Reading At Home

The Alabama Literacy Act was passed in 2019 and created to help improve reading in Alabama public schools to ensure students are reading on grade level by the end of the 3rd grade. Reading is the gateway to lifelong achievement and the students of Alabama
deserve a strong start on their path to success.

La Ley de Alfabetización de Alabama se aprobó en 2019 y se creó para ayudar a mejorar la lectura en las escuelas públicas de Alabama para garantizar que los estudiantes lean al nivel de grado al final del 3er grado. La lectura es la puerta de entrada a los
logros de toda la vida y los estudiantes de Alabama merecen un comienzo sólido en su camino hacia el éxito.

The document to the left has links to at-home reading support for families and communities. Scan the QR codes to access resources in each category.

Reading for understanding

The following strategies and activities are designed to achieve two primary goals:

1. To help children read words accurately and effortlessly.

2. To help children read with appropriate rates of reading fluency. Katie and I frequently discuss the keys that allow us to help many new or struggling readers achieve the above goals. From our experience, we both agree the creation of fluent readers is dependent on two instructional ingredients (it is also nice to know our conclusions are backed by research as well).

The Alabama Family Guide for Student Reading Success Kindergarten through Third Grade

The My Child Can! First Grade Booklet, developed by the Alabama State Department of Education, is a guide to help Alabama families understand the critical reading knowledge expected to be mastered at the end of First Grade by all Alabama students. 

The My Child Can! Kindergarten Booklet, developed by the Alabama State Department of Education, is a guide to help Alabama families understand the critical reading knowledge expected to be mastered at the end of Kindergarten by all Alabama students.  We know that families are a child’s first teacher in life and understand the learning needs of their child.  

The My Child Can! Second Grade Booklet, developed by the Alabama State Department of Education, is a guide to help Alabama families understand the critical reading knowledge expected to be mastered at the end of Second Grade by all Alabama students.  

The My Child Can! Third Grade Booklet, developed by the Alabama State Department of Education, is a guide to help Alabama families understand the critical reading knowledge expected to be mastered at the end of Third Grade by all Alabama students. 

Learning to read begins at home through everyday interactions with children, long before they attend school. Your continued support of literacy development as children enter elementary school and progress through the grades positively affects their reading ability. We are pleased to provide these Family Activities with easy-to-follow instructions to help your child practice foundational reading skills. We invite you to view the short Family Videos for tips on how to use the activities to help your child grow as a reader. Using the Family Activities at home can help your child develop language, link sounds to letters, blend letters and word parts to read and write words, and read for understanding.

Open Court Reading is our adopted reading curriculum for kindergarten through 3rd grade. The video linked HERE will provide you with information on the program and how you can support your student at home.

This online platform offers free phonics resources, activities, and games for parents, educators, and children!

Blending Letters, Recognizing and Reading words. Help your child blend letters to read words and recognize common word parts and words, and encourage them to write words.

WHAT IS PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS?
Phonological Awareness is the conscious awareness of the sound structure of our language. Basic levels of phonological awareness skills include listening to, recognizing, and completing rhymes; segmenting spoken words in sentences and syllables in words; and recognizing onset and rimes.

Linking Sounds to LettersHelp your child link sounds in speech to letters in print.

FREE PRINTABLE DOWNLOADS AND RESOURCES
The vocabulary activities on this page are essential for child vocabulary development. These activities can be taught in the classroom (small and large group settings) and can also be implemented at home! When teaching vocabulary one of our goals is to make words visually come to life in our classrooms. 

Developing Language: Expose your child to the language that is common in books and in schools.

View the video below to learn more about the Alabama Literacy Act and how it impacts your student.