The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it. ~James Bryce
The purpose of reading is to be able to decode the words on a page and make meaning out of the words. Reading specialists will explain that a mature reader masters the 5 components of reading -- phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The more we can expose children to print and sounds, the better most children will develop these early building blocks to read. As early readers develop into mature readers, phonemic awareness and phonics skills become more automatic. For some readers, their memory of specific sight words aid greatly in their ability to read. Regardless, the purpose of reading, whether it be reading a novel, newspaper, or the internet is to comprehend the author's message at a deep level.
We often hear from parents, how can I help my child develop his or her comprehension skills? It is important to work with your child's teacher. Do not be afraid to communicate your observations about your child's reading strengths or weaknesses. Do you know what level books your child is reading at school (instructional level) or should be reading at home (independent level)? If not, do not hesitate to ask. If you are concerned about comprehension, your teacher can share with you age appropriate strategies that he/she uses in the classroom to exercise your child's comprehension "muscles."
Consider using the following strategies to give your child a "reading rich" environment that will support his or her reading abilities:
One More Day of Bidding!
If you have not heard about our DESEF online auction or the live auction event, you must have been staying away from our school, our emails, and any piece of paper with the words Walt Disney Elementary written on it for the past month. We hope that we have not driven anyone away with our advertising. The reality is that we greatly depend on the funds we will raise in this year's auctions to maintain our programs, and therefore staffing, for the 2011-2012 school year. Our Dragon Academy, classroom paraprofessionals, library, technology program and equipment, and Meet the Masters art program are just a few of the programs that are directly funded by this money. If our state continues to cut funding to education, we will depend on this private fundraising even more.
There are some great deals to be had on the online auction (See the San Ramon Patch article). Bidding ends Friday (tomorrow), February 18. Due to community feedback, some of the items starting bid prices are being lowered. Go to our auction website to place your bids, sponsor a program, or buy tickets to the March 12 live auction event.
The purpose of reading is to be able to decode the words on a page and make meaning out of the words. Reading specialists will explain that a mature reader masters the 5 components of reading -- phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. The more we can expose children to print and sounds, the better most children will develop these early building blocks to read. As early readers develop into mature readers, phonemic awareness and phonics skills become more automatic. For some readers, their memory of specific sight words aid greatly in their ability to read. Regardless, the purpose of reading, whether it be reading a novel, newspaper, or the internet is to comprehend the author's message at a deep level.
We often hear from parents, how can I help my child develop his or her comprehension skills? It is important to work with your child's teacher. Do not be afraid to communicate your observations about your child's reading strengths or weaknesses. Do you know what level books your child is reading at school (instructional level) or should be reading at home (independent level)? If not, do not hesitate to ask. If you are concerned about comprehension, your teacher can share with you age appropriate strategies that he/she uses in the classroom to exercise your child's comprehension "muscles."
Consider using the following strategies to give your child a "reading rich" environment that will support his or her reading abilities:
- Read together at home -- let your child see you read. It sends a positive message about the importance of reading.
- Partner read or read to your child -- in addition to having your child read independently or reading to you, partner reading (child reads a page, parent reads a page) and reading to your child models how a mature reader sounds.
- Make reading fun -- allow your child choose a book or magazine that is interesting. If your child likes a specific topic, read about that topic. Non-fiction materials or articles on the internet about a specific topic are great. Another way to make reading fun is to infuse technology. Consider using web resources such as Tumble Books or Starfall. To view more online reading resources, visit the WDES Library website.
- Ask your child one or two comprehension questions (don't overdo it) after reading. This will help your child to better understand what he or she reads. Here are some resources for effective comprehension questions: Book Talk Questions 1, Book Talk Questions 2.
One More Day of Bidding!
If you have not heard about our DESEF online auction or the live auction event, you must have been staying away from our school, our emails, and any piece of paper with the words Walt Disney Elementary written on it for the past month. We hope that we have not driven anyone away with our advertising. The reality is that we greatly depend on the funds we will raise in this year's auctions to maintain our programs, and therefore staffing, for the 2011-2012 school year. Our Dragon Academy, classroom paraprofessionals, library, technology program and equipment, and Meet the Masters art program are just a few of the programs that are directly funded by this money. If our state continues to cut funding to education, we will depend on this private fundraising even more.
There are some great deals to be had on the online auction (See the San Ramon Patch article). Bidding ends Friday (tomorrow), February 18. Due to community feedback, some of the items starting bid prices are being lowered. Go to our auction website to place your bids, sponsor a program, or buy tickets to the March 12 live auction event.
