Mrs. Barber's Classroom Webpage

Paths to Reading Research has shown in order for children to become skilled readers and writers we must provide opportunities to: *build language through speaking and listening *learn about print and books *learn about the sounds of the spoken language, phonlogical awareness *learn about the letters of the alphabet *listen to books read aloud In the early stages of the reading process we learn how to read by making connections between our oral language and print.  As we break the code we use the strategies we have learned to read and learn more information.     The following is a list of goals for kindergraten we will focus on througout the year.  The list is provided by The National Institute for Literacy, the full publication can be accessed in the link below.   The remaining links are other resources that may be useful in understanding the reading process and are activiteis that can aide your child's development at home.  Keep in mind not all children develop at the same pace and this should be used only as guide to better understand the reading process.

Kindergarten Accomplishments

Books and Print

By the end of kindergarten, a child . . . Knows the parts of a book and how books are held and read Identifies a book's title and understands what authors and illustrators do Follows print from left to right and from top to bottom of a page when stories are read aloud Understands the relationship between print and pictures Understands that the message of most books is in the print and not the pictures

The Alphabet

By the end of kindergarten, a child . . . Recognizes the shapes and names of all the letters in the alphabet (both uppercase and lowercase letters) Writes many uppercase and lowercase letters on his own

Sounds in Spoken Language

By the end of kindergarten, a child . . . Understands that spoken words are made up of separate sounds Recognizes and makes rhymes Identifies words that have the same beginning sound Puts together, or blends, spoken sounds into simple words

Phonics and Word Recognition

By the end of kindergarten, a child . . . Knows a number of letter-sound relationships Understands that the order of letters in a written word represents the order of sounds in a spoken word Recognizes some common words on sight, such as a, the, I, said, you, is, are

Reading

By the end of kindergarten, a child . . . Listens carefully to books read aloud Asks and answers questions about stories Uses what he already knows to help him understand a story Predicts what will happen in a story based on pictures or information in the story Retells and/or acts out stories Knows the difference between "made-up" (fiction) and "real" (nonfiction) books and the difference between stories and poems

Spelling and Writing

By the end of kindergarten, a child . . . Uses phonemic awareness and letter knowledge to spell and write words Begins to spell some words correctly Writes his own first and last name and the first names of some friends, classmates, or family members Writes some letters and words as they are said to her

Vocabulary and Knowledge of the World

By the end of kindergarten, a child . . . Plays with and is curious about words and language Uses new words in her own speech Knows and uses words that are important to school work, such as the names for colors, shapes, and numbers Knows and uses words that are important to daily life, such as street names and addresses and names for community workers

Articles and Tips Related to Literacy A Child Becomes a Reader:Kindergarten through Grade 3 National Institute for Literacy Publication http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/html/parent_guides/k-3.html   PBS Parent Guide to Reading and Langauge http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/ Internet 4 Classrooms for Parents Links for families to help their children http://www.internet4classrooms.com/parents.htm   Kidsource Links to books, on-line resources, and activities about/for helping your child at home. http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/pages/ed.k12.html   Bridge 4Kids Reading and writing ideas for families http://www.bridges4kids.org/Literacy.html   Reading and writing activities for home http://www.ed.gov/Family/RWN/Activ97/early.html Family Education Links http://school.familyeducation.com/reading/cognitive-development/38807.html

Interactive Sites for Children These are a few web sites that I have come across that the students have enjoyed.  In addition you may access our schools portal site with an extensive list of activities by grade level at: www.portaportal.com.  Once you enter, go to guest log in, and type in fremont. http://www.internet4classrooms.com/kindergarten_links.htm http://www.starfall.com/ http://bogglesworldesl.com/initial_sounds.htm http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/#lit http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/index_grades35.htm http://www.amphi.com/~psteffen/prireading.html http://www.cogcon.com/gamegoo/games/monkey/monkey.html http://www.beenleigss.eq.edu.au/requested_sites/storiesontheweb/storiesontheweb.html http://www.bookadventure.com/ http://www.aaamath.com/kindergarten.html http://www.quia.com/pages/solk.html http://kittyk70.tripod.com/interactivesites.htm http://saltthesandbox.org/kindergarten.htm http://www.apples4theteacher.com/science.html