Thank you
for reading our May 2009 newsletter!
Volume Three, Fifth Issue
WriteReading.com
is dedicated to Words that make the future brighter!
The 4th Set of top 50 words from the Book of
Mormon!
Over the past months these
newsletters have focused on the top 50 words from the Book of Mormon. This
month you will find the fourth set of top 10 words. Introducing words to your
child is one of the steps to helping them become a successful reader and
lifelong learner. Hopefully, you and your child are enjoying a daily routine
involving reading together, letter or number name reciting and writing
practice, practicing a letter sound, and incorporating some beginning word
memorization. As your child masters each of these items, future newsletters
will discuss helping your child read verses from the Book of Mormon, and then,
eventually, reading it silently. These important exercises are not just for
children on a homeschool curriculum. These activities are three-fold: they can
become part of a family’s scripture reading program, help form a child’s
scripture reading habit, and fulfill part of a school curriculum’s at-home
daily reading assignment.
Materials needed:
Using a $3 hardcover
missionary edition of the Book of Mormon, your child will look within its text
for five incidents of a specific word and circle them using colored pencils.
You will also need 20 blank 3”x5” index cards to make the new flashcards for this
month’s top 10 words. With the cards horizontal, make two flashcards for each
new word, one card with the word beginning in a lowercase letter, and the other
card with it beginning with an uppercase letter. For best results, write the
words copying the font used in the Book of Mormon, especially the letters “a”
and “g.” This is the order to teach this fourth set of ten words, which are
also listed in the back of the book advertised below: my, ye, is, now, was,
yea, have, with, this, by.
Point to and repeat, write and recite, circle and recite:
As before, teach your child
these new words using the “point to and repeat,” “write and recite,” and
“circle and recite” activities (see March, April, and May 2008 newsletters
respectively, archived at the website above). When you first show a new word to
your child, see if they can easily read it from both flashcards. If so, give
lots of praise, and your child will not need to do the above activities for
that word! (Add the two flashcards to your review pile.) Then, introduce the
next new word to your child from the list above. After your child practices
their new word using the “point to and repeat” activity, also review the words
learned on previous days. Mix up all the cards so the same words on the
lowercase and uppercase cards are not together. When your child can quickly and
easily read a word on a card, retire it. Let your child measure their progress
by seeing the cards that have been retired displayed in a special place! Have
your child read them to you occasionally also!
To do the “circle and
recite” activity, sit by your child and read your scriptures while your child
uses theirs. If your child has a hard time finding a word in the scriptures,
help them look for it. Make sure the two new flashcards are next to your
child’s scriptures for easy reference. Using your child’s book, have a contest
to see which of you can find the word first, looking on opposite pages. As
needed, browse several pages until either of you find word. If your child finds
it first, give lots of praise! If you find it first, tell your child which
verse number it is in. This will give your child practice using numbers. Point
out the verse number if your child can’t find it, and then have your child
point to the number and repeat it back to you ten times to help them remember
it better in the future. Finally, have your child search for their word in the
verse. Make sure your child finds their word a total of five times, circles
each one, and recites it back to you. Then they have done their “scripture
reading” for the day! If your child forgets their word while looking for it,
have them point to the flashcard and repeat the word back to you ten times. A
few times during the day ask your child if they can still remember the new
word. If not, tell your child the word, and have them recite it back to you a
few more times. When your child can remember the new word the next day when
reviewing their flashcards—without any prompting—it is time to begin teaching
the next word from the list above. If not, remove the two new flashcards from
the review pile and begin the three activities again.
Follow-up:
If desired, space the above
daily activities throughout the day. You may want your child to choose one of
the activities before giving them permission to do other things. In the
beginning your child will just memorize their words. This is especially helpful
when learning words that do not sound out. After your child learns the sounds
that letters make, they will begin to try to sound out their words on their
own. When they try this, and a word does not sound out, help them remember it
by having them recite the word twice in a row, both the way it sounds out, and
the way it really is. For example, if your child has begun sounding out words,
but can’t figure out the word “yea,” have them say it to you as “yee-ah, y-ay,”
repeating that ten times. Ye and yea are hard words because they both look like
they should be pronounce the way the other is written! Is and was
are also hard. If your child needs help, have them say, “isss, iz,” and “w-as,
wuz.” Happy reading!!
This
unique program uses the Book of Mormon to help a child:
·
grow closer to the things of God
·
develop a scripture reading habit
·
learn how to read and write
Helping a child learn or practice reading and writing skills can be a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be. Head Start with the Book of Mormon: Using the Scriptures to teach Children Reading and Writing Skills, by Vicki Lynn Rasmussen (42 brief pages + 70 pages of flashcards) will give parents and grandparents the skills needed to nurture great readers using a simple scriptural plan—based on the top 50 words in the Book of Mormon. From a toddler hearing a story read to them, to a child reading silently, the three included phases will benefit all learners. Watch as your child also develops the habit of regular scripture use!
Thank
you for purchasing this book! What better gift can you give a child than the
gift of literacy? As referenced on the back cover, the author’s entire
royalties will be donated to the LDS Perpetual Education Fund. This book can be
ordered at the website above, or purchased at local LDS booksellers.
Please email any questions, comments, or success stories you
have to:
Thank you, and I hope to chat with you again soon!
Hugs & wishes, Vicki (o;`~
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