Books We Make in School
Homework Memory Book
All of the Family Homework your child completes and returns this year will be collected and made into a book to be taken home on the last day of school.
Writing Through the Year
Your child will write in a journal using invented spelling or phonics based spelling. Generally, the children are helped by an adult with "stretching" or "sounding out" the words they want to spell. They are encouraged to use our "word wall" to find the words they write often. The journals are kept at school. The children enjoy seeing their growth!
We also ask the children to write on their own using the strategies we are learning to encourage "risk taking" and less dependency on an adult.
Personal Theme Books
For some of the themes we study we will make a book by drawing a "picture clue" and writing a sentence on each page, usually one page a day. We practice how to form letters, guess how to spell words then spell them correctly, and agree on a "picture clue" to draw to help us remember what the words say. We practice printing and drawing carefully and neatly.
Emergent Reader Books
Sometimes we will cut and staple together small books that have from 4 to 8 pages. Each page has a picture to help children figure out and read the easy key words or sentences. Sometimes there is a repeating pattern to the words throughout the book. We each get a turn to practice reading our book to our small group by pointing to and reading the words.
When your child brings any book home, have him/her "read" it to you for more practice. This includes looking at each picture and guessing what the words say and/or reading the words he/she recognizes. Keep the book in your "Home Book Collection Box," the decorated shoe box your child will make in school, so he/she can have books to practice reading at home anytime.
Add the title of the book to our monthly Read-To-Me form and put a * star next to it so we’ll know your child tried to read it to you. Praise your child for any efforts!
We hope making books together makes reading fun and meaningful for your child!
