NEW YORK CITY SUMMER RISING FAMILY GUIDE TO LITERACY
Grade 2
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Table of Contents
WelcomeLetter................................1 WhyLiteracyMatters............................2 SecondGradeMilestones.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 SupporttheStandards......................... 8 Literacy Throughout the Home.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 EverydaySkillBuilders..........................12 MakingtheSummerLeap.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 ReadingFAQs.................................18 ReadingatHomeChecklist.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Glossary......................................21 Resources................................... 22
Dear Family,
Welcome to Scholar Zone Summer! There are many things you can do at home this summer to support your child’s literacy. Literacy is the ability to use language to understand and communicate thoughts and ideas. It includes reading, writing, speaking, and listening. It also includes telling stories, using numbers, and understanding images. In this guide, you will find: 1. Literacy milestones to look for during second grade. 2. Engaging ways to reinforce your child’s summer learning.
3. Fun resources and tips to support literacy at home. Use this guide in the way that best fits your family.
Most likely, you are already doing many things to help your second grader learn. The hope of this book is to give you new, fun ideas to do even more!
Happy New School Year!
The Scholastic Team
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Why Literacy Matters
Literacy and good health are connected! Below are some ways that reading regularly can help your child grow physically, emotionally, and socially.
Spending quality time reading, talking, and listening strengthens the parent-child bond.
Reading regularly and discussing what was read raises a child’s IQ by 6 points.
Reading creates new brain pathways. Readers have better memories!
Reading for 20 minutes every day can help students score among
the top 10% in standardized testing.
Strong readers are 2.5x more likely to earn $850 or more a week.
Reading for just six minutes can reduce stress levels by up to 60% and slow the heartbeat.
Reading together at bedtime every night tells the body that it’s time to sleep and relaxes you.
Well-read kids are more likely to “think first”
Reading, especially fiction books, increases empathy. Readers know better what it’s like to walk in someone else’s shoes.
Children who read are more likely to make logical decisions. They also have better judgment!
before becoming angry or emotional.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
The Top 7 Ways You Can Support Your Child’s Literacy 1. Keep a wide variety of reading materials in your home. ▶ Books, borrowed or bought ▶ Newspapers ▶ Magazines ▶ Flyers ▶ Brochures ▶ Owner’s manuals
2. Talk, sing, and play with your child. ▶ Sing songs and recite nursery rhymes
▶ Draw, make books ▶ Play games together ▶ Ask questions and listen
▶ Tell family stories ▶ Make up stories
3. Let your child know that you believe he or she can be an outstanding reader and student. ▶ Write uplifting notes ▶ Praise your growing reader ▶ Gift books and other literacy materials ▶ Ask your child to read to you
4. Show that you believe reading is important. ▶ Read daily ▶ Read aloud
▶ Share your reading ▶ Travel with a book
5. Be actively bilingual, if possible. ▶ Use both languages ▶ Read books in both languages 6. Talk to your child’s teachers. ▶ Share details about your child ▶ Ask for help if needed
▶ Celebrate your culture ▶ Use closed captioning
▶ Listen and support teachers’ goals and concerns ▶ Speak up
7. Visit libraries in your community and online. ▶ Apply for a library card
▶ Sign your child up for library activities and clubs
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Second-Grade Milestones
Your child will work hard to meet many literacy goals this year! These pages describe some common milestones to watch for as your second grader grows as a reader. Language Breaking Down Words: ▶ Identify common 1- and 2-syllable words by sight (such as could , think , and after ). ▶ Figure out what words they don’t know sound like by: • Breaking the word down into syllables. • Sounding out letters they recognize in the word. ▶ Figure out what words they don’t know mean by: • Finding clues in the sentence around the word. • Finding the root of the word (such as add in addition ). ▶ Understand synonyms ( cold and freezing ) and antonyms ( cold and hot ). ▶ Use adjectives (such as big or pretty ), adverbs (such as strongly or clearly ), and other parts of speech correctly. ▶ Point out when words rhyme (such as cat and bat ). Talking About Texts: ▶ Retell the beginning, middle, and end of a story. ▶ Talk about the main idea of a text and describe details. ▶ Act out the stories they are reading or telling. ▶ Speak in front of a group about topics they are studying. ▶ Say what they like about a book and make reading recommendations to friends.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Reading Becoming Strong Readers: ▶ Pick both fiction and nonfiction books on topics that interest them and that they can read on their own. ▶ Read silently. ▶ Ask and answer questions about texts they read. ▶ Point out characters in a story and understand what makes them different from each other. ▶ Make connections between a story and their own lives. ▶ Figure out the lesson, or moral, of a story they read or hear. ▶ Learn new words while reading on their own. Exploring Texts: ▶ Read storybooks, poems, fairy tales, journals, picture books, nonfiction books, articles, and many other kinds of text. ▶ Read so that they can find the answer to a specific question. ▶ Pull important information from graphs, diagrams, and charts. ▶ Look for captions, indexes, and sidebars to find information. ▶ Connect and compare information they read in one book to related information found in another. ▶ Figure out the main idea of a text and point out how the author makes that clear. Writing Writing With Purpose: ▶ Write for different purposes, such as to give an opinion, provide information, or tell a story. ▶ Choose what to include and what to delete in their writing, over the course of multiple drafts. ▶ Create a story that flows from one event to another in an order that makes sense. ▶ Describe the actions, thoughts, and feelings of their characters. ▶ Introduce topics or opinions and use facts to develop their points. ▶ Develop a clear beginning, middle, and end to a story.
Lit Facts
Each year, most students spend about 7,800 hours at home compared to only 950 hours at school—one of the many reasons you are the most influential and important teacher your child will ever have!
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Second-Grade Milestones
Building Spelling and Grammar: ▶ Spell common words correctly. ▶ Capitalize words properly, including at the beginning of sentences and when using proper nouns (such as Paris or Miguel ). ▶ Use punctuation, such as periods and question marks, correctly. ▶ Add to and reorder sentences (“the girl bounced the ball” → “the girl bounced the red ball” → “the red ball was bounced by the girl”). ▶ Revise and edit what they have written. ▶ Tell the difference between formal and informal English (such as hello vs. hey ).
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Support the Standards
There are some common standards teachers focus on in second grade. These charts show three basic categories and how you can support these standards at home. Talk to your child’s teacher about your child’s progress in meeting them. Use the tips to help support your child’s literacy progress! Key Ideas & Details What happened in this text? Why?
BENCHMARK
TIP TO SUPPORT
EXAMPLES
▶ Who are the characters in the story? ▶ What happened at the end of this experiment? ▶ Did the character’s plan work? ▶ What did you learn from reading this essay?
Ask and answer questions about a text.
Ask your child specific questions about what he or she is reading.
Tell what happens in a text, what it’s about, and what lesson it teaches. Talk about characters’ reactions, or how important ideas in a nonfiction text connect.
Ask your child what happened in a story or text, and what it means.
▶ What did the character do when she faced a problem? ▶ Why does this book about bat hearing also talk about what bats eat?
Ask your child why characters chose to act the way they did. Or ask why two main ideas are described in one nonfiction text.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Craft & Structure How is this text written? Why?
BENCHMARK
TIP TO SUPPORT
EXAMPLES
▶ What do you feel when you read this sentence? ▶ Why would the author write hot instead of warm ? ▶ How does this story start? ▶ What is the small section of text under this picture called? (a caption) ▶ What point is this author trying to make? ▶ What words make you think that?
Understand how specific words describe feelings and senses.
Have your child point out sensory words, and ask why an author chose to use each word.
Ask your child to tell you what happens at the beginning, middle, and end of a story, and what text features make up a page.
Describe how a story or text is structured.
Talk about the purpose of a story or text, and how the author supports it with details.
Ask your child why the author chose to write this story, and how he or she can tell.
Integration of Knowledge & Ideas How do the different parts of this text connect to one another? How does this text connect to other texts?
BENCHMARK
TIP TO SUPPORT
EXAMPLES
Understand how images in a text help to describe the characters, settings, and events. Explain how specific points an author makes are supported by rele- vant reasons.
▶ What does the illustration on this page tell you that the text doesn’t? ▶ Why did the author include it? ▶ What is the author trying to say in this article? ▶ How do you know? ▶ What does the author say that might make you agree with him or her? ▶ What happens in these two stories? ▶ Do the characters react the same way to what happens? ▶ Are the facts in this article the same as the facts in that one?
Ask your child what he or she can learn from the illustrations and charts on a page.
Talk to your child about how an author makes his or her argument.
Discuss with your child what makes two stories or texts similar and what makes them different.
Compare and contrast two stories or texts.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Literacy Throughout the Home
Your household is your child’s first classroom! With a little imagination and a lot of questions, you can use everyday objects and routines to sharpen your child’s literacy skills.
In the Living Room Living room activities can strengthen both literacy skills and family bonds. Place a wide variety of books on shelves, in baskets, and on tables, in easy reach of your child. Gather as a family to tell stories, share memories, play charades, act out plays, or play board or card games. Screen time is best when viewed together and used as an opportunity to discuss what you are watching. In the Kitchen For many families, the kitchen is the hub of the home. Use the hours spent here to practice literacy with your child. Place magnetic letters, words, or notepads on the refrig- erator for writing and wordplay. Read cookbooks to plan meals; write shopping lists; and unpack and sort groceries while putting them away. Describe kitchen tools and appliances and demonstrate how they are used.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
In the Bedroom The bedroom is a good place for end-of-the-day chats to discuss your child’s progress and future learning activities and ideas. Demonstrate great reading habits by keeping books and magazines near the bed. Who , what , where , when , why , and how questions can be asked around a bedtime read-aloud. Bond with your child at bedtime with read-alouds, storytelling, and dream or memory sharing. In the Laundry Room Whether at home or at the laundromat, doing laundry has clear- cut instructions and specific actions that use literacy skills. Sorting laundry, measuring detergent, and folding clothes are ways to practice describing how things look or how things are done. The machines produce sounds and motions that can inspire songs, as well as encourage observations and predictions. As you sort or fold your clothing, compare and contrast the textures, colors, and sizes.
IN OTHER SPACES
Take it on the go! You can practice literacy anywhere.
At the Library Visiting a building devoted to books makes a great statement about the importance of literacy. ▶ Get your child a library card and visit regularly. ▶ Check the library’s calendar for events and workshops that your child would enjoy attending. ▶ As you look together for books or other media to borrow, talk about your favorite genres, authors, or topics.
In a Store The supermarket is well stocked with text and images to inspire both talk and play. ▶ Give your child your grocery list and ask for help finding the items you need. ▶ Ask your child to describe the colors, scents, shapes, tastes, and textures of familiar produce. ▶ Give your child a store flyer and ask him or her to point out featured items as you shop.
On the Move Traveling with your child by car, bus, plane, or train is a great time for literacy. ▶ Use travel time to talk to your child. Ask what’s going on and listen to the response. ▶ Start a travel journal that your child can use to record any eventful trips. ▶ Use public transportation and maps with your child to identify travel destinations.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Everyday Skill Builders
Engaging daily with your child in a variety of literacy activities can be easy and fun for the entire family. When combined with your child’s take-home books and available literacy apps, these additional home literacy activities can play a vital part in shaping your child into a lifelong learner.
PLAYING CHARADES is a fun way to explore storytelling . Take turns acting out scenes and guessing the action or event that is taking place.
MAKE REAL-LIFE CONNECTIONS when reading with your child. Look out for a part in a story that reminds you of your own childhood. Encourage your child to do the same. COMPARE a whole orange to the main idea of a story , the sections inside representing key details . Everyday objects can help explain core skills!
TOGETHER, READ A BOOK THAT HAS BEEN MADE INTO A MOVIE. When finished with the book, celebrate by watching the movie. Or watch a movie and then read a book based on it. Compare and contrast over popcorn.
CHOOSE A SONG your child knows well. Together, create your own special song to sing to the same tune. The song can be about your address, telephone number, doing an activity or chore, etc.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
GET AN INEXPENSIVE, LAP-SIZED WHITE- BOARD and erasable markers so your child can write and draw in the car, while watching TV, or during read-alouds.
DRAW A TIMELINE of your child’s life
together. Use sequencing words such as first, next, after , and finally as you share. You can do one for everyone in the family.
ROLE-PLAYING is a great way for your child to share feelings and express emotions about everyday life at home and school, or to imagine how it feels to be on an adventure. USE HUMONGOUS WORDS! Instead of reducing your vocabulary to be more childlike when you talk to your children, mix in big words that challenge them.
USE PRINT ADS as opportunities for your child to identify and practice using
punctuation. Together, practice how to read a period, an exclamation point, or a question mark in a sentence.
COLLECT AND SAVE circulars, free magazines, newspapers, and other free print to create a story with images.
LAUGH IT UP! Telling jokes, puns, and riddles and clowning around all build humor and storytelling skills. They also boost confidence and creativity.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
MAKE PUPPETS using a marker and
recyclables like spoons, cardboard tubes, paper bags, old socks, etc. Let your child use them for storytelling and plays.
CREATE A FAMILY JOURNAL. Leave a notebook in a special spot in your home. Encourage the entire family to write something creative, inspiring, or funny in it every day.
CREATE A QUIET READING SPACE for your child. Add a few pillows to curl up on and a small basket or shelf for keeping books and magazines.
DANCE with your child as you read books together, encouraging movement as a response to what you read.
WATCH TELEVISION WISELY. Help develop speaking, listening, and comprehension skills through co-viewing television on occasion. Ask your child to describe visual details, summarize plots, or identify lessons of shows watched together.
PLAY WORD GAMES such as I Spy or 20 Questions that require the use of grammar, spelling, and vocabulary. While playing, ask your child to identify parts of speech (e.g., red is an adjective, apple is a noun).
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Everyday Skill Builders
Lit Facts
▶ Never say there isn’t a book out there for you! Recently, Google esti- mated the total number of published books in the world at 129,864,880. And that number is still growing! ▶ In first and second grade, children learn an average
ALWAYS MAKE TIME TO TALK TO EACH OTHER ABOUT YOUR DAY. Ask questions that prompt thoughtful answers (e.g., What made you giggle today? What made you frown? What surprised you?).
of 800 or more words each year. That’s about two words every day!
USE THE INTERNET, WEBSITES, AND YOUR SMARTPHONE for fact-
INVITE FAMILY MEMBERS to write letters, record audio books, or share their favorite childhood books with your child. Relatives can help with literacy activities, too!
finding, research, and writing. You can also use technology to notice figurative language (e.g., surfing the Internet, or my battery is dying ).
REWARD EFFORT AS MUCH AS SUCCESS! Recognize and applaud your child’s honest efforts while learning. This will inspire continued attempts to try hard when facing new challenges.
MAKING MISTAKES while reading to your child is fine. It’s a chance to show how to self-correct. Stop, explain what you said incorrectly, and then reread correctly.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Making the Summer Leap
The Importance of Summer Reading Studies show that teachers often spend the first month of school re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer! Children who read four or more books over the summer do better on reading comprehension tests in the fall than classmates who read one or no books at all. Help support your child’s teacher and keep reading a part of your home routine. Summer is filled with events and activities that keep families busy. Here are tips that can fit into any jam-packed schedule and get your child excited about reading!
Lit Facts Summer Reading Stats ▶ The equivalent of two months of reading skills is lost after summer vacation if children are not reading. ▶ By the end of sixth grade, students who have experienced summer learning loss over the years are an average of two years behind their peers. ▶ Two to three hours of reading per week during summer vacation are needed to prevent learning loss. Try This Fold and staple paper to make blank books that your child can use to write and illustrate stories or poetry. Use completed books during read-alouds or add them to the family library.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
What You Can Do ▶ Encourage independent reading at home during the school year so that by the time summer starts, your child will be used to reading outside of the classroom. ▶ Continue reading together with your child throughout the summer. Bring books outside for added fun! ▶ Set up cozy reading spaces in your home to encourage your child to read. Keep books in this area and try to choose a space away from distractions and electronics. ▶ Let your child choose the books that he or she wants to read this summer. Studies show that 9 out of 10 kids say that they are more likely to complete a book if they picked it out themselves! ▶ Take advantage of the library! Librarians can help you and your child find the perfect book. Also check your local libraries for free or low-cost summer reading programs. ▶ Make time for your child to read every day this summer! If you read the paper in the morning, read it aloud to your child. Read whatever you have in the house together. Summer isn’t the only time of year students have a break from school. Use these tips while enjoying time off together during other holidays, too! Suggested Summer Reads Your school may send out a recommended reading list. If not, ask your child’s teacher or a local librarian for suggestions. See the list at right for additional ideas.
Try This
Check out these titles for reading together this summer: ▶ Living in...China, Level 2, by Chloe Perkins ▶ Pyramids (Level 1), by Laura Marsh ▶ Wangari’s Trees of Peace, A True Story from Africa, by Jeanette Winter ▶ Why Do Dogs Bark?, by Joan Holub ▶ Fearless Freddie, by Shelley Swanson Sateren ▶ More-igami, by Dori Kleber ▶ The Sleepover, by Cece Bell ▶ Sharks, An Usborne Beginners Book, by Catriona Clarke ▶ The Quickest Kid in Clarksville, by Pat Zietlow Miller ▶ The Rainbow Mystery, by Jennifer Dussling
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Reading FAQs
Even with all of this information, you may still have questions! Here are some of the most common questions other families have. For more information, see the resources on page 28. 1. My child doesn’t like to read. What should I do? Many children go through periods of both liking and disliking reading. To help your child get excited about books, try finding stories and texts about things he or she loves—space travel, music, sports, animals, you name it! It’s fine if your child chooses engaging books that are a bit above or below his or her reading level. Reading through websites, role-playing with shopping lists, and sending text messages are also great ways to promote reading every day. Literacy comes in many forms and doesn’t have to be intimidating or boring! 2. My child only wants to read the same book over and over. Is that okay? Yes! In fact, it’s great. Rereading means your child has found a book that makes him or her excited about reading, which is an important step to becoming a lifelong reader. Try finding books about similar things to the one he or she has fallen in love with, and see if those spark an interest. If not, don’t worry too much. Any reading counts as reading, and rereading offers your child the chance to experience the same story from multiple angles, ultimately building a better understanding of the text!
3. I think my child might be having trouble reading. How can I know for sure, and what can I do about it?
It’s normal for children to fall a little behind in reading, just as it’s normal for them to sometimes work a little ahead. However, if your child hesitates often while reading aloud, takes a long time to follow written directions, or frequently guesses at how words are spelled without paying attention to the way they sound, it’s a good idea to reach out to your child’s teacher. If your child does have reading difficulties, ask the teacher what strategies are being used in school to support your child, and what you can do at home to help. Always encourage your child, spend as much time reading with him or her as possible, and praise honest efforts. Your child’s teacher may recommend an in-school reading specialist whose support will get your child back on track. 4. How much should my child be reading each night? In second grade, children should be independently reading for around 20–30 minutes each day outside of school. Those 20–30 minutes may be spent diving into one book or reading several smaller texts.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
5. How much screen time is too much? Do digital books (tablet, e-reader) count as screen time, or as regular reading? How much screen time (both Internet and television) to allow is a personal choice for each family to make. Two hours or less per day is generally recommended, but balancing meals, physical activity, and sleep with technology use is the priority. Both digital books and print books can help your child build reading skills. It’s best to mix print and digital books in whatever balance works best for you and your child, counting all the time spent with either as reading. 6. My child reads above grade level. How do I support him or her? Your child may be capable of reading at a fourth- or even fifth-grade level, but many texts written for these grade levels contain content that may be too mature for an eight-year-old. Instead, consider sharing a variety of reading materials like poetry, newspapers, or magazine articles. Ask why and how questions to get your child thinking on a deeper level about what he or she is already reading. 7. English is not my family’s first language. How can we support our child’s development in both of the languages we speak? Literacy skills transfer easily between any languages, and there are many ways that you can support your child’s growth in both languages at once. For example: ▶ Choose picture books without words, and create a story together using words from both languages you speak. ▶ Find bilingual books, and take turns with your child reading the English page and the page in your native language. ▶ Turn on English subtitles when you watch movies or TV with your child in your native language, or turn on subtitles in your native language while watching a program in English.
Just Ask Ask your child’s teacher any questions you have that have not been answered by this guide. Bring this guide with you the next time you meet, and use the lines below to write your own question and the teacher’s response.
Q:
A:
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Reading at Home Checklist
Use this checklist as you plan activities that strengthen your child’s reading and writing skills. As a family, we often…
My child… ☐ makes connections between what he or she is reading and real life. ☐ looks for more information in other texts or online about subjects that interest him or her. ☐ can answer who , what , where , when , why , and how questions about what he or she is reading. ☐ uses illustrations, diagrams, and maps in a text to understand what is being expressed. ☐ understands and uses parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs) correctly. ☐ uses strategies learned in class to understand and pronounce new words. ☐ can compare and contrast. Our home… ☐ is print-rich with books from different genres at grade level, magazines, newspapers, brochures, and other materials that can be read or looked at. ☐ has an area set aside for read-alouds and independent reading that is comfortable and relatively quiet. ☐ has materials like paper, pencils, and crayons my child can use for drawing and writing. ☐ contains a selection of educational toys like magnetized letters or words available for use at any time.
☐ spend time together reading aloud to each other. ☐ talk in detail about things we have seen, experi- ences we have had, or stories we have read, heard, or watched. ☐ practice reading and writing with everyday activi- ties like grocery lists, notes, directions, etc. ☐ play games that involve spelling, reading, or vocabulary, and create plays, songs, or poems in response to something we’ve read.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Glossary
adjective —A word used to describe and give more details about a noun (e.g., “I like green apples more than red apples”). adverb —A word that describes where, when, or how an action (a verb) is done, or modifies other descrip- tive words (e.g ., “Yesterday, they quickly ran to school because they were very late”). assessment —A range of methods and tools used to measure academic knowledge, growth, or readiness. An assessment can be anything from a simple ques- tion about a topic to state-level testing. blending —An essential phonics skill in which children learn to link the sound that two or more letters make when said together (e.g., the letters s and h make the sound /sh/, a way to say “be quiet”). comprehension —A reader’s ability to read and understand the text. Level of ability is based on knowledge of reading strategies and vocabulary. decoding —The process of seeing words on a page and knowing how to say them out loud. fluency —The skill that is measured by a child’s reading rate, words known by heart, word accuracy, and expressively reading aloud. formative assessment —A form of assessment used to monitor ongoing learning (e.g., a short quiz, or written work done during class) in order to provide feedback. Formative assessments can improve both teacher instruction and student learning. genre —A kind of literature defined by its style, structure, and content. The two main subcategories of genre are fiction and nonfiction (e.g., “ Stories that scare the reader are from the horror genre”). independent reading —A student reads an at-level, “just right” book of choice with fluency and compre- hension without support from teachers, other adults, or peers. independent reading level —The level at which a reader can read text with 95% accuracy (i.e., no more than one error per 20 words read).
noun —A word that is the name of something such as a person, place, thing, or quality (e.g., student, school, book, happiness ). phonics —A method of teaching children to read by linking sounds (phonemes) and the symbols that represent them (graphemes, or letters). prefix —A group of letters that are added to the beginning of a base word, changing its meaning (e.g ., un- is a prefix that means “not,” or “remove,” as in undo , unopened , or unreal ). shared reading —A single written piece that the teacher shares with the entire class. Students follow along with the teacher as concepts, strategies, and other reading skills are taught. high frequency word —A word that a child has to recognize on sight, depending on grade level. Many times these words aren’t said the way they look (e.g., does ) or may sound like other words (e.g., to, two, too ). suffix —A group of letters that are added to the end of a word, changing or adding to its meaning. Suffixes can show if a word is a noun, an adjective, an adverb, or a verb. summative assessment —A form of assessment that evaluates learning at the end of a unit (e.g., an end-of-year test). Summative assessments compare student work to a benchmark or standard. verb —A word that expresses a physical action, a mental action, or a state of being (e.g., run, think, be ). vocabulary —The set of words known or used by a person or group that are read, spoken, or written.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
Resources
There are many places online where you can find additional information and resources. Here are a few we recommend: Websites: Scholastic Parents www.scholastic.com/parents Fun literacy activities, tips, and articles. PBS Parents
For Bilingual Families: ¡ColorÍn Colorado! www.colorincolorado.org Tips and guides in 13 languages. Multilingual Parenting multilingualparenting.com Answers to common questions about raising multilingual children. Apps: Level It Books levelitbooks.com Organize, track, and find the reading level for any book by scanning its ISBN. Storybird storybird.com Create and publish stories using a gallery of images.
www.pbs.org/parents/education/reading-language Book recommendations, tips for creative writing, and an explanation of reading milestones. Read Write Think www.readwritethink.org Projects, online games, printouts, and podcasts. Reading Rockets www.readingrockets.org/audience/parents Tips about digital media, summer reading, stan- dards, and how to help a struggling reader. Council of the Great City Schools “Parent Roadmaps” www.cgcs.org/Page/328 Short packets about supporting standards. National PTA www.pta.org Family guides to reading skills and information on state assessments. Great! Schools www.greatschools.org Video examples of success at each reading milestone, book lists, and worksheets.
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Family Guide to Literacy | Grade 2
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