Spring Literacy Activities

The Alabama Reading Initiative (ARI) is a statewide K-3 initiative committed to supporting the development of high-quality instruction that will prepare all students with the literacy skills needed to meet or exceed grade-level standards. The goal of the ARI is to significantly improve reading instruction and ultimately achieve 100% literacy among public school students.

Join in the fun with our annual Family Spring Break Challenge! We invite you to submit a photo of your student engaging in one of the activities found in this ARI Family Spring Break Newsletter to arimedia@alsde.edu. The participation window is open from March 3rd to April 30th. Submissions will be featured weekly on the ARI social media platforms.

Show your commitment to support and encourage learning beyond the school day. Click the link above or the picture of the flyer on the right for additional details. Can your student "get caught reading"?

Phonological Awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the spoken parts of sentences and words. The activities below include phonological awareness practice.

Goal: Help your student build words sound by sound, practicing phoneme (sound) manipulation to strengthen their ability to decode and spell words.

Activity Setup:

• Gather LEGO blocks or interlocking cubes.
• Each block or cube will represent a sound (phoneme) in the word.

Directions:

1. Begin by building a word sound by sound. For example, link three bricks to represent the sounds in "pat" (/p/, /a/, /t/).
2. To change the word, remove one brick (representing a sound) and replace it with another brick to form a new word. For example: Take off the /p/ brick to say "at." Add a /m/ brick in place of /p/ to change the word to "mat."
3. Continue adding and taking away sounds to explore other word changes.

Additional Ideas:

You can use this activity to practice other skills, like rhyming, blending, and segmenting sounds.

Assisting your student in being able to hear and determine individual phonemes (sounds) in spoken words is a skill that will help them to sound out words and spell words.

Goal: Help your student hear and identify individual phonemes (sounds) in spoken words to improve their ability to sound out and spell words.

Activity Setup:

• Choose three words.
• Two of the words should have the same beginning sound, while one should have a different beginning sound.

Directions:

1. Call out the three words to your student.
2. Ask your student to identify which word does not belong based on its beginning sound.

Additional Ideas:

You can change the activity to focus on the ending sounds of words instead of the beginning. Pick three words where two have the same ending sound, and one has a different ending.

Watch and Learn:

The video below shows how this activity looks in action. Give it a try!

Phonics is instruction in the relationship between letters (graphemes) and the sounds (phonemes) they represent. It is an essential component of effective reading instruction and is necessary for decoding (reading) new words. Students need practice in reading text, spelling, and writing in order to consolidate their learning for long term use.

In phonics, the pronunciation of a word is crucial. Inflectional endings can change the way a word sounds, which would then influence how it is read and understood. Recognizing these patterns can help a student read more fluently, understand context better, increase vocabulary, and aid in comprehension.

Goal: Help your student practice reading words with inflections added. The video that follows shows the activity in action.

Activity Setup:

• Base word and inflection grids (can be printed using handout link below OR make your own by copying the words from the handout onto blank pieces of paper)
• Shallow boxes or small plastic containers)
• Tape (optional - to secure the word grids into the container)
• Two small bean bags (you can make your own bean bags by filling a small plastic bag with dried beans or uncooked rice)
• Paper, pencil or pen

Directions:

1. Place the base word grid in the bottom of one box and place the inflection grid in the bottom of the second box. Use tape to secure if needed.
2. Place boxes side by side with the base word box on the left and inflection box on the right.
3. Provide your student with a blank piece of paper to use as a recording sheet.
4. Have your student toss a bean bag into each box.
5. Ask your student to read the base word and read the inflection on which the bags have landed (For example, “walk, –ing”).
6. Ask your student to blend the base word and inflection and read the word (“walking”)
7. Determine if the word is a real word or a nonsense word. If it is a real word, write the word on the recording sheet. If it is a nonsense word, the round is over, and your student may begin a new round.
8. Continue until at least ten real words are written on the recording sheet.

Additional Ideas:

You can extend the activity by having your student use the words they created in a sentence.

As the temperatures get warmer and the days get longer, you may see an abundance of butterflies in your area. This is a sure sign that spring is on its way! Using only the letters in the word "butterfly" have your student create as many words as they can. Write these words down and have your student read them to you. Challenge them to write a sentence using each word created from the letters. What is the longest word your student can make? What is the shortest word?

Vocabulary is defined as knowledge of, and memory for oral word meanings. We can further define vocabulary as either receptive vocabulary (words whose meanings one can recognize when reading or listening to others speak) or expressive vocabulary (the words we use when speaking or writing). Extensive research has revealed that vocabulary is the biggest factor in understanding text once a person has learned to read the printed word. Activities that focus on vocabulary acquisition through understanding the various layers of words increase the likelihood that students will learn new words deeply. Vocabulary knowledge is important to a student’s ability to read and comprehend what is read.

Goal: Help your student compare similar words, distinguish features, and record shared attributes.

Activity Setup:

• Download the word strips and recording sheet OR make your own by writing the provided words on strips of paper and using a sheet of blank paper for recording.
• Place word strips face down in a stack.
• Give your student a recording sheet.

Directions:

1. Have your student select a strip and read the three words (e.g., “ballet, soccer, football”).
2. Decide which two words are similar and explain why (e.g., “soccer and football are both played using a ball”).
3. Write the two similar words in the boxes on the recording sheet (e.g., soccer/football) and write the shared attribute beside the words (e.g., ball or games played with a ball).

Additional Ideas:

You can extend this activity by asking your student to think of additional reasons why the words are alike or have them group the words into different categories.

The produce section is a great place to hear new and interesting words. Words like rhubarb, asparagus, artichoke, and kiwi are fun to say, and fun to eat! Consider introducing new words when you shop and adding descriptive language to help your student expand their vocabulary: “A kiwi has a fuzzy outside, but the inside is bright green with black seeds!”

We have provided a list of words you may encounter when shopping the produce section:

apples, oranges, bananas, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, pears, pineapple, mango, avocado, and citrus fruits like lemons and limes; and vegetables like carrots, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, onions, potatoes, spinach, kale, mushrooms, zucchini, and sweet potatoes

Alternate grocery store activity: Use the items on the grocery shelf to give your student practice finding something above their belly button, below their nose, on the bottom shelf, and between other items on a shelf. Opportunities to use superlatives, those little endings that help describe size, are all around the grocery store. Have your child find a big fruit, a bigger fruit and the biggest fruit in the produce section. What is the smallest item in the cart? The largest item?

Comprehension is understanding what you read. It is the goal of reading. It is the thinking process readers use to understand what they read. Strong vocabulary, background knowledge, and an understanding of how language works are keys to comprehension.

A storyboard is a visual representation of any action or sequence. Each box in a storyboard captures one moment or idea of a story. Storyboards are a great tool to help your student think about content they are reading in chunks while also putting that information into a logical sequence. Parts of the storyboard can be created as you read the story or after reading to aid in a visual retelling. Supporting reading comprehension in a visual and engaging way helps your student to become an active participant in their learning and allows you to provide instant feedback as they process and visually share what they are thinking.

Goal: Help your student reflect on and communicate their understanding of a story. This activity will help your student with the following comprehension strategies:

• Making connections
• Self-monitoring for understanding
• Questioning

Activity Setup:

• Build a cube out of paper or cardboard
• Write a question on each side. Take turns rolling the cube and answering the question that shows up on top. Some examples of good questions include:
• What did the story make you think about?
• Was there a time when you felt the same way as the main character?
• What is one thing that stood out to you in the story?
• What is a question you had about the story?

Directions:

1. Take turns rolling the cube.
2. When the cube lands, answer the question that is on top.
3. After answering, encourage your student to share their thoughts to deepen understanding.

Additional Ideas:

You can make this activity more challenging by having your student respond to the questions in writing. Encourage the use of complete sentences in their written answers.

Fluency is defined as the ability to read with appropriate speed, accuracy, and proper expression. Fluency is "reading as we talk". To understand what they read, children must be able to read fluently whether they are reading aloud or silently. When reading aloud, fluent readers read in phrases and add intonation appropriately. Their reading is smooth and has expression. Check out the fluency bingo activity below.

Reading with expression is an essential component of reading fluency that can enhance a reader's experience and comprehension. One way to practice expressive reading is through the use of emojis.

Goal: Help your student practice reading sentences using a wide range of emotions. A video example of the activity can be found below. Happy reading!

Activity Setup:

• Emoji cards
• Practice sentences

Directions:

1. Print and cut out the emoji cards using the link below. (You can make your own emoji cards by drawing them or using the emoji feature on an electronic device.)
2. Print and cut out the practice sentences. (You can write the sentences on strips of paper or select sentences from a favorite book.)
3. Place the emoji cards face down in a stack OR open the emoji feature on an electronic device.
4. Ask your student to select one emoji card OR select one emoji that represents a feeling from the device.
5. Select one of the sentences to practice reading.
6. Have your student read the sentence aloud using the feeling that is represented by the selected emoji.
7. Your student can continue the activity by reading the same sentence with a new emoji or by selecting a new emoji and a new sentence.

Additional Ideas:

You can extend this activity by having your student read more than one sentence at a time, being sure to continue with the same expression throughout.

Practicing reading phrases also helps students build their fluency! Phrasing while reading allows students to read in a way that is not "robotic," but sounds similar to how we speak.

Goal: Help your student to practice reading phrases accurately and automatically.

Activity Setup:

• Printed phrase cards and Yes/No cards OR notecards
• Timer

Directions:

1. Print the phrase cards linked below OR create your own phrase cards by writing the phrases on notecards.
2. Place the phrase cards face down in a stack. Place the Yes and No header cards next to each other.
3. Set the timer for one minute and have your student read one phrase card at a time. If a phrase is read correctly, place the phrase card under the "Yes" header card. If a phrase is read incorrectly, place it under the "No" header card.
4. Once the timer stops, see how many phrases were read correctly! Review the words and phrases that were read incorrectly.

According to the Reading Rockets website, "...writing is an essential skill that can help students become stronger readers; it can provide the means to enhance vocabulary, comprehension and spelling abilities."

Handwriting is more than just writing letters on a page -- it requires strong fine motor and visual-motor skills. Tracing is an effective way to teach handwriting. By tracing shapes and maze-like paths from left to right, top to bottom, or through jagged and curvy lines, your student can develop fine motor control and learn to orient movements that are essential to developing writers. Use the tracing patterns and mazes found at the link below if your student struggles with writing.

Writing poetry encourages students to express themselves and channel their imagination through a unique art form. Poetry writing provides an outlet for students to process and communicate how they feel and what they think in their own writing. A color poem is about a single color, using describing words to express feelings about that color.

Goal: Help your student tap into their creativity by writing a poem about a color, using words that describe what the color looks like, sounds like, smells like, and feels like.

Activity Setup:

• Think of a color. It might be your favorite color, your least favorite color, or even a color that represents a certain mood.
• You might consider less commonly used colors such as peach, gold, or maroon.
• Have paper and pencils ready for writing.

Directions:

1. Brainstorm at least 10 descriptions that relate to your color. Be sure to consider all five senses. For example, what would the color smell like or taste like?
2. Begin each sentence with the color you have chosen. Using your brainstorm ideas, use each line to describe your color through your five senses.

Here is an example for the color yellow:

Yellow looks like sunshine.

Yellow sounds like birds chirping.

Yellow tastes like lemons.

Yellow smells like sweet flowers.

Yellow feels like happiness.

Additional Ideas:

Try writing a color poem for different moods (e.g., a sad color, a joyful color, etc.).

Scan the QR code to access additional literacy resources that can be used at home to help your student succeed in reading.

If you are looking for more activities and ideas, be sure to check our previous Spring Break newsletters!

Family & Community Newsletter List-Serve Families and community supporters interested in receiving the Special Edition newsletters when released, please click on the link. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdCugKknAM8P5NsxxQ-3sDvb1MCk9i1hbJij7v4jbQgwY2xng/viewform?usp=sf_link

The information included in this document is provided from the perspective of improving LITERACY instruction for students and is only intended to outline support that directly relates to literacy instruction. Please use any resource links with discretion, as their position statements are their own and not necessarily representative of ARI and the ALSDE. Usage of any materials should be with adherence to rules and regulations of the Alabama State Department of Education.