As we continue our school year, I am thrilled to share some key components of our literacy program for kindergarten through 2nd grade. Here’s what your child will be focusing on and how you can support their learning at home.
Kindergarten: Building the Foundation
Phonemic Awareness
Recognize and Produce Rhyming Words: Your child will learn to identify and produce rhyming words through songs and stories.Segment and Blend Sounds: They will practice breaking words into individual sounds and blending them to form words.
Alphabet Knowledge
Identify Uppercase and Lowercase Letters: They will recognize and name all uppercase and lowercase letters.
Letter-Sound Correspondence: Your child will learn the sounds each letter makes.
Print Concepts
Understanding Print: Your child will learn how to follow words from left to right and top to bottom, and recognize that words are separated by spaces.
Basic Writing
Write Letters and Simple Words: They will practice writing letters and simple words, including their own name.
Listening and Speaking
Follow Directions and Ask Questions: They will practice listening to and following simple directions, as well as asking and answering questions.
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1st Grade: Expanding Skill
Reading Comprehension
Retell Stories: Your child will retell stories in their own words, identifying main characters and events.
Ask and Answer Questions About Text: They will ask and answer questions about the stories they read.
Phonics and Word Recognition
Decode Words: Your child will use letter-sound relationships to decode new words.
Read Common Sight Words: They will recognize and read frequently used words without needing to sound them out
Writing Development
Write Complete Sentences: They will compose simple sentences with correct spacing and punctuation.
Use a Basic Writing Process: Your child will begin planning, drafting, and revising their writing.
Grammar and Usage
Understand Basic Grammar: They will use nouns and verbs correctly and start using plurals and past tense.
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2nd Grade: Developing Proficiency
Reading Fluency
Read Aloud with Expression: Your child will read grade-level text fluently with appropriate expression.
Understand Text Structure: They will understand the basic structure of narrative and informational texts.
Vocabulary and Comprehension
Determine Word Meanings: They will use context clues to figure out the meaning of unknown words.
Identify Main Idea and Details: Your child will identify the central idea and supporting details in a text.
Writing Skills
Write Different Types of Texts: They will write narratives, opinion pieces, and informative texts with more detail and organization.
Use Correct Spelling and Punctuation: Your child will work on spelling common words correctly and using punctuation marks properly.
Speaking and Listening
Participate in Conversations: They will engage in discussions and express their ideas clearly.
Listen for Information: Your child will listen to and follow multi-step directions and provide relevant responses.
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How You Can Help at Home
- Read Together: Spend time reading with your child daily. Ask them questions about the story and discuss characters and events.
- Practice Phonics: Use games and activities to practice letter-sound correspondence and blending sounds.
- Encourage Writing: Provide opportunities for your child to write, such as keeping a journal or writing letters to family members.
- Play Word Games: Engage in fun activities that build vocabulary and language skills, like rhyming games or word matching.
I am so excited to support your child’s growth and development in language arts this year. If you have any questions or need additional resources, please feel free to reach out to me, april.bryant@beaufort.k12.sc.us
