1. Ms. Jessica Shackil & Mrs. Courtney Quackenbush

2.   Reader’s Workshop is a time during reading Language Arts time when your child is explicitly taught a specific reading skill or strategy. It is first modeled, then practiced with the teacher and then then practiced independently with a book on their own reading level (see handout )  The purpose of this model is to create mindful, independent readers  Data collected by the teacher is then used to drive Reader’s Workshop instruction for weeks to come  Non-fiction texts and their features are and will be emphasized more in class and on assessments Reader’s Workshop: An Overview

3.  Possible Skills & Strategies for Grades 1-3  Fix-up strategy  Cause and Effect  Compare and Contrast  Story Structure- B-M-E (plot)  Sequence of Events  Authors Point of View  Making Generalizations  Making Inferences  Predicting  Fantasy or Reality  Problem Solving (problem and solution)  Drawing Conclusions  Making connections (not a coincidence)  Using schema (prior knowledge)  Asking Questions  Monitoring Meaning and Comprehension  Visualization and Sensory Images

4.   Letters and sounds/Sight words- knowing them with automaticity is a key factor in learning to read  Foster independence and encourage problem solving while reading  Remember: letters make sounds, sounds make words, words make sentences--- crucial for early reading development  Reading fluency…reading like you’re talking and being mindful of time, increases comprehension  Comprehension: discuss books with your child before, during and after reading; retelling, making meaningful connections, reactions, questions, author’s purpose or theme (see handout) Grade 1

5.   Fixing up strategies are crucial… moving toward utilizing these strategies on a more independent level (see handouts)  Foster reading engagement  Utilizing taught comprehension skills on an independent level is the focus  Reading fluency…reading like you’re talking and being mindful of time, increases comprehension  Comprehension: in addition to skills taught in first grade, other higher level strategies are introduced and should be practiced at home: inferring, drawing conclusions, understanding author’s purpose, visualizing, written responses to text, summarizing, identifying character traits and providing reasons why they act as they do in stories Grade 2

6.  Transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn.  Independently using fixing up strategies to enhance comprehension and monitor reading  Reading engagement and stamina increase comprehension and fluency  Mindfully reading and thinking, questioning and reacting to what you’re reading  Understanding figurative language, and using context clues to determine unfamiliar vocabulary in texts  Engaging in deep discussions to increase comprehension (book shares, knee to knee, fish bowls-critiquing and encouraging good reading habits)  Skills taught in mini-lessons are modeled and then practiced independently  Increasing reading fluency such as; adding voice, expression, intonation, and heeding punctuation  Comprehension skills introduced in 1 st and 2 nd grade are enhanced in third grade and expected to be applied on an independent level  Writing frequent open responses- citing examples from the text and discussing them to provide detailed proof of engaged reading Grade 3

7.   Decoding Difficulties:  trouble sounding out words and recognizing them out of context  Confusion between letters and the sounds they represent  Slow oral reading rate (reading word by word)  Reading without expression  Ignoring punctuation while reading http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/experiences/readexp1a.html  Comprehension Difficulties:  Confusion about the meaning of words and sentences  Inability to connect ideas in a passage  Omission of, or glossing over details  Difficulty distinguishing significant information from minor details  Lack of reading engagement  Retention Difficulties:  Trouble remembering or summarizing what is read  Difficulty connecting what is read to prior knowledge  Difficulty applying content of a text to personal experiences Recognizing Reading Difficulties

8.   Teaching your child the letter sounds: making sure they know their sounds with automaticity: clip the sounds (“b” is “b” not “buh”).  Knowing the sounds for specific letter patterns– matching a picture with a sound, may be helpful for your child to refer to when reading (“oo” sound- correlate the sound and pattern with a picture of a “moon”) (c = cat = “c”)  Have your child look for familiar patterns to help them read unfamiliar them (if you can read “took” than you can read “look”)  Find familiar parts of a word within words and chunk them to decode (refreshment= re/fresh/ment)  Encourage your child to utilize other strategies along with their knowledge of decoding. (see handouts) Way to Support a Weakness in Decoding

9.   Encourage your child to try and figure out the meanings of unfamiliar words. Discuss words in the context of the text.  Use of graphic organizers (See Graphic Organizer Packet)  Summarizing and finding important themes and ideas in a text  Discussing books with others (like after a movie)  Ask thought-provoking comprehension questions and encourage reading response activities (see handout)  Sticky notes to monitor reading and refresh your memory Ways to Support a Weakness in Comprehension & Retention

10.  Using Sticky Notes to Support Your Reader at Home  Sticky notes are beneficial to both you and your child in the following ways: Your ChildYou Help them review and refresh themselves on what they read Record questions/reactions they can discuss with you Constant reminder to monitor themselves self as a reader Evidence that your child is reading Allows you to gain knowledge about what your child is truly understanding about the book Springboard for discussion

11. Please take a sticky note from the center of your table and a pen. We would now like for you to read a short passage titled; Superhero Joey. After reading the passage, please use the sticky note to react, question, connect, or infer based on what you have read.

12. Superhero Joey by Katherine Rollins Joey put on his mask. He flapped his cape in front of the mirror. This is the best costume, he thought. I’m sure to win the contest. Joey skipped downstairs. “Here I come to rescue you!” Joey shouted. “Nice costume,” said Joey’s dad. “I’m a superhero,” said Joey. “Joey,” said Mom, “I need you to watch Mindy at the party.” Joey looked at his little sister. “But Mom, superheroes don’t have kid sisters.” “Well this superhero has a sister,” said Mom. “What will Mindy’s costume be?” asked Dad. “I’m not sure,” said Mom. Joey got an idea. “I know!” Joey took Mindy upstairs to his room. He dug through his closets. Joey found his baby blanket. He put it around Mindy’s shoulders. At the party, Superhero Joey and his sidekick Supergirl Mindy won first prize! (Story takes from www.superteacherworksheets.com)

13. Please take a few moments to share your sticky note with your group.

14. Sticky Note Examples Grades 2 and 3 Limited SN responseAppropriate SN responseExceptional SN response Wow!! I like dressing up too! I went to a costume party and almost won the contest and I really wanted to win. When I read this part I pictured Joey posing in front of the mirror with a huge smile on his face holding his cape. I have a sister too!!My mom made me do something with my sister when I didn’t want to. Joey must be annoyed he has to watch his sisters. This helps me understand the book better because I can relate to how Joey is feeling. I don’t want to watch my little brother sometimes too. I still have my baby blanket. It’s yellow and has bears on it. They must have felt so proud when they won the contest! That was really creative of Joey to use his blanket to make a costume. I bet that made his sister feel good.

15.  Ways to Respond to Text Through Sticky Notes  Reacting  Questioning and Predicting  Making personal connections  Cause/Effect, Problem/Solution, etc.  Visualization (making pictures in your mind)  Inferring and Drawing Conclusions (see handout)

16.  “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” - Albert Einstein Food for Thought

17.   http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4.cfm http://www.studyzone.org/testprep/ela4.cfm  http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/ http://hill.troy.k12.mi.us/staff/bnewingham/myweb3/  http://www.readingrockets.org/ http://www.readingrockets.org/  http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student- interactives/ http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student- interactives/  http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/interact-read.htm http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/interact-read.htm  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstoodminds/ Technology Resources

18.  Thank you so much for taking an active role in your child’s education. We hope you enjoyed our presentation and learned new strategies to help your young reader at home. We would like to close this presentation with a Question & Answer session. Read…Read…Read…And let your imagination be freed!! Q & A