It is simply impossible to separate writing from reading. To understand how to write stories, we must absorb stories through books. In order to learn how to spell, we must see words on paper.
This is why we've started mixing Book Club into the Monday routine for 1st and 2nd grades. Last week I read books as the children listened. Today, students practiced reading to a friend, and then we read books together as a class. Students are encouraged to bring a book from home each Monday, as familiar books are excellent confidence builders when reading aloud!
As we go through Book Club, we will apply different reading strategies and complete story sequence worksheets and simple book reports. The purpose of these exercises is to ensure reading comprehension and to intentionally study the elements of the story so that we might become better writers.
Additionally, we will introduce Lightning Fast words in the coming week. Lightning Fast Words come in groups of 100, and are meant to widen your child's recognition of common words. The more Lightning Fast Words we are able to read (and understand) at a glance, the more fluent a reader we will become. This will also widen our vocabulary and aid in spelling. I will review your student's Lightning Fast Words in class often, so please make sure they come to school with your student every day. My goal will be to provide your student with only five words at a time that need to be practiced at home, so studying should take less than one minute a day. Once your student has mastered the studied words with me three times, he/she will move on to new study words. I will send the entire list home when we get started, so feel free to read ahead if you would like.
...We will still have Show & Tell once or twice a month.
I'm having a blast with your student!
