Grade 1 English

By Alexis Burling
September 9, 2009

Grandchildren develop their mastery of reading and storytelling, as teachers make literacy fun.

   

The first priority for most first-graders in the fall is learning how to adjust to a longer school day. Early in the year, many teachers focus on hands-on group activities rather than individual projects, to keep minds engaged and bodies active. Since first-graders are still learning to master the most rudimentary elements of reading and writing, many classroom activities are done orally, and it’s not uncommon for first-grade teachers to use songs to involve students in a lesson or story. After students gain the ability to recognize and write all the letters of the alphabet in upper and lowercase forms, they learn to decipher words both by sounding them out phonetically and by using context clues. As children begin writing, sentence structures are kept simple, and students are encouraged to focus on organizing their thoughts in a clear, succinct manner before they put pencil to paper. In the second half of the year, they will move to more complex texts and begin writing paragraphs.

Lost Children. In first grade, there can be a wide gap between children who can read and/or write and those who haven’t yet mastered those skills. Teachers can get overwhelmed trying to address their students’ wide-ranging needs and can inadvertently gloss over crucial “how-to” lessons that struggling students need in order to accommodate those who are more advanced. School reading specialists can help, but many children run the risk of getting turned off by reading at this critical point and ending up left behind.

• One popular first-grade classroom activity is “Readers Theater,” in which students read aloud from scripts based on popular stories, myths, and fairy tales. Suzanne I. Barchers’s Readers Theatre for Beginning Readers (Teacher Ideas Press, 1993) is an excellent tool for increasing fluency and promoting creative expression, and you can have fun acting out the scenes at home.

• Did your grandchildren ever get in trouble for chewing on books when they were little? They’ve got nothing on Henry, a boy who gobbles up entire books! Kids will love Irish author and illustrator Oliver Jeffers’s ingenious picture book The Incredible Book-Eating Boy (Philomel, 2007), and you’ll appreciate the lesson that reading books is even better than eating them.

• Clifford the Big Red Dog is one of America’s most beloved pooches — and he has a knack for helping children develop their reading skills. For a great collection of literacy games and interactive stories for early readers, invite grandchildren to join you on a visit to Clifford’s website.

Pictures Speak Louder than Words. You can find plenty of gorgeous picture books on bookstore and library shelves. But there’s still room for a new one — one that you create with your grandchild. Gather the art supplies you’ll need to get their creative juices flowing (first-graders love glitter), help them come up with a simple, wordless story, and you’re ready to make publishing history. If coming up with a brand-new story idea is too challenging for kids, they can give a favorite book a new spin. When they’re done, children can sharpen their story-telling and literacy skills by “reading” their wordless book to others.

Cultivate a Cozy Corner. Learning to read isn’t always easy. But as you may be well aware, everything gets easier with the right amount of back support. Work with your grandchildren to create their very own reading nook in your house. Fill the space with beanbags, comfy pillows, and a throw blanket in case it gets chilly. Then make a rule that whenever they are in their nook, it’s reading time, and they aren’t to be disturbed — unless, of course, you’re bringing them a mug of hot chocolate.

To Be Continued. Anything you can do to boost your first-grader’s confidence makes a big difference. Show them that you value their imagination and voice by reversing roles and letting them tell you a bedtime story, one that continues every night you’re together. They can populate their tale with make-believe characters or members of the family. After they get the story going, suggest a cliff-hanger ending before lights out, leaving them with the challenge of picking up the narrative when next you meet. Then say, “To be continued,” give them a kiss and hug, and jot down the main points of the story so you can both revisit it another night.

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source Grandparants