1. Ready, Set, Read!
What Parents Need
to Know and to Do
to Ensure Their
Children are Ready
to Learn to Read

2. Become a Reading
Advocate for Your
Child!
All parents want their children to learn to read in
Kindergarten and first grade.

3. Many children—as many as 35% will
struggle as they begin to learn to read.
http://www.childrenofthecode.org/Tour/c1/inde
This website will help you get your
child to get ready, set, read!

4. There are four areas that are
foundational for getting children ready
to read:
Language/Vocabulary Development
3. Print Awareness
4. Knowledge of the Alphabet
5. Phonological Awareness
Let’s explore each area. Learn what they are, find
some resources, and provide some learning
activities for your children.

5. Language and
Vocabulary Development

6. Vocabulary
 What is it?
◦ to know the meanings
of words read
◦ to know the meanings
of words heard
◦ to use a variety of
words in spoken and
written language

7. Research Evidence
 Children enter school with a listening vocabulary ranging
between 2500 to 5000
 Vocabulary differences at grade 2 may last throughout
elementary school (Biemiller & Slonin, 2001)
 Children who enter with limited vocabulary knowledge grow
more discrepant over time from their peers who have rich
vocabulary knowledge ( Baker, Simmons & Kame’enui 1997)
 86-98% of the words recorded in each child’s vocabulary
consisted of words also recorded in their parents’
vocabularies ( Hart & Risley, 2000)

8. Children must develop “receptive
language”.
This is their listening and following
directions language.

9.  Expresses wants and needs
 Responds to questions
 Names pictures/objects
 Initiates conversations
 Speaks in sentences
 Imitates
 Retells simple stories
Children must develop
“expressive language”.

10. Use High-Quality Oral Language
•Model good language use
<INSERT AUDIO EXAMPLE WITH ICON>
•Engage in daily oral language
<INSERT AUDIO EXAMPLE WITH ICON>
•Read aloud good literature
•Use less “business” talk at home

11.  Business Talk  Conversations
◦ Come here! ◦ Tell me about…
◦ Stop that! ◦ How was ….?
◦ Be quiet! ◦ What do you think
◦ Sit down and eat! about…?
◦ Go watch TV! ◦ Why is …..?
◦ Clean your room! ◦ Do you think …..?
◦ Go to sleep! ◦ Who is …..?
◦ Get in the tub! ◦ What do you like?
Less “Business” Talk—More
Conversations!

12. Read Aloud
To
Children

13. Picture Books to Read Aloud to an Infant or Toddler
AUTHOR TITLE
Ahlberg, Janet & Allen Each Peach Pear Plum
Arnold, Tedd No Jumping on the Bed
Barton, Byron Trucks
Brown, Margaret Wise Goodnight Moon
Bruna, Dick Miffy
Carlstrom, Nancy White Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear
Gibbons, Gail Trains
Hill, Eric Where’s Spot?
Martin, Bill Jr., & John Archambault Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Martin, Bill, Jr., & Eric Carle Brown, Brown Bear, What Do You
See?
Numeroff, Laura Joffe If you Give a Mouse a Cookie
Oxenbury, Helen Tom and Pippo Make a Friend

14. Books for a First-Grade Student
Beginning Reader-First Stage
Author Title
Brown, Laura Krasny •Rex and Lilly: Playtime
•Rex and Lilly :Family Time
Eastman, P.D. Go, Dog Go!
Seuss, Dr. Hop on Pop
Ziefert, Harriet •Cat Games
•Harry Goes to Fun Land
•A New House for Mole and
Mouse

15. Print Awareness
What is it?
 Knowledge that people read the
text, not just look at the
pictures
 Awareness of how to read a
book-right side up, starting with
the first page and continuing to
the end; the left page is read
first, and the text is read from
left to right
 Understanding that words are
units separated by white spaces

16. Ways to Help Your Child Develop Print Awareness
What Your Child Needs to Know What You Can Do to Help
Words are read, not the pictures Point to the printed words as you read aloud
Words are read across the page Follow along with your finger as you read
from left to right.
A book is read turned “right side up,” Ask your child to open the book to the first
and pages are turned from right to page for you. Ask her to turn the pages
left.
Words are composed of letters. Make a sign for your child’s door with her
name. Show your child the letters in her
name. In books show your child that the
white space separates the word.
Each letter has a capital and small letter Although children are generally taught the capital
form and be written in many fonts letters first, it helps if they have an awareness
that there are two forms for each letter. Take
one letter (for example, an A) and pint out all the
different sizes and shapes of A’s.

17. Knowledge
of the
ALPH A E T
B

18. Children should be able to recognize and to
name all the letters of the alphabet—
capital and lowercase and out of order!

19. Most educators recommend teaching the skills in
the following order:
AGE SKILL ACTIVITY
2-4 Letter naming •Recite/Sing the ABCs
•Read ABC books
4-5 Letter recognition •This is a B
•Use plastic letters
•Read ABC books
•Form letters in clay, bubbles, sand, etc.
5-6 Letter sounds •This is a B and it says /b/
•Read rhyming books
•Do word activities involving recognition of
beginning, ending, and rhyming sounds.
•Match pictures of objects to letters

20.  Discriminate and identify the 44 sounds
in our spoken language
 Distinguish separate words in a sentence/
syllables in words
 Identify rhyming words
 Recognize common beginning, ending, and
middle sounds of words
 Identify syllables in words
 Manipulate sounds in words to create new
words
Phonological Awareness

21. The 44 Sounds in the English Language
5 Short-Vowel Sounds
short /ă/ in apple
short /ĕ/ in elephant
short /ĭ/ in igloo Insert icon/audio
short /ŏ/ in octopus of this….
short /ǔ / in umbrella
18 Consonant Sounds
/b/ in bat /k/ in cat and kite
/d/ in dog /f/ in fan
/g/ in goat /h/ in hat
/j/ in jam /l/ in lip
/m/ in map /n/ in nest
/p/ in pig /r/ in rat
/s/ in sun /t/ in top
/v/ in van /w/ in wig
/y/ in yell /z/ in zip

22. 7 Digraphs
/ch/ in chin /sh/ in ship
unvoiced /th/ in thin voiced /th/ in this
/hw/ in whip * /ng/ in sing
/nk/ in sink
* (wh is pronounced /w/ in some areas)
6 Long-Vowel Sounds
long /ā/ in cake long /ē/ in feet
long /ī/ in pie long /ō/ in boat
long /ū/ (yoo) in mule long /ōō/ in flew
3 r-Controlled Vowel Sounds
/ur/ in fern, bird, and hurt
/ar/ in park
/or/ in fork
Diphthongs and Other Special Sounds
/oi/ in oil and boy
/ow/ in owl and ouch
short /ŏŏ/ in cook and pull
/aw/ in jaw and haul
/zh/ in television

23. What do Kindergarteners
have to learn?
Are we sending them ready for
Kindergarten??

24. DIBELS
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early
Literacy Skills
Quick one minute assessments that let us know if our
students are “on track” to be readers. Help schools
provide enough instruction to get students back on
track as readers.
 Helps schools see where they need to focus to help
our children learn to read at each grade
 Helps us see where we as parents can help at home to
help our children learn to read

25. Phonological awareness must be mastered
before children are able to conquer
phonics.
Phonics is the skill of looking at letters and
producing the sounds the letters make. If
children do not have sound awareness
mastered, they will struggle with phonics.
A struggle with phonics will result in
having trouble reading.
Phonological Awareness…

26.  When children enter Kindergarten in Alabama,
they take a diagnostic test called DIBELS.
 This test checks to see if children are “on track”
to be readers.
 Kindergarteners are tested on alphabet
knowledge and phonological awareness.
 The research (insert link to research) tells us that
if these two things are not in good shape,
children may have trouble learning to read.
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early
Literacy Skills

27.  Letter Naming Fluency
 Initial Sounds Fluency
 Phoneme Segmentation Fluency
Kindergarten DIBELS Tests

28. What is Letter Naming Fluency
(LNF)?
 It is a one minute assessment
 It is an indicator of risk of reading problems
 It is not one of the 5 areas identified by the National Reading
Panel and Reading First as one of the critical areas of
reading
 It is tested in fall, winter, spring of K also fall of first grade
 Students should be able to name 25 random letter names in
one minute by the end of K

29. Probe 1
c c N u Q M u h S i
Letter
Naming
n b e N F f o a K k
g p k p a H C e G D
b w F i h O x j I K
Fluency
x t Y q L d f T g v
T V Q o w P J t B X  Target goal of at least
Z v U P R l V C l W 40 by spring of
Kindergarten
R J m O z D G y U Y
Z y A m X z H S M E  Student identifies
q n j s W r d s B I upper- and lower-case
letters for 1 minute
r A E L c c N u Q M
Total: ____/110

30. What is Initial Sound Fluency
(ISF)?
 One minute assessment given at beginning and middle of K
 Outcome goal of identifying 25 first sounds in words in one
minute by middle of K.
 Example:
◦ Shown four pictures and told the picture names, the student can
point to the one that begins with the correct sound given. Point to
the one that begins with mmmm

31. Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills
University of Oregon
Initial Sound Fluency -Sample
Example
This is mouse, flowers,
pillow, letters (point to each
picture while saying its name).
Mouse begins with the
sound /m/ (point to the mouse).
Listen: /m/, mouse.
Which one begins with
the sounds /fl/?

32. What is Phoneme Segmentation
Fluency (PSF)?
 One minute assessment given middle of K, end of K and in
beginning, middle, and end of first grade
 Outcome goal is to be able to separate words into individual
sounds by the end of K and to be able to do at the rate of
35 sounds per minute
 Reaching outcome goal critical skill for becoming a good
reader and speller
 Continue to test through first grade, goal doesn’t go up

33. Example
 Say these specific directions to the
student:
 I am going to say a word. After I say the word,
you tell me all the sounds in the word. So, if I
say, “sam,” you would say /s//a/ /m/.
 Let’s try one (one-second pause). Tell me the
sounds in “mop”. If the student says /m/ /o/
/p/, you say, very good. The sounds in “mop” are
/m/ /o/ /p/.

34. Administration Look at this word (point to the
first word on the practice
Directions probe). It’s a make-believe
Practice word. Watch me read the word:
Items /s/ /i/ /m/ “sim” (point to
sim lut
each letter then run your finger
fast beneath the whole word). I
can say the sounds of the
letters, /s/ /i/ /m/ (point to
each letter), or I can read the
whole word “sim” (run your
finger fast beneath the whole
word).
Your turn to read a make-believe
word. Read this word the best you
can (point to the word “lut”). Make
sure you say any sounds you know.

35.  Parents can download samples of DIBELS
tests to guide them in helping their
children with the skills assessed.
 It is important that parents focus on
helping their children learn the skills
measured and not “teach them the test”.
https://dibels.uoregon.edu/

36. What about time?
 Time to play (games, games, games!)
◦ 15-20 minutes daily
 Time to work (practice, practice, practice!)
◦ 20-30 minutes daily
 Time to celebrate (brag, brag, brag!)
◦ 10-15 minutes daily

37.  Learning the skills thoroughly is
critical for helping children get…
Ready, Set,
Read!

38. Some people there are
who, being grown, forget
the horrible task of
learning to read. It is
perhaps the greatest
single effort that the
human undertakes, and
he must do it as a child.
- John Steinbeck, 1982 Nobel Prize
Winner for Literature

39. Game Apps
 MeeGenius! – Free
 Small Talk Phonemes – Free
 Phonics Genius – Free
 Mels Phonics NonPhonics Lite Part 1 & Part 2 – Free
 ABC Magic Phonics – Free
 Zap Phonics Reading Games – Free
 Phonic Soup – Free
 Match Phonics – Free
 Phonics Fun 1, 2 & 3 – Free
 First Words with Phonics Lite – Free
 BaldiMatch:Phonics - $ .99
 Little Reader - $ .99
 Phonics Dojo - $1.99
 Hi! Phonics - $1.99
 Montessori Crosswords – Learn Spelling with Phonics - $2.99

40. Websites
 www.smartyearsapps.com
 www.inov8-ed.com/2011/03/theres-a-special-app-for-that-part-7-apps-that-sup
 www.teams.lacoe.edu/documentation/classrooms/patti/k-1/activities/phonemic.
 www.proactiveparent.com
 www.colorincolorado.com/families
 www.readingrockets.org

41. Counting, Matching, and Naming Letters
G
F
What You Need
•Set of plastic alphabet letters-preferable capital letters
•Mat that you make on an 11” x 17” piece of firm paper. Trace the plastic letters and fill them in, in an arc
shape, so that the plastic letters will fit over the letters written on the arc. The arc should extend from the
lower left to the lower right corner.
•What You Do
•Ask you child to count how many letters there are.
•Then ask your child to place the plastic letters on the matching letters on the arc of the mat.
•Teach her the name of each letter, introducing about four new letters per day. For example, “This is the
letter A.”
•After she can differentiate the letter shapes and has been taught the names of each letter, ask her to say
the name of the letter as she places it in the position on the arc.
•Repeat often, until your child can recognize each letter, place it over the corresponding symbol on the arc on
the mat, and say the name of each letter. Generally, it takes several weeks for a child to master all the letters.

42. Learning The Sequence of the Alphabet
A
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ F
C
X
E
What You Need
C
 Set of plastic alphabet letters
 A slightly different mat made on an 11” x 17” piece of firm paper. List the letters in order in a straight line
across the top to provide a reference for the child. This time, instead of the letters composing the arc, draw
a line to form the arc. Then provide three “anchors” by writing the letter A at the lower left corner of the
arc, the letter Z at the lower right, and M and N at the midway point at the top of the arc.
What You Do
 Ask your child to take the plastic letters out of the container and place them right side up in the center of
the arc.
 Then ask her to find the A and place it.
 Next find the Z and place it, followed by the M and N.
 The child then begins with B, Then C, and so on, placing all the letters in order along the arc.
 When your child has finished sequencing the letters, ask her to check it by touching and naming each letter,
starting with A and moving to Z. The alphabet across the top of the mat can serve as an additional reminder.
 Repeat this activity frequently until the child can place all the letters in the proper order within two minutes.
Generally, it takes several weeks for a child to master this task.

43. Guess the Letter
What You Need
 Two sets of plastic alphabet letters-preferably capital letters
 Two 11” c 17” mats with or without the letters filled in on the arc
 Two brown paper bags, or cloth bags, big enough to hold the letters
What You Do
 This is a game that two children can play together or you can play with your child. The object is to
try to correctly identify and name the letters based on felling them without looking. The winner is
the first player to fill in all the letters on her arc.
 The first player reaches into a brown paper bag and feels a plastic letter without looking at it. If
she can correctly name it, then she gets to place it on the arc on her mat and choose another letter.
She continues choosing letters until she makes a mistake.
 Once a mistake is made, the turn rotates to the next player
 The player who successfully identifies and places all the letters on her arc is the winner.

44. Snaky Letters
What You Need
 Modeling clay or cookie dough
What You Do
 Roll the pieces of clay or dough into
snake-shaped pieces for your child to use.
 Help your child form the pieces into the shapes of letters.
 If you cookie dough, make sure the letters with enclosed
circles (i.e., o, b, d, q) have plenty of space inside the circle
before baking. This will assure that the circles will not
close up when baked.

45. Straight
Talk About
Reading
Susan L. Hall Ed.D
Louisa C. Moats, Ed.D
http://www.amazon.com/Straight-About-Reading-Louisa/Moats

46. Parenting a
Struggling
Reader
Susan L. Hall, Ed.D
Louisa C. Moats, Ed.D
http://www.amazon.com/Parenting-Struggling-Re

47. Road
to
the
Benita A. Blachman, Ph.D
Eileen Wynne Ball, Ph.D
Rochella Black, M.S.
Code
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Code-Phonological-Awarene
Darlene M. Tangel, Ph. D.

48. EAROBICS
http://www.earobics.com/