Talk, Play, Read Ideas to Support Parents Who Ask, What Can I Do - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

“Talk, Play, Read ” Ideas to Support Parents Who Ask, “ What Can I Do to Help My Child Learn to Read ?” Presented to N.E.L.A. March 23, 2012 Nancy Kelly Verdolino, M.A., C.A.G.S. Literacy Specialist, K-6 English Language Arts Curriculum Chair, Hopedale Public Schools Families and Early Childhood Literacy Committee Chair, Massachusetts Reading Association Library Trustee, Bancroft Memorial Library - Hopedale

Reading Is Juggling! Reading, and learning to read, is a strategic activity. I liken it to juggling three balls at once . The semantic ball - the meaning, the story line, the schema or background knowledge a child brings to a text. The syntactic ball - the grammar, structure, patterns of book language and dialogue in the text The grapho-phonic ball - the print on the page, decoding, how the words look, word recognition When children learn to read, they are at an advantage if their spheres are of equal weight (or if they have really strong hands and think quickly on their feet!) If not, they may need support. Exposure to good oral language, familiarity with multiple genres of texts, knowledge of story grammar or structure, print awareness, letter knowledge, developed phonemic awareness and practice applying the phonetic code and word recognition skills, finding “ just-right books ” - these factors all support the ability to read fluently. Caregivers can foster a love of and talent for reading by providing consistent and continuous support in these areas. Repeated positive exposure to stories and print and parental encouragement of wide reading will foster a hunger for knowledge through text, in this digital age.

Yackety, yack…please talk back ! What can we do to encourage oral language? Attention to cell phones and digital technology reduce oral conversation in families. Encourage parents to silence their phones, ignoring outside distractions, when interacting with their children. The children are very aware of this message… • How do you encourage oral language, speaking and listening, in your settings? • How do you encourage storytelling in your libraries, daycares and schools? • Do you use professional storytellers in your settings? In what ways? Do parents attend? • Professional Storytellers: Dorothy Suszanka, Hopedale, MA

Concepts About Print Parents/Caregivers can create in young children an “awareness of print” through reading aloud. Over time,the parent slowly releases support and the child “takes on” the process. Caution: Model these sparingly, in a natural way, so as not to overwhelm or BORE the child: • Point out the cover (front and back of book) and title • Point out the author’s name using 1:1 matching • Make predictions based on the cover picture and title, • Discuss the story elements through the pictures (links pictures to meaning to words) • Use conceptual and time order words “I wonder, what will happen next?” “First, they..” • Invite the child to read a predictable word or patterned line with his/her finger Point to specific letters or words during reading; i.e. That is the letter o ; That word says “ I ” • • Model 1:1 (word-to- word) matching on a page or two (invite child to “ride your finger”) • Showcase italicized, colorful,cap’d and bolded & size altered words dirty GREAT shy • Model left - to - right directionality and return sweep to the start of the next line of text • Teach the difference between letters, words, sentences; “This sentence says, …” • Note first and last letters in words, words in sentences, lines in text, pages in book… • Invite the child to read a predictable word or line with his/her finger Note punctuation and highlighting it during reading i.e. “ Go away ! ” • • Point out “talking marks”, “make talk sound like talk”; phrase tags: bellowed the Giant

Story Grammar Marker TM • The “Story Grammar Marker” is a hands -on manipulative tool that…parents can use to model the discourse skills required for students to think, learn and communicate ... Comprised of a series of icons that represent the essential components of a story(narrative), the Marker prompts students to remember proper story sequencing elements : • Character(s) (people or animals who speak, think, act and react) • Setting (Place and time) • Initiating Event (“Kick - off”) • Internal Response (emotion/feeling) • Plan • Attempts (to solve problem or answer question) • Direct Consequence(s) • Resolution (lesson learned/reaction to consequences) Source:Mindwing Concepts, creators of S.G.M. http://mindwingconcepts.com/faq.html

How does The Story Grammar Marker help students to succeed? Research has proven that nearly 90% of what is read by elementary school children is narrative in form. Narrative skills: Unlock the keys to literacy, critical thinking, and reading comprehension. * Connect speech and written language skills. * Link the language of home and the classroom. * Connect the reader to that which he or she reads on a personal level. www.mindwindings.com

BRAIDY the Story Braid TM Braidy TM is a manipulative SGM tool/toy that can be purchased (www.mindwing.com) or created in schools, libraries and homes • as part of a parent program with children in a workshop setting • • as a Girl or Boy Scout service program (Education patch?) • during book discussion groups, book theme parties

Story Grammar Marker may be used for higher level critical thinking activities as children age .

Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins Hutchins, P. (1968) Rosie’s Walk. NY: Aladdin - a story from two perspectives SGM retell from Rosie’s perspective • Character: Rosie • (Song suggestion (to “The Ants Go Marching”):” The characters are the the animals(people) in the sto- ory”” • Setting: The Farm (and extensions: coop, yard, pond, haystack, mill, fence, home) (Song suggestion: Twinkle , twinkle, Little Star. The setting tells where the characters are.”) • Initiating Event (Kick-off): Rosie looked out of her coop home and saw that it was a nice day for a walk. • Feeling: She was happy to be getting some exercise • Plan: She wanted to go for a walk. • Attempts: o First, she walked across the yard o Next, she walked across the pond o Then, she went over the haystack o Soon she walked past the mill o After that, she walked through the fence o Finally, she walked under the beehives and into her home for dinner . • Consequence: She had a long walk • Resolution: She felt proud, happy, refreshed from exercise, hungry, etc.

Rosie’s Walk (continued) • S.G.M. retell from the fox’s perspective • Character(s): The fox, Rosie • Setting: The farm under/near Rosie’s coop (discuss that fox’s natural habitat is in the nearby forest; he is out hunting!) • Initiating Event (Kick-off): Fox sees Rosie leaving her coop to take a walk • Feeling: He is excited about seeing a hen. He probably remembers how yummy she is@ • Plan: He wants to catch and eat her • Attempts: – First, he tries to catch her as she walks across a yard but he steps on a rake – Next, he tries to catch her as she walks around the pond but he falls in the water – After that, he tries to catch her as she walks over the haystack but he is too heavy and falls in the haystack – Then he tries to catch her as she walks past the mill but the flour falls and cover him – Next he tries to catch her a she walks through the fence but he falls on top of the wagon which rolls down the hill before he can get out – Finally, as Rosie walks under the beehives, the wagon takes him right into the beehives • Consequence: As a result, he gets stung by bees and does not get Rosie for his meal • Resolution: He feels angry, hurt and probably hungry! • Suggested follow-up activities (during summer programming?): o Children take the part of each animal; retell the story by acting it out or in make up a song o Draw the story in a different setting or with different characters o Change the outcome by changing the attempts

“Playing With Words” Phonological and Phonemic Awareness “ Phonological awareness is the awareness of and ability to manipulate segments in spoken language . It isn ’ t phonics, which attaches the sound to the symbol and thus builds on phonological awareness. Phonological awareness is the single most powerful predictor of future reading and spelling skills , and research shows that it can be trained. ” Title I Dissemination Project Massachusetts Department of Education (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education)

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness (cont.) • Phonological awareness implies the ability to break up and analyze words into individual and consistent clusters of sounds. • Syllables • Individual sounds • Onset • Rime (end) • Medial sounds • Phonemic Awareness is the ability to respond to and produce language features, such as consonants and vowels, i.e. • Alliteration : “ Laura loves luscious lollipops. ” • Rhyme : “ Pease porridge hot, Pease porridge cold, Pease porridge in the pot, Nine days old. ” • Orthography is the spelling system of the language; it is the relationship between the sounds and letters and spelling patterns of written text , i.e. • /f/ is a sound that can be spelled with the phonograms or spelling patterns: f, gh and ph