Literacy Corner
Growing Readers and Writers
APRIL
“Reading is a passport to countless adventures.” ~ Mary Pope Osborne (author of children’s books, including Magic Tree House series).
In addition to being able to figure out (teacher speak: decode) words in text, readers are working to make meaning of text. Families can support meaning making at home while reading to/with your child(ren) and/or watching a commercial/tv show/movie. Try asking one or more of these questions to support the reading comprehension work we are doing across all grades at FHES.
Before reading:
What do you think might happen in this story? Can you make some predictions? (fiction)
What do you already know about this topic? What do you think you might learn? (nonfiction)
During reading:
What just happened? Can you retell what is happening right now? (fiction)
What words can you use to describe the characters in this book? What is some evidence from the text that makes you think that? (fiction)
What do you think might happen in this story? Can you make some predictions? (fiction)
What is that word? What does that word mean? (fiction, nonfiction)
Does anything in this book remind you of something in your life? (fiction, nonfiction)
What are some things we’ve learned about this topic? (nonfiction)
After reading:
Can you retell/summarize what happened in this story? Should include main characters, setting, problem/solution, and beginning/middle/end. (fiction)
What is the lesson of this story? What is the author trying to teach us? (fiction)
What was your favorite part? (fiction and nonfiction)
Can you list some facts you learned about this topic? (nonfiction)
MARCH
March is National Reading Month, a month to motivate readers of all ages to read, read, read! At school, we are reading daily in all classrooms and are celebrating our reading progress in many different ways. Our youngest readers in Kindergarten recently celebrated their Super Reading Powers by showing them off to first grade readers during a special Read Across America Day visit. In addition, all of our students read frequently with their reading buddies (Kindergarten-3rd grade, 1st grade-4th grade, 2nd grade-5th grade).
We encourage all FHES students to read/be read to at home daily. Research shows that reading daily for a minimum of 20 minutes and having conversations with children about what they are reading not only exposes them to 1.8 million words yearly, but also helps improve fluency, enhance vocabulary, and foster deeper comprehension skills. Children who read regularly do better in school, not just in reading but in all subjects! If you’re looking for some new books to read, check out our Book Fair in the FHES library March 13th - 17th. We hope you celebrate National Reading Month by reading some great books with your child(ren)!
February
January
To help us grow our readers, we are growing the selection of books in our FHES library! This year, our librarian Ms. Charlene added about 110 new books to our collection. Using grants, donations, and her own budget, Ms. Charlene added books that support our Character Strong program (focusing on different character traits), were requested by teachers and/or students, and other popular fiction and nonfiction.
Additionally, we have added all 2022-2023 Sasquatch Book Award nominees and Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award nominees. The Sasquatch Book Award nominations include twelve novels for grades 4-6. FHES students in 4th and 5th grade read at least two of the books and vote for their favorite in the spring. Last year, more than 8,000 students voted for the Sasquatch Award. The Washington’s Children’s Choice Picture Book (WCCPB) Award nominations include twenty picture books for grade K-3. Students in Kindergarten through 3rd grade will read/be read as many of the nominated books as possible and will vote on their favorite in the spring. Last year, more than 100,000 K-3 students voted for the WCCPB Award. We look forward to joining students across the state in voting for our favorites this year!
December
FHES students are busy growing as readers and writers! Students across the grade levels engage in a variety of reading activities across genres, including: systematic phonics instruction (emerging readers/lower grades), independent and partner reading, class read alouds, checking out books during their weekly library time, poetry and songs, and vocabulary development in classrooms and specials (PE, Art, Science, Music). Students across the grade levels are also engaging in a variety of writing activities across genres, including: narrative (storytelling), expository (informational), descriptive, and journal writing. We've also had many celebrations: - publishing parties when our authors publish a piece of writing and reading celebrations upon completing a reading unit (including a Kindergarten parade to celebrate our earliest readers being able to read words!).
For the first time, our K-3 students will participate in state-wide voting for The Washington Children's Choice Award, an annual award given to one picture book every year. Thanks to the San Juan Public Schools Foundation, all 20 nominated picture books will be added to our library soon and will be read to K-3 students before voting takes place in May. Our fourth and fifth graders will continue to participate in state-wide voting for the Sasquatch Award, an annual award given to the best novel for this age group. Students in grades 4-6 can participate by reading at least two of the twelve nominees (available in our library).
FHES students aren't the only ones who are growing and learning, so are the teachers! In K-2, we are implementing new reading units and student reading materials. In K-5, we are collaborating during some of our Wednesday early dismissals to understand and incorporate recent research about best practices for readers and writers.
Friday Harbor Elementary School
Email: roslynmagnuson@sjisd.org
Website: sjisd.wednet.edu
Location: 95 Grover Street, Friday Harbor, WA, USA
Phone: 360-378-5209