Literacy Newsletter
Edition 2 December, 2015
Creating confident, compassionate, and successful readers, writers, speakers, and listeners.
The Kindergarten Child
The First Grade Child
The Second Grade Child
Students are expected to come to second grade reading. At the beginning of second grade, students should be able to process texts that are mostly short (eight to sixteen pages), as well as some easy chapter books (forty to sixty pages) that require them to sustain attention and memory over time. Students should be able to process complex sentences when required by a text. In addition to automatically recognizing a large number of words, students should be using word-solving strategies for complex spelling patterns, multi-syllable words, and many words with inflectional endings, plurals, contractions, and possessives.
By the end of second grade readers should be able to know the characteristics of a range of genres; realistic fiction, simple fantasy, informational texts, traditional literature, and biography. Second graders should be able to read chapter books and be interested in special forms of chapter books such as longer series books and mysteries. At the end of second grade students should be able to read and comprehend fiction narratives that are straightforward but have elaborate plots and multiple characters that develop and show some change over time. Students at the end of second grade should be able to read shorter nonfiction texts, mostly on single topics and identify and use underlying structures (description, comparison and contrast, temporal sequence, problem and solution, cause and effect). An end-of-year second grader should be able to process sentences that are complex, contain prepositional phrases, introductory claims, lists of nouns, verbs, or adjectives. Word solving is smooth and automatic in both silent and oral reading and can read and understand descriptive words, some complex content-specific words, and some technical words. Students read silently and independently. In oral reading, second graders reflect all aspects of smooth, fluent processing. If your child isn't yet displaying these reading characteristics talk to your child's teacher.
Struggling readers need important teaching
Research-proven strategies for struggling readers
2. Teach them based on findings.
3. Provide them with practice opportunities.
4. Allow them to apply the material.
5. Reassess them to determine whether more instruction, practice, and application are needed.
Don't Give Up!
What the Research Says
Why Is Word Recognition So Important?
"Students gain proficiency by applying a reliable, step-by-step strategy for recognizing familiar words and figuring out unfamiliar words (Chard & Osborn, 1999). Teachers specifically target this skill by teaching how to work through words that are unknown and new. Students practice recognizing high-frequency words, not only by reading, but through practice simply recalling words that are not able to be "sounded-out." Many high-frequency words are taught to be recognized on sight. Visitors to classrooms can often find these words in the early primary classrooms displayed on walls (i.e., a word wall) underneath the corresponding letter of the alphabet that begins with the letter of the word. Some students will come home with high-frequency words on rings or in flip-books to practice nightly with their parent or guardian. "The consequences of not being able to recognize words can be devastating. Cunningham and Stanovich (1998) argue that poor word readers do not find reading rewarding and, consequently, do not read enough to learn new words and practice familiar words. As a result they do not develop strong vocabularies and are not able to understand what they read, unlike students who read a lot (Stanovich, 1986).
Four prerequisites to help young children read well:
1. Recognize the purpose of print
2. Recognize the letters of the alphabet
3. Understand that print represents speech
4. Acquire phonemic awareness
Readington Township Schools
Email: kmcgann@readington.k12.nj.us
Website: www.readington.k12.nj.us
Location: Whitehouse Station, Readington Township, NJ, United States
Phone: (908)534-2195
Twitter: @karimcgann