Supporting Science of Reading at Home

We know that the relationship between home and school is an important one to cultivate. We also know that the Science of Reading is shifting the way we teach students to read. Families want to support their young readers at home but may not know where or how to begin. Keep reading for ideas and information on how you can empower families to effectively support their children through the Science of Reading at home. Make sure to grab your Free SoR printables too!

Check out these related posts:

• Science of Reading vs Balanced Literacy Instruction in Kindergarten
• Science of Reading Free Strategy Bookmarks and Posters
• Sound Wall Instructional Tips

THIS ACTIVITY GOES WELL WITH THESE SIMPLY KINDER RESOURCES:

Share Information on the Science of Reading

The first place to start with supporting the Science of Reading at home is to share information about what the Science of Reading is and how it supports reading. Parents need to know how SoR is shaping reading instruction and how reading instruction is being taught. Our FREE SoR letter is the perfect tool to share this information with parents. The letter has helpful information about the Science of Reading and a QR code that parents can scan to familiarize themselves with the shift in reading instruction. Download it instantly in Simply Kinder + here by joining the FREE plan here!

Share information and ideas on how families can help their children develop phonemic awareness (ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words).

• Identify the first sound in words that parents speak (bat – /b/).
• Manipulate the sounds in words (change the ending sound in bat to /g/ – bag).
• Create rhyming words for daily activities at home.
• Segment and blend words at home. The parent says a word and the child separates the sounds. Reverse this activity by having the child segment a word and the parent blend the sounds to form the word.

Simply Kinder offers additional parent handouts that provide tips and tricks on topics such as Phonemic Awareness, The Alphabet, and Supporting Reading at Home. Grab all of the Parent Handouts HERE and provide meaningful support for families all year long.

Send Home Reading Strategies

Please do not send home materials that support the 3 cueing system. These cues teach kids to guess at words and do NOT build strong reading skills. Instead, send home reading strategies that match what you are doing in the classroom. Parents may not know how to help their child when they are reading words so these strategies will help them feel confident when reading together at home.

• Point and say each sound. Encourage the child to touch and say each phoneme (sound).
• Slide the sounds together continuously. After touching and saying each sound, slide the sounds together continuously to form the word.
• STOP: Does it sound right? Does it make sense? Encourage readers to ask these questions to themselves the entire time they are reading.
• Try a different sound. Can you replace a long vowel with a short vowel, a different vowel sound, or maybe you need to try a sound again?
• Think about what you know. What rules have you learned for this sound? Thinking about rules and generalizations that students have learned about letters and sounds helps them decode a majority of English words.
• Break into syllables. Students can and should know about open/closed syllables. Use this knowledge when decoding words.
• Separate word parts. Students use what they know about prefixes, suffixes, roots, and bases to separate word parts.

Our FREE Science of Reading Smiley’s Super Reader Strategies Bookmarks are the perfect reference tool to send home with families. These strategies will match what you are teaching students in the classroom and keep the language cohesive between home and school. Grab your FREE copy inside Simply Kinder + HERE.

Provide Resources and Materials on a Regular Basis

The key to success at home and school is review and repetition. Be sure to provide materials and resources to families so they can work together at home on a regular basis.

Sound Brochures:

Sounds brochures can go home each time a new phoneme is introduced. These brochures give parents information on how to articulate the sound, tips/tricks, and a home link. Grab your Sound Brochures HERE.

Alphabet Mini Books:

Alphabet mini-books support conversation at home about the articulation of each sound, the formation of each letter, and rules/generalizations for the sounds. Grab your Alphabet Mini Books HERE.

The sound brochures and alphabet mini-books will support the reading strategies parents will be using at home with their children.

Be a Resource to Parents

Families will need your support and guidance while helping their children with reading at home. Keep educating yourself on SoR and best practices so you are prepared to help families in the best way possible. Simply Kinder is here for you and your classroom families by providing content and products that are SoR-aligned. Join Simply Kinder + HERE for unlimited resources at your fingertips to support all of your instruction.