Rarin’ to Read!

Thanksgiving will be here before we know it, and this news brings with it great anticipation of the start of reading cir-
cles shortly after our return from Thanksgiving break! It has been my experience that those students who spend five to
ten minutes each day working with a parent at home on phonics and reading are the ones who make the greatest strides in
reading! The ability to read and communicate with words is a precious gift from God, and it is my desire to give you a few
ideas of ways you might work with your child to help them prepare for reading circles. I am sending home your child’s
blend cards as well as a couple of activities or ideas for use with the cards. Please work with your child for five to ten
minutes a night, several nights of the week! I believe it will make a remarkable difference in your child’s growth as a read-
er! If you have any questions, please ask! Thank you for investing in your child in this way!

1) Review the short vowel sounds with your child. We associate each short vowel sound
with a word picture. We say the letter name, then the short vowel sound, and then the cue
word which says the short vowel sound at the beginning.
a /a/ apple, e /e/ elephant, i /i/ indian, o /o/ ostrich, u /u/ umbrella
Then allow your child to practice blending vowel sounds with consonant sounds. Have your
child “walk” through the blends, (b-a, ba, b-e, be), and then “run” through the blends (ba, be).
Encourage your child to “run” as often as possible.

2) Lay out several blends with different beginning consonants. Say a blend or words that
begin with one of the blends and ask your child to “go fishing” for the blend he or she heard.
As the days progress, give your child more of a challenge by selecting only the b blends, etc.
to lay out. This will help your child focus on the short vowel sounds instead of just the be-
ginning consonants.
4) Time your child reading a group of ten cards. Tell him or her how many seconds it took
to read, and see if he or she can beat the record with a new personal best the following day.

5) Have a race between you and your child. Show your child a blend, and ask him or her to
tell you the blend or a word beginning with the blend. If your child gets it right, he or she
gets the card and earns a point. If your child gets it wrong, you get a point, and the card
goes back into the pile to be reviewed again.

6) Encourage your child to be an author! Give your child

a notebook and pencil or pen. On a 3 x 5 card, write
down two or three consonants. Then, show your child a
blend, and ask your child to add one of the consonants
to the blend to make a word. Your son or daughter can
write down the word after he or she reads it. You could
write down a silly story your child comes up with using
some of the words he or she read, and put it at the
bottom of the notebook paper. Your child will be able
to “read” the story just because he or she wrote it using
words already learned and read. If time permits,
illustrate the story!