. be using The Write Stuff Learning to write confirms (o kids that print is communication, As natural communica- tors, kids are driven to write just as they are to speak. Kids begin their wiiting careers when crayons become useftl as markers. Think of those first scribbles as printed bab- bles. Just as babbles start to sound more like words, scribbles begin to look more like let- ters, From random to refined, a child's writ- ing develops into understandable communi- cation in much the same way that his speech develops. Although there is a general order to writing development, kids move back and forth through stages as they experiment and explore print. Writing boosts reading ability. Let’s take a closer look at the invented spelling stage to see why. A child who invents the spelling “gri” for girl is clearly developing phonemic awareness. Grappling with the sound-letter link is critical phonics pra In print-rich homes, writing blossoms. With grown-ups who honor even those first scribbles as important messages, kids learn that writing is communication, The writing activities in Chapter 6 let kids experience writing as mesningful print. The Rewards of Reading Why read? What's in it for the child? Children need proof that reading is a worth- while activity before they'll join in. Luckily, literacy is an casy sell, Just snuggle up with a good book and release the wondrous ideas so magically held in print for a child, After all, the goal of reading is not to sound out words but fo unlock meaning. Kids need to under stand where practicing reading skills wil lead. Reading aloud is one of the best ways to connect kids to the rich rewards of reading, It transports kids to fantastic realms of fact and fiction long before they can read on their own, The world’s rich heritage of folk tales, poetry, and literature is theirs. If voleanoes or insects are more to a little one’s liking, books are there to deliver fascinating facts and information. Let kids hear you reading direc- tions ora recipe aloud so they understand that reading opens practical worlds, too Even deciphering junk mai road signs can be a motivator. What gives read-aloud text meaning! It's the wonderfu experiences and the rich language you're offering to describe those experiences. Reading is most meaningful when a child can make a connection to her own life. Seo Chapter | for ways to build a foundation of conceptual knowledge and vocabulary. Using tex! as a springboard for a child's creativity sharpens comprehension skill Kids can retell a favorite tale by making their own puppet show or acting out they would have done in the hero's shoes. Kids can report to the family on facts learned from a dinosaur book. Or, they can complete a craft from read-aloud directions. No com- prehension test can check understanding bet- ter than a child’s original responses to what was read, And there's a bonus: Using print to inspire kids to question, create, and connect makes reading vital to their lives. Thé activi- ties in Chapter 7 offer ways to deepen under- standing while sharing reading’s rich rewards Putting It All ‘Together Literacy building requires weaving together all elements of language communication: thinking, 1g, speaking. reading, and writing. So children continually need oppor- tunities to explore these elements in a mean- ingful way. Here’s how a day of language exploration might look, A child starts out in the morning immersed in a pile of books, then moves on to scribbling with crayons and pens. A grown-up includes her in writing a shopping list. Once on the road, letters and words on signs they pass are pointed out, discussed, and read, Reading labels and identifying familiar products in the store is part of shop- ping; so is talking about all those delicious, colorful fruits and vegetables. They play rhyming games on the drive back. Next Stead is key (oa * child's success in school ... and ife. Most folks agree that teach- irs STANDARD! haphazard. Educators, parents, and community members in ‘most states have adopted com- rehensive content standards for ianguage arts instruction, These standards specify which skills children ought to have mastered by the end of each school year, from kindergarten through grade twelve. What children learn one year becomes the building block Tor the next, creating continuity between grade levels, ‘he stan- dards in the early grades set the foundation for proficiency in later years. Generally the expec- tation is that children will read 12 wow! I’M READING! fluently at their grade level, at least by third grade. Assessments ({ests) are given so parents and teachers will know if children haye met the standards and how 10 help those who have not. ‘The activities in this book help children meet the sort of rigorou standards set nationwide for beginning literacy. Reading readiness and beginning reading instruction now start in kinder- garten, so examples of typical content standards for kinder- garten language arts are present ed throughout this book in the section State Standards Say For information on specific con- tent standards in your stale, visit the website of your State Department of Education. comes listening to a favorite mursery rhyme 2 CD and singing together back home. A 2 grown-up comments on the magazine he’s + reading while the child plays with alphabet 2 magnets on the refrigerator door, The grand 3 finale involves listening to a wonderful bed- me story read aloud. The literacy-building activities in this book complement such a language-rich day. They help your child learn to read and write through playful yet effective exploration, 2 games, and projects. When learning to read is this fun and meaningful, your child w not only be able to read, but love to read! LET’S TALIK ABOUT IIT! Your mind is full of wonderful ideas. How can you share them? By using words! “Let’s swing together!” “I’m hungry!” Each word means something — an action, an idea, an object. Stringing words together makes a sentence. Talk to a friend: “T have a new ball.” Then listen to what he or she says to you: “Hey, let’s play soccer!” See how we share ideas with words? LET'S TALK ABOour IT! 15, COLLAGE COLLECTION g. Make a collection of maga- zine pictures that are all in the same category (they are all alike in some way). Tf you love pets, collect pictures of dogs, cats, fish, and birds. It’s up to you because it’s your collection! Here's what you need Child safety scissors Paste Large sheet of paper or poster board 16 wow! i'm READING! Here's what you do 1. Once you pick a categor’ hunt for matching pictures in the magazines. Cut them out and paste them on the paper. Ask a grown-up to help you label your pictures. "2 Pick w new category each time you make a Collage Collection. Save your collages in an album (page 110). PLAY SORT YOUR SETS. Find four magazine pictures in the same category. Paste cach picture on an index card, Make five sets of category cards. Mix them up. Can you sort them back into categories? PLAY OPPOSITE PEOPLE. Magazines are d with pictures of people. Fold a large sheet of paper in half. Sort pictures for one side or the other — People at Work/People at Play, Children/Grown-ups, Happy People/Sad People — and paste them on the paper. PLAY BRAINSTORM. Think of a category: animals, foods, round things, red things, things that grow. Take turns brainstorming all words that fit that category. PLAY BACKPACK. Play Bulging Backpack on page 41. This time everything must be in the same category. “Yes, a bike, a car, and a fire engine can be in my back- but not a chicken! Can you guess my category? Share the ways these ooks categorize words and concepts: What the Sun Sees by Noney Tafuri, ABCDrive! by Naomi Howland, and What Makes Me Happy? by Catherine and Laurence Anholt. naturally use compare-and- contrast as.a strategy for devel- 1g concepts. Sorting objects helps children organize ideas by focusing on key elements that allow inclusion in or exclusion from the category: Talking with a child about why be in one cate- gory but not another (or maybe in both) improves her ability to categorize by describing similari- ties and differences between objects. conceptual knowledge. eceeceeseses LET'S TALK ABOUT IT! 17° SEQUENCE How does your day begin? How does it end? What happens in between? CROWN con and I built ¢ fort. e's what you a [Fold the paper lengthwise. Cut square ‘Shows how you end your day. Fd. Fold each piece in Tn the other two squares, draw two hhalf again, Tape them together so activities from the middle of the day. 5 they form one long strip. A grown-up can Jabel cach scene in Hove's what you mecd 2, Tak about what has happened and your own words Sheet of white paper what will happen today. Draw 2 3, Aska grown-up to fit the strip Child safety scissors scene from your day in cach ofthe around your head and tape the ends Tape four squares. Be sure the first squate together. Retell the story of your day. Markers shows how you begin and the last pointing to cach picture. 18 wow! PM READING! Day to night. Spring to Mere Bun ter eeu MAKE A SEQUENCE CROWN. Show seasons of the year, daytime to night, or caterpillar to moth. Adjust the number of squares to the event, wwe read last night. Can you tell her the story?” child cannot understand the plot ina tale or how to follow direc- ee MAKE AN = ACCORDION BOOK. Show an event with many scenes. cence or creative story in a logical sequence. wettest MAKE A STORYBOARD. Leave the strip flat and use it to retell your favorite story by drawing scenes from the story, beginning to end, in the squares. Point to the pictures as you retell your favorite stories and events. LET’S TALK ABOUT IT! 19 1-2-3 AND DO? It’s fun to make a cool craft by following directions. Ask a grown-up to read these directions to you. Look at the pictures. Can you follow the steps? 9 Here's what you need % Yo" x BY" (2s x 21.25 cm) square of paper 20 WOW! I'M READING! \ ° i) y Here's what you do {Fold your paper in half. 2. Place the point of the triangle away from you. Fold each corner to the opposite side. 3. Fold one top edge down. 4, Flip the paper over and do the same fold on the other side. Use yout hands to open the shape. Presto! You made a cup. Mere Bun ter geul MAKE A BASKET, Tape a narrow strip of paper to both sides of the cup to form a handle. Decorate your basket with markers, Children follow direc- tions every day, For Many emeent readers, the realization that reading opens up the world of cooking, making MAKE A GAME. Knot a bead on one end of a 12" (30 cm) piece of string. Tape the other end to the inside of the cup. Toss the bead into 5) G BS SUA MAKE A HAT, Make the cup from a ES \\ meh sheet of newspaper. Decorate it with Z\ GY markers, Tum it upside down and wear it on your head. You look great! Children wil: @ understand and fol. low one- and two-step oral direction » the Tanguage of to listen attentively, LET‘S TALK ABOUT IT! 217 WIHIAT AM I? Here’s a fun game! A grown-up ot older child reads one clue at a time while you listen carefully. Can you guess what I am? Draw your guess, changing it with each new clue. Take turns making up Wuart Am I? clues. Here's what you need Here's what you do Paper 1. Fold the paper into four 3. Now listen to clue two. You will Crayons sections. probably need to change your guess. 2. Listen carefully to the first clue. Draw what you think lam now. 4, Make changes with cach clue you hear. After you’ve heard all four clues, is your guess correct? Draw what you think [ am in the first section, 29 wow! lM READING! HAT AM I?” CLUES 1. 1am something that keeps you warm. 2. 1am something you wear, 3. Actually, there are two of me. 4, You put me on your hands. What am I? Gloves or mittens! .lam ‘i . | grow from the ground. . | am taller than you. ls make their nests in me. Vhat am I? A tree! 1.1 g0 fast. 2. Lhave two wheels. 3. Tcan take you from place to place. 4. 1 don’t have a motor. What am I? A bic Now, make up your own WHAT AM I? clues for others to guess! cay BA Encourage a child to KSfagy guess the riddles in these books before tuming the § __ Page to reveal the answer: Js 5 Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino and Whar Am § 22 Looking through Shapes at § Apples and Grapes by Leo and § Di mand N,N Charles, 5 2 What am 1?” clues 6 teach children to & draw conclusions § based on information. This § ity to make an inference is criti § al to reading, comprehension, § Children must combine informa- 8 tion from their own experience § with information given in the § text to draw a logical conclusion, & Encourage them to refine their § guesses as more information is & revealed. 4 & Children wit & @ be able to ask and answer ques- § tions about essential § clemeats of text, experiences the and events in texts. § @ learn to listen attentively. § @ express themselves in § complete thoughts. Reaee ae LETS TALK ABOUT IT! 23 WHIAT’S NEXT? When you listen to an exciting story, don’t you wonder what will happen next? That’s just what good readers do! They make a prediction (best guess) about what is going to happen. Then, they read on to find out if they were right! Here's what you need An engaging storybook Here's what you do 1. Look at the front cover and title. What do you think the story will be about? 2. A grown-up reads sections of the story, stopping before each exciting part. Consider the new information. Look at the pictures, too. What do you think will happen next? It’s fine to change your prediction as you gather more information. 3. Now read the ending. Was your prediction like or unlike the ending? (It doesn’t matter. The fun part s reading on to see what happens.) 24 WoW! 'M READING! ESS § These fun tales are § reat prediction 5 id What § Baby Wants by Phyllis Root, ee ee Reading revolves around making predic- ti - TET’S TALK ABOUT IT! 25 WRITE MY WORDS hare your thoughts and ideas _— then watch as they become printed words on a page! Hove's what you need neamlnenl ae fF Here's what you do Tell a story to a grown-up @ Talk about a special place you visited. @ Say what you like about your friend. @ Describe what makes you happy, mad, or sad. @ Tell all you know about something that really interests you. Retell your favorite story. ‘Watch as the grown-up carefully writes down your words as you talk. Now, read your story together! 26 wow! I’M READING! Here's what a grown-up does Write down the cl exact words (no editing, please!). Print legibly. @ Encourage him to say more about the topic by asking open-ended questions. @ Think of a title together and credit the author (by Jason). @ As you enthusiastically reread the story together, point to each word. Share basic print concepts: “See how I write and read from left to right and from top to bottom? Words are made from letters. See how I leave spaces between my words? See the period at the end of each sentence?” Give the child a chance to read the story on his own, pointing to cach word. - fer g@e@ue ILLUSTRATE YOUR STORY. Use crayons or markers, Try copying a few words underneath the grown- up’s writing. DATE THE STORIES. Store them in an album to reread from time to ree EPP E PPE PPP P Tr TTP Eee EET TT 7 Writing down a child's speech ver- batim is called a Language Experience Siory. Reading their words back proves the usefulness of written language. “That's my story, as told it. We can read you to share important pprint concepts: the difference between letters and words, purpose of simple punc marks, and the progression of the text. complete, coherent # dictate messages and stories for others to write. + describe common objects and events in both general and spe- cific language. ¢ follow words from left to right and from top to bottom onthe printed page. @ recognize that sentences in print are made up of separate words, 4 distingnish letters from words. ¢ understand that printed materi- als provide information. SUTRA LET’S TALK ABOUT IT! 27 Close your eyes and just listen! What do you hear? Your dog barking? A computer humming? Eggs sizzling? Sounds are all around! Now say your name. You Just made a super sound! Say it again very slowly — do you notice several sounds hidden in your name? Ready to explore more sounds? Well then, let the sound fun start! START WITH SOUNDS 29 RHYME TIME tall Did you ever have a time when you couldn’t make a b a ) | thyme? Not with these fun games. You'll go rhyme crazy! fall THUMBS UP! A grown-up says three words. Put your thumbs up if they all thyme. Thumbs down if they don’t. Here we go! @ man, can, fan @ go, no, stop @ fish, dish, wish @ bike, hike, run candy, dandy, carrot Can you think of your own rhyming words to play Thumbs Up! with your BEADING! IMAGINE A grown-up says a silly sentence with a missing word. Use rhyming clues to help you figure out the miss- ing word. (Note: Please don’t write in this book. Thank you!) Imagine a bear, with long brown (What rhymes with bear? Hair!) Imagine a mouse, in an itty, bitty g . (What rhymes with mouse? House!) Imagine a flea, drinking some iz . (Tea! Imagine a cat, with a baseball and 2. Bat!) Image a whale with a flippy- floppy? (Tail!) Think of your own silly sentence. A good way to start is to imagine your own silly critter, NURSERY RHYMES (26. For nursery rhyme fiun, try these ent up the games: 2 (hill) Up above the world so high, Like a diamond in the (sky). Listen and learn nursery rhymes. A grown-up can read them aloud to you, or you can hear them on a tape or CD. They're fun to chant. Say a rhyme slong with:a grown-up. Clap when you hear a rhyming word. A grown-up says most of the rhyme. Can you use rhyming clues to think of the missing word? Make up your own version — the sillier, the better! Hickory, dickory dock The mouse ran up the __? (clock), Twinkle, twinkle little star. Take a ride in my new car. Up and down the roads we'll go, Through the mud and through the snow. Twinkle, twinkle little star. Take a ride in my new car. START WITH SOUNDS 31 BE A RHYME Give yourself a rhyming name. Invite yout family, friends, and pets to join jn the fun for a day: “Hello, Mom Rom and Glad Dad. Today, I’m Jason Pason and t my dog, Bowser Wowser!” 29 wow! I'M READING! CLAP, (LAP, PAT Practice this pattern by clapping your hands, then patting your knees “lap, clap, pat. When you can do it easily, take turns with ywn-up or around a circle of ki ing shyming words on the pat. can be real words ot made-up words, as long as at (“frog”). Clap, clap, lap, clap, pat SING ALL ABOUT IT! Oh, have you seen, frog on a log? A frog on a lo; A frog on a log? Ob, have you seen A frog ona log? Quite a sight to see! Try these verses to get you started. Then, make up your own A bug ina jug A bee ina tree A fish on a dish Try fancy versions, too. Oh, have you seen A man in a can, Riding ina van, To buy a frying pan? Oh, have you seen A man in a can? Quite a sight to see! Sing rhyming jingles to the tune of ful editions of classic nursery thymes: My Herp First Mother Goose and Here Comes Mother Goose, edited by Jona Opie and illusirated by Rosemary Wells, The large text also allows you to share print concepts with a thymes and jingles. They'll often repeat familiar chants as they play, Rhyming games are a perf i a sounds — sounds that have si lar patterns. And the share laughter along with language learning, $ Children will: recite qi foems, Hhymes, and songs RR LEE S EEE START WITH SOUNDS 33 RHYMING TREASURE HUNT Making rhymes is so much fun, especially when you collect rhymes for super stuff around your home. Go on a rhyming treasure hunt and save your finds in collection bags! Hi e's what you need Household objects Large zippered plastic bag * Markers Magazines » Child safety scissors Here's what you 4. Find two things in your home with thyming names — like a shoe and a jar of glue. Place them in a bag and ikcep collecting. You can add some thing blue; how about the number two? 2. Now add pictures from a maga- zine — stew! Use markers to draw your own pictures — zoo! 3. Say the words for each object in your bag, Can you hear a sound pattern? 34 wow! I'M READING! RHYME CHALLENGE. Set a rhyming collection before a friend Challenge her to think of how each object rhymes with the next: shoe, blue ... paste? “Hmmm, it must be glue! Two, stew ... why the picture of a cow? Oh, it says, moo! TOSS-A-RHYME., Sit in a circle with a group of kids, Pick a favorite object such as a ball, Think of a rhyme and say, “ball, wall.” Toss it to friend. He must think of a rhyme such as “ball, crawl.” Nonsense words like “ball, flall” are fine, too. Pick a new object to rhyme when you're all rhymed out! the Bear by Colin West, Where's My Teddy? and It’ the Bear! by Jez Alborough, and 9 Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by § Bill Martin, Jr. and John § Archambault. ies and Plants Ever Bloom by R ler and What is « Wall, After Tes easier to model § rhyme than to © define it. Teach § kids rhyme by offering many § examples. Focus on sound pat- RHYME SORT. Dump out stuff from two or three rhyme bags. Mix up the objects. Can you sort them back into their rhyming groups? spellings differ. : crawl and ball, even though their 5 Children will: identify and produce rhyming ; words in response to an oral prompt. Vana nee sl START WITH SOUNDS 35 SYLLABLE SAM This funny puppet breaks words into chunks. Can you help him? Can you put the words back together? Listening carefully to the sounds in words helps you learn to read and write. @" Heres what you need bs (21.25 x 27.5cm) ‘eh of paper Mark Child safety scissors Paper scraps Paste 36 wow! I’M READING! 3. fold it in half as shown. 2. Fold the ends back to meet the center fold. 3. Draw lips and eyes on the puppet. Cut out paper hair and ears and paste on. 4. Place your fingers into the top slot and y thumb into the bottom ible Sam speak. SO Er-i-ka say your times Sam closes h your name. Clap along with the mouth movements. Put your fingers in the air to show how many sylla- bles (sound chunks) there are in your name. Mere Bun Ger geul Count the syllables in the names of your friends, favorite foods, or any special words while Sam says them. Try these different ways to mark syl- lable sounds: Slap a table, tap two pens together, or jump as Sam says each syllable. SYLLABLE SMOOSH. A grown-up and Syllable Sam challenge you to put together two-syllable words: Grown-up: “flash” You: “light” Together: “flashlight!” Grown-up: “pic” You: “nic” Together: “picnic! for children to § understand the § definition of a syllable in order § to hear syllables in words. Model where syllables break with your Voice, a puppet, or clapping to introduce children to the sounds within words. Syllables are larger units than phonemes, so they are easier to ide § § Itisn't necessary BREEN 5 Children will: $ track by listen- 1g to cach sylla- ble ina word. + count the number of sounds in syllables and syllables ina word. PPP EPPer reer. Or sick SYLLABLE SORT. Gather toys and objects or magazine pictures. Have a grown-up write 1, 2, and 3+ on index cards. Clap cach word and sort by number of syllables. 1 2 B+ cap pencil overalls cork paper _—_ sunglasses spoon Lego banana START WITH SOUNDS 37 MONSTER MUNA Watch out. This monster is a picky eater. Listen carefully and you'll know just what to feed him. Here's what you need Paste Sheet of white paper Large empty cereal box Child safety scissors Markers Construction paper Small toys and objects Index cards Magazines 38 wow! VM READING! Here's what you do Make your monster? 1. With a grown-up, paste the paper on the front of the cereal box. Cut a large mouth hole through the paper and cardboard. 2. Draw a monster face. 3. Paste huge construction-paper ears to the side panels. This monster is a careful listener! Feed your monster? 1. A grown-up offers you some strange “monster food,” such as a cap, a car, a pen, a Lego, ora ball. Then, she starts feeding the monster by dropping, say, the pen, in its mouth as she says “pen.” Now, you know that today your monster will only eat things that start with the P sound, Pens, paper, and pennies are yummy, but a cap or ball is not! 2. Tf your monster is extra-hungry, use index cards to draw your own pictures or paste on magazine pictures for more P words. 3, When the feeding is finished, dump out the objects. Now you say each word and listen for the same starting sounds. SOUND HUNT. Need more monster food Have a grown-up help you pick and paste a magazine picture to the front of a paper bag, If you’ve chosen a photo ofa car, then you need to search for objects that start With that same ¢ sound: cap, can, card, or candy (but not cereal), monster food to create same-sound collections. Follow instructions for Rhyming Treasure Hunt on page 34, but instead of items that rhyme, create collection bags of stuff that starts with the same sound, Play the More Fun for You! games on page 35, but this time, match objects with names that start the same. IN THE END. Time for a change of dict! Now your monster prefers objects with names that end with the same sound ... tricky, tricky! And picky, picky monster! But you won't be fooled. If 1 is the target sound, then pen, crayon, green, can, mitten are fine, but not a top or a book. SAME-SOUND BAGS. Save the ‘These books are ful of same-sound tongue twisters: Apples, Alligators, and Also Alphabets by Odette and Bruce Johnson, Animalia by Graeme Base, and Dr: Seuss ABC, The first phoneme ina word is the casiest to identify, So focusing a child’s attention on ‘beginning sounds is a great way to introduice the concept that ‘words are composed of phonemes. When words with the same beginning sound can be matched with ease. turn the child’s attention to the more dif ficult task of identifying ending sounds, Children track and identify the number, sameness/difference and order of isolated phonemes, Nae aes sens PPL LLL LLL LOL LLL ELLE EET OP OE START WITH SOUNDS 39 ¢T. I\ Rill NG TONGUE NAME-SOUND TWISTERS SONG Say crazy tongue twisters witha Sing this to the tun of “Have You 3 i G Seven silly snakes snacked on snails, Does your name begin with d, with = d, with d? ¢ Oo V cing blue bubbles blew back- If your name begins with d e There’s Daniel, and Donovan, and These games and songs Dancing dinos dined on delicious Dylana, and David. will really sharpen your doughnuts if your name begins with d listening skills. Sometimes Then stand up right now! tune into the beginning sounds. Sometimes tune into the ending sounds. Don’t be tricked! Can you make up your own? @ Now do the same with ending sounds. NEAT-O-NAMES Be someone extra special by adding a same-sound word to your name: Terrific Tara, Amazing Amanda, Jazzy James, Dizzy Danica. Make everyone in your family and class at school. 40 wow! I’M READING! SILLY SARAH LOVES TO SAY Sing to the tune of “Old MacDonald”: Silly Sarah loves to say, Sandwich, spider, snake. Silly Sarah loves to say, Sandwich, spider, snake. ‘With an § § here and an s § there. Here an §, there an $. Everywhere an $ $. Silly Sarah loves to say, Sandwich, spider, snake BULGING Now, try the song with these same-ending-sound words: BACKPACK 4 Take turns with a grown-up saying, Our ending sounds are all the same, é ‘I'm going on a hike. And in my Kitten, chicken, ten. backpack are a tadio and a reindeer. Our ending sounds are all the same, by Carol Diggory Shields, My What else can I bring along?” Kitten, chicken, ten. 4 oe Tonos Panel Coe, : aeninanens 7th crecHTR and My First Phonies Book from ‘A i ‘Sure’ . ‘With ann n here and an n Nn there. Dorling Kindersley ‘A rainbow?” “You bet? Here ann, there an n. “A shoe?” “No way!” Everywhere an nn q a Our ending sounds are all the same, § tng oneal @ Play again, listening for words Kitten, chicken, ten, ‘words and separate into. that have different starting sounds. beginning or ending sounds. (Rep ee ee ah @ Pack items with the same ending sounds, like kite, mat, and jet. START WITH SOUNDS 41 BLEND IT! Uh-oh! These words came “unglued.” Can you blend them back together? Be sure to use letter sounds, not letter names (“mmm,” not “em’”). $LOW TALK |A grown-up stretches out words with his voice. Can you figure out these . weird-sounding words? , inosaur SHIVER WORDS Grown-up: b-b-b ... ed ... You: bed Grown-up: ¢¢r€ ... andy ... You: candy Grown-up: d-d-d ... inosaur .. You: dinosaur AMAZING ECHO Grown-up shouts: p ... an... You echo: pan Grown-up shouts: t ... clephone You echo: teleph Grown-up shouts: sto ... P echo: stop Grown-up shouts: balloo ... M ..-You BLEND AND DO Listen, figure out the action, then do it! s-i-t, r-u-n, ¢-l-a-p, j-u-m-p, h-o-p SNAIL SPEAK A grown-up can help you draw the snail on this page onto an index card. First, listen to a grown-up speak like a slowpoke. As she says a word in slow motion, move your finger over the snail’s body, from left to right, starting at the head. Say the word when you reach the end, Grown-up: p-o-t ... You: pot! 2S SOUND-SONGS Sing along to the tune of “Are You. Sleeping?” Can you guess the word? m-a-t, m-a-t. What’s the word That you heard? m-a-t,m-a-t. T said mat. 1 said mat. Sing to the tune of “Oh, Do You Know the Muffin Man? The sounds in my word say f-a-n,f-a-n, f-a-n. The sounds in my word say f-a-n. Can you guess my word? Fan! (shout) 5 A child may 8 BRI correciy'say 5 m-a-N, but still & not recognize these § sounds as a word. Children must § be able to connect phonemes, then recognize what they hear as a familiar word, Each of these games can be § adapted to any level of difficulty. § Tasks are listed here from easiest § to most challenging: & L.compound word paris: cow ... § bey. cowboy (Syllable Smosh, § pese 37) § 2-syllables: pen ... cil, pencil § (Syllable Smoosh, page 37) & 3: the first sound with al the & others: b ... ag, bag (Shiver § Words, page 43) § 4-all but the last sound plus the § last sound: mea ... f (Amazing § Echo, page 42) § 5.cach sound: ¢-l-@-p, clap § Glend and Do) 5 Children will: blend vowel-con sonant sounds orally to make words or syllables. START WITH souNDS 43

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