Saturday, August 4, 2012

Vocabulary to Teach Kids

Reading becomes increasingly important the older your child gets.  Therefore, if he is not reading on grade level you might want to start by improving his vocabulary.  How?  By making sure you teach your child the vocabulary which is recommended for their age.  For grades k-5 you want to stick with sight words and for grades 6-12 you will want to for on greek and latin root words.

What are sight words?  Sight words are words your child should recognize by sight.  It is important that your child learn sight words because it will increase their reading fluency as they get older and by the more words he knows.  What is reading fluency?  Fluency is the speed you child reads.  It will help them read faster without stumbling over words.

For grades 6-12, it is important to teach them greek and latin root words for two reasons.  One, the english language is completely derived from greek and latin roots so that when you study these roots it increases your vocabulary exponentially.  Two, when your child takes the SAT to attend college he will be prepared.

Improving your child's reading skills is important and possible as long as you focus on the vocabulary which is appropriate for his grade level.  It will also improve his reading fluency and comprehension.  Please check out the list and links below to get more information.


Here is a partial list of vocabulary word by grade level:

Grade 1
a
all
am*
and*
at
ball
be
bed

Grade 2
father*
feed
feel
feet
fell*
find
fine*
fire

Grade 3

barn
basket
beach
bear
because*
become
began
begin
behind
Grade 4
across
against
answer*
awhile*
between
board
bottom

Reading is more than simply memorizing words, you must know the meaning of words and how to use them correctly in sentences.  Decoding and fluency will increase your child’s reading speed along with the reading grade level.

Reference:

The Basic Spelling Vocabulary List
Why Vocabulary is Important to Reading?

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Wednesday, July 4, 2012

How to Start a Summer Reading Program for your child

Generally, I can’t wait for summer because I get a break from homework and chaperoning my child from one activity to the next.  However, this summer after reading How to GetYour Child to be a Fanatic Reader as reported by cnn.com, I am going to make sure I get my child to read 3 – 4 books over the summer.  I hope you are inspired to do the same with your child(ren).

Here’s how:

1.       Inform your child of the goal you are setting for them.
 This is a very important step.  You want to make sure your child is onboard with reading the books and accomplishing the goal even if you have to promise your child a treat or reduce his chores.  Otherwise, your child might rebel against reading.
      2.       Assess your child’s reading level.
    Just because your child is in a particular grade doesn’t mean he reads on that level.  He could read below grade-level, on grade-level or above grade-level.  By determining his reading level first, you make sure you child is not reading a book that is too hard for him because if the book is too hard your child will become frustrated and you don’t want that problem.


    To determine reading level, go to this link reading assignment test.
        3.      Help your child pick a book.
      Once you figure out your child’s reading level, help them pick out a book on their reading level.  By helping your child pick out a book instead of telling him the book you want him to read, you empower your child and make him feel as if he has a choice.  Click here to check out my summer reading list by grade.  
          4.       Schedule daily reading time. .
        So that you child has no excuse to read, let him know he must read at specific time daily.  This will help prepare his mind so that he knows what is expected of him and when.  No excuses!  Also, require he carry a book wherever he goes because you never know when he has downtime and can read a page or a paragraph.



        5.       Complete a writing assignment.
        You should consider reading the book too so that you can ask him intelligent questions about the book and make sure his answers are correct.  By questioning, him you improve his reading comprehension.    It is better to have your child complete in writing depending on their grade level.
         
        Reading is a great summer activity to improve reading comprehension, fluency and vocabulary which is important in school and life.



        What do you think? Do you want to read more tips like this? Then, click here to subscribe to Working Mom Time Management Tips If you like my tips, read my recommended self-help book for working moms which helps you get organized so that you can have more me-time and quality family time.
        Here are some time management advice for moms that might help you...

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        What do you do next? Click here to view the summer reading list by grade
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        How to increase your child’s vocabulary exponentially
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