Vocabular

y
Vocabulary helps assist
students in
understanding
advanced reading. If
students do not
understand words in a
text, they probably will
not be able to
comprehend what they
are reading. There are
three key components
of vocabulary that a
student must grasp in
order to become a key
reader. These
components are:
auditory, verbal, and
reading.
A game that you can do with your
child: This activity can be used as a
pre-reading activity to get your child
familiar with certain visuals that go
along with vocabulary words found
in a story. The materials you will
need are: a story, print out the
visuals of vocabulary found in the
story, and index cards of the
vocabulary. You and your child can
play a matching game where the
goal is to match the correct picture
to the vocabulary word. For
example you can use vocabulary
from the story of Green Eggs and
Ham by Dr. Seuss such as fox and
ham. Online Activity:
"Dinosaurwordsrepeat."

Comprehensio
n

Comprehension helps students

enjoy and understand their reading.
Comprehension is the mastery of
identifying words, which helps students
understand the main point of a text. If
students cannot comprehend the text
assigned, they may get frustrated and
find no point in reading. Make sure
your child always has a dictionary
handy in case they may understand
the definition of a word in the text!
A game that you can do with your
child: A fun activity you can do with
your child is assembling three parts of
a story or comic book together. The
materials you will need is a section of a
story or comic that your child enjoys, a
pencil, a piece of paper, and some
questions. For example you can use
the story of Goldilocks and the Three
Bears. First, you would have your
child put the text in order. The
sections could be pertaining how the
porridge is too hot, Goldilocks enters
the kitchen and she is hungry, and
Goldilocks is tired so she enters the
living room. Once your child arranges
these events in the right sequence,
then you can ask questions pertaining

The Five
Componen
ts of
Literacy
Ms. Peri Pearson
For parents of first graders

Fluency
Reading fluency helps students read quickly, accurately, and with proper
Phonics

expression.

Students
the relationship
between
their
them with
readingthat
and are
spelling.
Students
that understand
are fluent readers
can identify
theletters
wordsand
they
aresounds.
readingThis
at ahelps
fast pace.
Students
This is
usually
in kindergarten
through
second grade.
Children
with dyslexia
will benefit
with further
not fluent
will
read learned
in a choppy
manner for
a multitude
of reasons.
Usually
it is because
the reader
is
instruction
of
phonics
beyond
second
grade.
unfamiliar with the word or phrase.

A game you can do with your child: Dramatic reading! You will need a die and the book Sing, Sam, Sing by Bruce Larkin. For each
page, the child will roll the die. Each side of the die will be appointed a different emotion such as happy, sad, and mad. For that
whole page, the child will have to read it in the emotion they rolled.
Online Activity: "Printable Mad Libs | Classroom Jr." Classroom Jr RSS. Nd. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.
http://www.classroomjr.com/category/worksheets/printable-mad-libs/ This site is very similar to Mad Libs. Ask your child the
various words they want to use when asked such as an adjective. If the child does not know what a certain descriptor means,
A game you can do with your child: You can sound out a letter to your child, who will pick the corresponding visual letter. Your child will then keep the
explain it to them. Once all of the blanks have been filled out, have your child read the created story out loud.
letter by them. Keep saying letters until your child has collected enough letters to spell out a word. Once a word is formed, have your child sound out the
word. Once it is correct they can draw a picture of the word if applicable and write the letters underneath it.
Online Activity: "Zoo." Zoo. Nd.Web. 25 Mar. 2016. http://www.sadlieroxford.com/phonics/grade_k_1/zoo_a/zoo1x.htm This site will help your child match a lower
case letter to its corresponding capital letter. The letters are also associated with animals to help retain the information.

Phonemic Awareness
Phonemic Awareness helps students to extract the meaning of a word. It is essential when learning the alphabet so a
student can sound out the words. Students understand the smallest unit of sound can change the meaning of a
word. This skill also helps with reading and spelling. Skills in phonemic awareness include being able to blend and
segment sounds to make a word. A game that you can do with your child: You can have your child choose a word that
rhymes with the given picture. The materials you will need for this activity are pictures and a word bank (optional).
For example, if you show a picture of a hen, they can pick a word from a word bank or come up with it on their own.
Online Activity: "Orson's Farm." Professor Garfield. Web. 25 Mar. 2016. http://www.professorgarfield.org/Phonemics/farm3.html This site
will allow your child to practice blending and manipulate phonemes.