Let’s jump into academics feet first and know that learning and having fun go hand in hand! Learning to read and write will be your child’s focus this year and we want this to be a fun process. If your child has anxiety and is nervous about reading or/and writing, it will be more of a struggle for everyone involved. So let’s start out by being positive and knowing that each child develops differently, and we will pace ourselves accordingly! Your child will read in a whole group setting daily during our shared reading block. They will also have daily small group and one-on-one instruction during our guided reading block to ensure that we are differentiating effectively for each of our students. We will use our word study block to focus on expanding vocabulary and understanding how the sounds of letters can be applied to read and spell words. Your child will have a take home reader at least once a week to read to you and be expected to read 10 minutes each night. Reading the same book each night is a great way to build fluency and confidence. Please do not feel like you have to have a lot of books for your child to be successful. A few great books can go a long way. Trips to the library are also a great way for your child to get excited about reading!