Level D

Level D

 

D is for Dig in for More Sounding!

                              

Now that we have started to concentrate on sounding out words we are going to continue to dig deep and practice all of the sounds that we are learning and even some new ones. Your child should be focusing on the beginning and ending of words and the sounds that should be there. These books add chunks or blends, two letters that make one sound (e.g. “st”, “bl”, “th”, etc.) The books in this level do have patterns but there are more changes to the patterns on the first and last pages. The words now have more endings like “-ing”, “-ed”, and “s”. These can be pesky so make sure that your child goes all the way to the end of the word.

 

What is your child learning here?

1..Use some of the letters in a word along with meaning and how sentences should sound to figure out a word. The child first uses the beginning letter and then progresses to using the final letter.

What you can say:

  • Use the first letter(s) and last letter(s) of the word to help you.
  • Check the picture and use the first letter of the word to help you.
  • Think about what’s happening in the book right now and use the first letter of the word to help.
  • Does that look right and make sense?
  • Expect and compliment slowing down to solve a word, then picking up speed again.

2. Make and return sweep (go to the next line) on more than one line of print.

3. Read known words in text automatically.

     What you can say:

  • Expect and compliment when a child instantly recognition of easy high frequency words when reading.

4. Begin to start using strategies together: making sure that it makes sense and sounds right and looks right, to use the folder in your head, and make predictions. There are a lot of times where a child will say a word that makes sense with the picture but does not match the word on the page. This is the time to work on checking mistakes. If we can start this early, then checking what is read will be second nature for the child.

     What you can say:

  • Does the sound that you say match the beginning of the word? Is the sound that you are saying matching the last letter of the word?
  • Read it again and see if it sounds like how a book sounds.
  • Read it again and see if it makes sense.
  • Does that sound like how we talk?

5. Start analyzing a story to comment on events and characters and to make those inferences by combining what you know in your head and what the book says in order to come up with your own idea (making a salad).

     What you can say:

  • Notice how I talk about this part of the story to show why it is funny, happy, sad, etc.
  • Give the characters voices to show understanding of the characters.
  • What did you think about this part of the story?
  • Watch how I find information in the story to support my ideas of the story.
  • Why did you say that? Prove it by finding the spot in the story where you thought of that.

6. Read with fluency. With repeated readings, the child should start to sound “like she is on TV” as we say in class. This means reading smoother. This probably does not happen on the first read and that is ok.

     What you can say:

  • Listen as I read this part like I am on TV. Now you try it.
  • Reread a part like you are on TV.
  • After re-readings, can you read this without your finger?
  • Notice how I use the punctuation to stop (.), raise my voice at the end (?), or sound excited or mad or scared (!).