Dear Parents, September, 2018

Its that time of the year again! The school is buzzing with energy as twelve grade one students enter
my classroom ready to learn! Grade one is an exciting year as students begin learning how to read.
This letter highlights some of the main benefits of reading and what I will be teaching your child.

Why Reading is Essential to Student Learning

According to Louise Rosenblatt, reading is a transactive process in which a reader
negotiates meaning in order to comprehend or create an interpretation. Reading is an
essential building block for a student to comprehend anything they are learning. This
means that reading should not only be limited to English Language Art classes, but
should be cross-curricular. Students read for two main purposes. The first purpose is for
students to be able to make connections between pieces of information and to learn
about the world. This is called efferent reading. It is important that students read for
this purpose because it allows them to gain new knowledge and to develop their minds. It also helps them
increase their vocabulary, understand phonetics/phonics, and gain fluency in their writing. The second purpose
for reading is for students to just enjoy the text or to create personal meaning. This is called aesthetic reading.
Aesthetic reading is important because it allows your child to develop their imagination.

Five Components Essential to Learning to Read

1. Phonemic Awareness: The relationship between the sounds heard when spoken (phonemes) and the
letters in the alphabet (graphemes).
o We will be learning some sounds such as gr, ch, the short e, and sh.
2. Phonics: Phonics involves sounding a word out.
a. We will learn to spell words by sounding it out. We will listen for the sounds each word makes.
3. Vocabulary Development: The ability to store information about meanings and pronunciations of words
needed to understand contentknowing the meaning of a word on sight.
a. We will use word families and word walls to help students understand words on sight.
4. Fluency: The ability to read text with accuracy, expression, speed, and comprehension.
a. Through the use of modelling, paired reading with the grade 6 class, and repeated reading, we
will work on our fluency in reading.
5. Comprehension: The ability to understand, remember, and explain to others what you have read.
a. I will be reading stories out loud to class and asking questions to confirm understanding. Other
strategies I will use are listed below.

Reading Comprehension Strategies and Activities

High Five/Big Five Strategy: This strategy consists of five main steps.1

a. Activating Prior Knowledge: This step is important because it allows your

child to bridge old knowledge with new.
b. Questioning/Predicting: Your child will question what facts and
understandings their reading has presented.
c. Analyzing Text Structure: Your child will identify what type of literature
they are reading. For example, is it a chart or a book?

1
Dymock, S., & Nicholson, T. (2010, November). High 5! Strategies to Enhance Comprehension of Expository Text. The
Reading Teacher, 64(3), 166-178.
 d. Visualizing (creating Mental Images): Visualization is a great technique to help your child
comprehend what they are reading. This can be done by allowing your child to draw a picture of
what they have just read.
e. Summarizing (knowing beginning, middle, and end, for instance): Asking your child what they
have just read, including the beginning, middle, and end, allows your
child to comprehend what he/she has read as well.
2. Predictable, repetitive and pattern books. Allowing your child to read a story
with many repetitive words gives them practice reading and sounding out that
word, thereby building their vocabulary and helping with phonetics/phonics. One
book that is fun and interesting for students that I will be utilizing is called Hop
on Pop by Dr. Seuss.
3. Cloze technique (leave out words for students to fill in). I will give your child
booklets that have a story in it. However, I will leave out a few words for your
child to fill in. This will allow your child to use their imagination and practice their
spelling, but it also helps your child comprehend what they are reading as comprehension is necessary in
order to fill in the blank. This is a fun activity that my students enjoy every year!
4. Using illustrations. This is closely related to the visualizing step of the High 5 strategy. I will ask your child
to draw a picture that relates to a sentence or story they have read. This visualization allows them to
picture what they have read in their head and thereby comprehend it. I will also use picture books in the
classroom so your child can see what they are reading!

Examples of the Literature Being Used in the Classroom

- Hop on Pop Dr. Seuss: I will use this book as it is repetitive and uses shorter words. The use of repetition
allows your child to grasp the words and practice using them in a fun and engaging way!
- The Giving Tree Shel Silverstein: This book is a great example of how a story can provide positive
messages for children. It also has great illustrations for your child to connect their reading to.
- Harold and the Purple Crayon- Crocket Johnson: This book is a great example of a book that sparks
creativity and activates your childs imagination.
- The Day the Crayons Quit Drew Daywell: I will use this book to teach your child about the different
colours, an aspect of our science curriculum. It is an entertaining read that students love and also
activates the imagination.

While these are the books that I will be using in the classroom, I encourage you to practice reading with your child
at home! Feel free to ask me for book suggestions!

Thank you,
Ms. Bos