Welcome to Mrs. Henry's Resource Page!
Great Math Practice and Activity Sites
It’s a ‘no-brainer!’
Nightly Oral Reading Practice
Oral reading practice is so important in developing a child’s fluency. When children can read words without having to go through the decoding process, it allows them to devote more time to understanding what they are reading. While many of my students are using poetry to practice this skill, they should also be reading for enjoyment for 15-20 minutes nightly to improve fluency and practice the decoding skills they have been learning in the Wilson Reading Program. In order for your child to make the improvements necessary to close the gap between themselves and their peers, it would be helpful if they could read aloud 8-10 of those minutes to an adult who can monitor their use of decoding tools and cue them to use their Wilson strategies (i.e. “tapping” and “scooping”).
Your child should focus on: pausing for a comma, stopping at a period or other end mark, and reading with expression when a sentence ends with a question mark or exclamation point. You can gently remind your child to do this prior to reading aloud and give them feedback following their oral reading practice. It is also important to remind your child to read words in chunks rather than word-by-word (robotic style). We reinforce all these skills daily and further reinforcement at home will help your child to acquire these skills more readily and generalize them to other settings.
It is important to ask your child questions about the story they are reading to learn more about how your child processes the written word, understands what they read, and the connections they make. Here are some sample questions that may be asked depending upon the story being read:
- Who are the main characters in this chapter?
- Where is the story taking place?
- Why do you think the character behaved this way?
- What do you think the character will do next?
"Do you know what this word means? Look in the sentence the word appears in, the sentence just before it, (and if need be) and the sentence following the word. Look for clues to help you figure out what the unknown word means."
Take your child through this process so that they develop a means to problem solve. It is important for children to self-monitor while they read and ask themselves questions. Instead of skipping over words they don’t know or understand, they should be taught to stop, reread, and problem solve. Taking the easy way out will not help them to become successful, inquisitive readers! Parents are invaluable resources who can successfully model good reading strategies that will teach their children accountability when they read! When students practice reading orally in "thought patterns", they develop better fluency, which should aid in improved comprehension.
ONLINE SITES FOR KIDS
Many of the on-line sites listed on my web page are math related; some are homework help sites, while others are just fun educational games/activities sites. I hope that you & your child will find some that are interesting, fun, and useful! They will enable your child to create puzzles, math worksheets, browse library books, etc.
Parent Communication
Please don’t hesitate to contact me at any time to discuss your child’s progress or request information/ supplemental materials that can be used to enhance and improve your child’s skills. Children whose parents are actively involved with their learning (facilitating and guiding, not holding their hands) make far more progress than those who do not! Ask questions, insist that your child show you daily their school notices and returned work, ask to see their planner, and demand that they complete their homework neatly and completely!
