Literacy goals

• Your child is becoming an independent reader! You will notice your child choosing to read on his or her own and wanting to read to others. Encourage this by allowing your child to read aloud to you now.
• You will notice your child pointing to words as they read and discussing stories with you and others. These are both examples of what good readers do not only is your child focusing on the words as they read they are reading to determine the messages of the author. This is exciting! They are learning to read and reading to learn.
• Do not immediately correct mistakes that they make while reading aloud. Wait and see if they will notice that it doesn't sound right.
• When they come to a difficult word allow them to use their own good reader strategies before pronouncing the word for them. When decoding difficult or unfamiliar words your child will look for clues in the text before and after the word, look at the picture for meaning and look for chunks in the word that they already know.
• Above all praise their reading efforts. You are your child's biggest cheerleader! Your motivation will give your child the positive self-image of a good reader.
• Your first grader will be writing for a variety of purposes and you should begin seeing punctuation and capitalization's in their writing.

Tips, Activities and Strategies

Provide various reading opportunities by:

• Joining your local library.
• Subscribing to a magazine for your child.
• Share books with friends and family.
• Books make the best presents!
  A book is a present you can open again and again!
• Continue to reading aloud daily to your child but add variety by allowing him to read with you or read aloud to a younger sibling.

Let your child know the importance you place on his education by:

• Getting involved with your child's education!
• Ask if there is anything you can do to help out in your child's classroom.
• Attend all school related activates that pertain to your child.
• Communicate frequently with your child's teacher.
• Share any concerns you have with your child's teacher.
• Ask your child's teacher ways that you can help your child at home.
• Ask your child to share what is going on at school daily.

What to look for when choosing books for your child

Books should be challenging but not frustrating.

• Text that is easy to see and read. (Text will begin to get smaller and be at various locations on the page).
• Stories with that begin to develop characters and plots.
• Favorite authors, characters and themes.

Read from various genres including:

• Non-fiction, books about
• Folk tales
• Poetry
• Fictional books that contain elements of fantasy.
• Historical fiction.

Recommended Reading for First Grade (Ages 6-7):

1. Miss Nelson is Missing! by Harry G. Allard
2. Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park
3. Dodo Gets Married by Petra Mathers
4. The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson
5. The Coin Counting Book by Rozanne Lanczak Williams
6. Freedom Summer by Deborah Wiles
7. Miss Alaineus A Vocabulary Disaster by Debra Frasier
8. Amelia Bedilia by Peggy Parish
9. Hooway for Wodney Wat by Helen Lester
10. Pinky and Rex by James Howe
11. The Little Red Hen by Paul Galdone
12. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
13. Alexander and the Wind-Up Mouse by Leo Lionni