(ways to help your child at home with language arts skills)

1. READ TOGETHER (read any kind of writing-fable, newspaper, comic, journal, text, letter, etc. , read aloud to your child, have your child read aloud to you, take turns, or even sit and silently read----just read!)

2. WRITE TOGETHER (write any kind of writing—a list, a note, a letter, a paragraph, a joke, journal/diary, etc. write to your child, write with your child, have your child write to you, take turns, or even sit and silently write-----just write!)

3. TALK TOGETHER (discussion leads to understanding, talking increases vocabulary, hearing a model affects grammar and sentence structure, talk about shows you watch, talk about current events, discuss character traits, dialogue about reading and text read)

4. REREAD (reread stories read at school, pages of work brought home, favorite books, letters, poems, your child’s writing, journal entries, etc.)

5. REAL LIFE (use real life reading opportunities): * Read signs, maps, directions * Put things together * Write the grocery list or phone message * Read the menu * Write/create greeting cards * Follow a recipe * Compare ingredients on a can/box * Use the internet together * Compare places, people and things * Collect brochures to read * Use a dictionary

6. POST SPELLING (Post your child’s spelling list prominently):
* The brain loves a visual
* Notice the pattern and make analogies to other words that are spelled the same
* Use the words in conversation
* Think of synonyms (helps meaning)
* Sing the spellings to a favorite tune
*Create silly sentences with the words
* Clap the syllables
* Note the vowels vs. the consonants
* Spell out loud together
*Locate the “tricky” word parts/words
*Go on a word hunt to find words with the same pattern in a newspaper or story
*Sprinkle sand/flour/sugar/hot cocoa mix and finger write the words in the mix
* Other materials: sidewalk chalk, paint, markers across newspapers, wet paintbrush on a chalkboard, wipe off slates, magna doodle boards, flash cards, clay, etc.

Lastly……..
It was Thomas Jefferson who said, “I cannot live without books”. And there is an American proverb that states “A book is a friend”. But I really love the following statement by Harper Lee in his book To Kill A Mockingbird, “Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” I think his message is that we should not take reading for granted; reading is a valued treasure that we should love. I hope you and your family enjoy the pleasures of reading for all of your lives.

Brunswick Reading Specialist, Karen Fitzpatrick