Select children’s stories with emphasis on the Focus Sounds chosen.

You may RE-READ a story to help build fluency

OR

read a new story to help build vocabulary.

SELECT a children’s story that supports one of the literacy skills to help build a strong literacy foundation.

EMERGENT READERS LITERACY SKILLS

Picture Support: illustrations make sense with the words being read

Natural Language: language that evolves and develops naturally

Wide Letter Spacing: this allows a young child to visually see individual letters and how letters are grouped into actual words

Familiar Concepts: This allows an emergent reader to understand the story and make connections between the story and themselves

Repetitive: phrases are repeated throughout the story

Alliteration: words beginning with the same sound (Focus Sounds)

Rhyming: words ending with the same vowel & consonant sound (Focus Sounds)

PREVIEW the story with a Picture Walk. Explore the story through a Picture Walk, orally sharing what you see on the pictures and illustrations.

CONCEPTS of PRINT: As your child grows, help build an understanding of:

• that print carries a message

• how to hold a book

• front & back cover

• directionality

  • top to bottom

  • left to right

• turning pages right to left

• letters, words, & sentences

Other Interactive Activities:

• ask them questions

  • “What do you see on this page?”

  • “Can you find the _____ on this page?”

• make it personal - talk about connections to your child

“READ” or “SING” the story with expression. Use the pictures to tell the story. It’s OKAY to not read all the words, or any words at all, at this stage.

Young children have a short attention span - it’s OKAY if only a page or two is shared. As the child grows, so will their attention span.

If the child begins to interact with the story, sharing ideas or making connections, allow them to share.

EX: “Oh, that looks like our kitty.” or "I like the color of the house.”

Acknowledge their comments, then continue until the child is done.

If your child is developmentally ready for isolating specific sounds the following activity may be appropriate.

RE-READ a few sentences in the story that contain the Focus Sounds. Remember we are listening to the Focus Sounds. First ask your child to listen for a specific Focus Sound and when they hear it do an action.

EX: Listen for the /c/ /c/ /c/. When you hear /c/, clap your hands.

Then re-read a sentence that has the focus sound. Repeat this with three or four sentences.