Empower Reading

Grades 3-5

Suggested Activities:

  • Read daily – if you do not have books have students read cereal boxes, game instructions etc.
    • If the reading material is too difficult – have them identify words they do know
  • Keep a written journal
  • Write each letter of the alphabet on separate pieces of paper – mix up the letters
    • Have student create 3 letter words using different letters
      • The words can be real words (ie cat) or made up words (ie jaf) the idea is to know the sounds of the letters and to blend them together
    • Find a household item and ask the child to name as many things as they can that rhyme with that item
      • Ie pan (man, tan, can etc.)

Grades 6-8

Suggested Activities:

  • Read daily
  • Keep a written journal
  • Find difficult words from household items (labels on cleaners, cereal boxes, game instructions etc.) and use the strategies you have learned to decode (students are familiar with the strategies and the language)
    • Sounding Out Strategy
      • First – I’ll know the sound
      • Next – I’ll blend the sounds slowly without stopping
      • Last – I’ll read the word
    • Rhyming Strategy
      • First, I’ll checkmark the vowels
      • Then, I’ll underline the spelling pattern
      • Next, I’ll find the keyword (the students do not have the keyword bank, but they can do some of this from memory)
      • If I know _________, then I know _______________
    • Peeling Off Strategy
      • Peel off the affixes (prefix, suffix)
      • Read the root
      • Put back the affixes
    • Vowel Alert Strategy
      • Identify the vowels
        • Try using both vowel sound and vowel name