Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and distinguish different sounds.
Phonics is the ability to understand the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent.
Fluency is the ability to read with sufficient speed and expression to support understanding.
Vocabulary is the knowledge and memory of word meanings.
Comprehension is the ability to understand and draw meaning from text.

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Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and distinguish different sounds

• Recognizing sounds, alone and in words
• Adding sounds to words
• Taking apart words and breaking them into their different sounds
• Moving sounds

Activities and Resources

• Demonstrate clapping a word into its syllables.  Ask your child to clap words into syllables.
• Make tally marks for the number of syllables in the names of people in your family, favorite foods, etc.
• Give your child a small car (such as a Matchbox car).  Write a 5+ letter word on a piece of paper with the letters spaced apart.  Have your child drive the car over each letter saying the letter sound.  Have your child begin driving the car slowly over the letters and then drive over them again slightly faster.  Continue until the word is said at a good rate.
• To help your child segment (separate) sounds in words:
  
  • Give your child 4-7 blocks, beads, coins, or similar items.  Say a word and have your child move an object for each sound in the word.
  • Play Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes with sounds.  Say a word and have your child touch his/her head for the first sound, shoulders for the second sound, and knees for the third while saying each sound.
  • Jump for Sounds.  Say a word and have your child jump for each sound in the word while saying the sound.

Phonics is the ability to understand the relationship between letters and the sounds they represent

• Recognizing print patterns that represent sounds
• Syllable patterns
• Word parts (prefixes, suffixes, and root words)

Activities and Resources

• Make blend-sounds and have your child write the letters that match the sounds.
• Play word games that connect sounds with syllables and words (for example, if the letters “l-a-t-e-r” spell later, how do you spell “tater”?  How many syllables are in “later”?).
• Write vowel and consonant digraphs (2 letter combinations), trigraphs (3 letter combinations), and blends on cards.  Hold up the cards one at a time and have your child say the sounds (for example, the long e sound /ē/ for the vowel digraphs ea and ee).
• Writing words - Many children love to send and receive notes, and writing is a great way to reinforce phonics skills.  Send your child notes in his/her backpack or place notes on the pillow.  Have a  relative or a friend send a letter or e-mail to your child.  Whenever your child receives a note, have him/her write back.  Don’t be concerned about spelling.  Instead have your child sound out the words to the best of his/her ability.
• Hunting for words - Choose a blend (letter sound combination like “ch” or “bl”) and have your child hunt for five items beginning with that sound.  As each object is found, help your child write the word on the list.  For example, if the target sound is “bl,” the child might find and write blanket, blood, blue, blizzard, blast.
• Play “Memory” or “Go Fish” using consonant and vowel digraphs, trigraphs, and blends.
• Hints for helping your child sound out words:
  • First Sound - Have your child say the first sound in the word and make a guess based on the picture or the surrounding words.  Double-check the printed word to see if it matches the child’s guess.
  • Sound and Blend - Have your child say each sound separately (sss aaa t).  This is called “sounding out”, and then say the sounds together (sat).  This is “blending.”
  • Familiar Parts - When your child starts reading longer words, have him notice the parts of the word that s/he already knows. For example, in a word such as “presenting” your child may already know the prefix pre-, the word “sent,” and the word ending -ing.

Fluency is the ability to read with sufficient speed and expression to support understanding.

• Automatic word recognition
• Accurate word recognition
• Use of expression (changing voice to show feeling)

Activities and Resources

• Repeated reading - Choose a passage that will not be very difficult for your child.  Read the passage aloud to your child, and then read it together, helping your child figure out any tricky words.  Next, have your child read the passage to you with a focus on accuracy.  Finally, have your child read the passage to you again, paying attention to fluency and expression.  The goal is to sound smooth and natural.
• Use different voices - When reading a familiar story or passage, try having your child use different voices.  Read the story in a mouse voice, cowboy voice, or a princess voice.  This is another way to do repeated reading, and it adds some fun to reading practice.
• Read to different audiences - Reading aloud is a way to communicate to an audience.  When a reader keeps the audience in mind, s/he knows that his/her reading must be fluent and expressive.  Provide a variety of opportunities for your child to read to an audience.  Your child can read to stuffed animals, pets, siblings, neighbors, grandparents - anyone who is willing to listen.  This is a good way to show off what was practiced with repeated reading.
• Record the reading - After your child has practiced a passage, have him/her record it with a cell phone or other device.  Once recorded, your child can listen to his/her reading and follow along in the book.  Often, s/he will want to record it again and make it even better!
• When you read a story, use appropriate expression during the speaking parts (dialogue).  Encourage your child to mimic/copy your expression.  Talk with him/her about what that expression means.  Example: If a character is excited about going to the park, s/he should sound excited in his/her voice.  Encourage your child to repeat key phrases or dialogue.
• Make your own books of favorite songs for your child to practice “reading” (singing).  This builds confidence and helps your child identify him/herself as a reader.
• Alternate repeating the favorite lines of a poem or nursery rhyme with your child.  S/he will mimic your phrasing and expression.

Vocabulary is the knowledge and memory of word meanings

• Words we understand when read or spoken to us (“receptive” vocabulary)
• Words we know well enough to use in speaking and reading (“expressive”)

Activities and Resources

• Read aloud - Continue to read aloud to your child even after s/he is able to read independently.  Choose books above your child’s level because they are likely to contain broader vocabulary.  This way, you are actually teaching him/her new words and how they are used in context.
• Preview words - Before reading to or with your child, scan through the book, choose two words that you think might be interesting or unfamiliar to your child.  Tell your child what the words are and what they mean.  As you read the book, have your child listen for those words.
• Hot potato (version 1) - Play hot potato with synonyms (words that mean the same).  Choose a word, and then your child has to think of another word that means the same thing.  Take turns until neither player can think of another word.  For example, you might say, “Cold,” and your child might say, “Freezing.”  Then you could say, “Chilly,” and so on.  Try the game again with antonyms (words that mean the opposite).
• Hot potato (version 2) - Play hot potato with categories.  For younger children, the categories can be simple:  pets, clothes, family members.  For older children, the categories can be quite complex: astronomy, math terms, weather.
  Word Collecting - Have each family member be on the lookout for interesting words that they heard each day.  At dinner or bedtime, have everyone share the word they collected and tell what they think it means.  If the child shares an incorrect meaning, guide him/her to the correct meaning.  Try to use some of the words in conversation.
• Play “categories” with your child.  Name a topic such as “farms” and ask your child to think of all the words related to that topic - it’s a great way to build word knowledge!
• When you read a book, ask your child to identify categories for words s/he has read.  Example: If you read a book about dinosaurs, your child might say Tyrannosaurus Rex, paleontologist, herbivore, carnivore, fossil.  Add other words to expand upon what s/he says.

Comprehension is the ability to understand and draw meaning from text

• Paying attention to important information
• Interpreting specific meanings in text
• Identifying the main idea
• Verbal responses to questions
• Application of new information gained through reading

Activities and Resources

• Sequencing comics - Choose a comic strip from the Sunday paper.  Cut out each square and mix the squares up.  Have your child put them in order and describe what is happening.  Encourage your child to use words like first, second, next, finally, etc.
• Everyday comprehension - Ask your child who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about an event in his/her day.  For example, if your child attends a party, you could ask, “Who was there?  What did you do?  When did you have cake?  Where did you go?  Why did the invitation have dogs on it?  How did the birthday child like the presents?”  Once your child is comfortable answering these questions about his/her experiences, try asking these questions about a book you’ve read together.

Reading Fiction

• Before reading - Point out the title and author.  Look at the picture on the cover and ask, “What do you think is going to happen in this story?  Why?”  This will help your child set purpose for reading.
• During reading - Stop every now and then and ask you child to tell you what has happened so far or what s/he predicts will happen.  You might also ask for your child’s opinion.  “Do you think the character did the right thing?  How do you feel about that choice?”  Explain any unfamiliar words.
• After reading - Ask your child to retell the story from the beginning, and ask for opinions, too.  “What was your favorite part?  Would you recommend this to a friend?”

Reading Nonfiction

• Before reading - Point out the title and author.  Look at the picture on the cover and ask, “What do you think you’ll learn about in this book?  Why?”  This helps your child consider what s/he already knows about the topic.  Look at the table of contents.  
• During reading - Don’t forget the captions, headings, sidebars, or any other information on the page.  Young readers tend to overlook these, so it’s a good idea to show that the author includes lots of information in these “extras.”  
• After reading - Ask your child, “What was it mostly about?  What do you still want to know?  Where could you find out?”

Other Ideas

• Discuss words related to stories such as characters, problems, and solutions.  For example, “How did the Wright Brothers find a solution to help their plane fly longer?”  If the child does not know, show the picture or reread the page.
• Ask questions about character traits.  Example: “Which character do you think was kind?  Which character was bossy?  How do you know?”  If your child doesn’t know, give your answer.  You may need to do this many times before your child can do it.  
• Encourage deeper thinking by asking, “If the story kept going, what do you think would happen next?”
  Help your child make connections to his/her life experience while reading.  You could say, “Is there anything you read in the story that reminds you of something?”