I'm stuuuck!

"Mrs. Beliveau, I'm stuck on this word!"

Boy, learning to read is challenging! A huge part of Grade One is arming the students with strategies they can apply when faced with a tricky word. 

We have a special bulletin board in our room that helps us remember useful reading strategies. There are many more strategies not posted on our board that can help a reader, but the ones we focus on are the ones that will help our beginning readers get "unstuck" most often. 

If you ever want to hear a funny story, ask Mrs. Beliveau about how her husband ended up buying all of these Beanie Babies!

We have not yet introduced all of the strategies posted, but have worked with several so far. Mrs. Beliveau frequently meets with small groups of kids who have similar needs to practice applying reading strategies.

Can you see the strategies posted behind our reading table?

Knowing the strategies your child is familiar with, as well as the vocabulary we use in class when discussing strategies, can be helpful when reading together at home. Here are the strategies we have worked with so far:

• Stretch out the sounds in the word slowly. (Stretchy Snake)
• Look at the first letter of a word. Get your lips ready to say the first sound. (Lips the Fish)
• Look at the pictures for clues. (Owl Eyes)
• Find a chunk/part of the word you know. (Chunky Monkey) 

Above all, always encourage your child to ask "Is what I'm reading making sense?". 

Watch for a strategy bookmark to come home with your child soon!

Reading strategy posters from Mrs. Ricca's Kindergarten.