February Update!

Word Study and Oral Language are a big part of your child’s day. The purpose of word study is to address phonics skills, spelling patterns and vocabulary growth. Oral Language and Word Study are crucial skills that begin in Pre-K and continue throughout your child’s education.
Some of the ways your child practices word study at Ruth Clark include: sorting words, keeping a word study notebook, looking at language and its history, doing word hunts, webs or ladders, illustrating words, writing ABC books or homophone books, talking at the house keeping center, and playing games related to oral language.
According to a Harvard research group, “frequent family dinner is the single most important factor in the development of a child’s vocabulary” (Harvard Research, 1996).
Some things you can do to develop your child’s oral language at home are listed below.
* Talk, discuss and converse. Having conversations with your kids increases their vocabulary and ability to communicate. Ask them to put down their device on the way to Walmart and just talk to one another.
* Have your children answer questions using complete sentences. * Visit https:// www.familiesalive.org/dinner table/ and use their dinner conversation starters each evening.
* Ask your child to share his opinion and tell you why he feels the way he does.
* Use words that seem “big,” and then explain what they mean and how they fit in the conversation.
* Use your child’s spelling words in conversations.
* Allow each family member to select a “word of the week.” Post the word and then each person should see how many times they can use that word that week.
* Play a guessing game. “I’m thinking of a word that starts with “br” that is something you use to paint a house.” (Brush) “I’m thinking of a word that starts with “tr” that is something we do to the bushes when they get too large.” (Trim)
* Make up tongue twisters with your child’s sight words or spelling words for the week. Then have your child do the same. (ex. Spelling word= some, tongue twister= Sandy sold some salty sandwiches)

Each month I will post information regarding literacy strategies or skills that might be helpful for you and your child at home. If you have any questions about Literacy First, please call me at 554-2333 or email sstein@usd261.com.