Thank you
for reading our November 2008 newsletter!
Volume Two, Eleventh Issue
WriteReading.com
is dedicated to Words that make the future brighter!
A preschooler reading words in the Book of Mormon?!
You bet!! One of the steps
to helping your little one become a successful reader and lifelong learner is
to begin introducing them to words! (These important activities are not just
for children on a homeschool curriculum.) Hopefully, you have had fun over the
past month teaching your child some of the sounds that letters make! (See
previous newsletters archived at the website above on the “Press” page). You
may have many more sounds left to teach your child. That is fine. It is still a
good idea to begin to add words to your child’s daily routine.
Materials needed
The February newsletter
mentioned purchasing a $3 missionary copy of the Book of Mormon for your child.
Use the hardcover edition, as it will stay open on a table more easily than the
softcover edition when your child looks for their words. Colored pencils will
also be needed, and you will need additional 3”x5” index cards. See March’s
newsletter for instructions on making new flashcards. When writing words on a
card (as opposed to letters and numbers), place the card horizontally. Your
child may need help to recognize the letters “a” and “g” in the Book of Mormon,
because of the font that is used. For each word that you teach, make two cards,
one with the word beginning with a lowercase letter, and another with that same
word beginning with an uppercase letter. This program is based on the top 50
words used in the Book of Mormon. Sixteen of these words are the first “sight”
words a child will learn in school. (These words don’t “sound out.”) Beginning
with this newsletter, the next five will introduce ten words for your child to
learn. These are the first ten words in the order they are to be taught: I, a, of, to, and, the, in, it, that, they.
Alphabet cards can be used in place of the first two word cards.
Point to and
repeat, write and recite, circle and recite
As before, teach your
child words using the “point to and repeat,” “write and recite,” and “circle
and recite” activities (see March, April and May, newsletters respectively). As
your child learns words, also review the words learned on previous days. Mix up
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. It would be fun for your child to measure their progress by seeing the
cards that have been learned tacked in a special place on a wall! You may want
your child to review these cards once in a while.
If your child can read a
word the first time it is introduced, give a lot of praise! In this case your
child will not need to repeat the word back to you ten times. If your child has
a hard time finding a word in the scriptures, you may need to help them look
for it. Make sure the flashcards are nearby for your child to look at. Try a
contest where each of you looks for the word on opposite pages. If you find the
word first, tell your child which verse it is in so they can practice using
numbers. If they can’t find the verse, point it out, and then have them repeat
the number back to you ten times while pointing to it. Then let your child try
to find their word in that verse. Be sure to have your child find their word
five times, circle each one, and recite it back to you. If your child forgets a
word while looking for it, have them point to the word on the card while repeating
it back to you ten more times. Two or three times throughout the day, ask your
child if they can still remember their word. If they don’t remember the word,
remind them, and have them say it back to you a few more times.
Follow-up
If desired, space the daily
activities found in these newsletters throughout the day. You may want your
child to choose one of the activities before giving them permission to do other
things. When your child can remember their word the next day without any
prompting, it is time to begin teaching the next word! In the beginning your
child will just memorize the words. This is helpful when learning the words
that do not sound out. After a while, your child will begin to try and sound
out their new words. The next newsletter will give you tips on helping your
child sound out words.
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 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 royalties will
be donated to the LDS Perpetual Education Fund. The book can be ordered at the
website above, or purchased at LDS bookstores, and Wal-Mart locations
throughout Utah.
Please email any questions or comments you may have to:
I hope to chat with you again soon!
Hugs & wishes, Vicki (o;`~
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2007©LittleRasCo