The instructional reading level of each child is identified in September and March using the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System. In between those administrations, we monitor the progress of the children through the use of running records. Running records are a quick assessment tool use by teachers to evaluate student reading fluency (accuracy and speed) and to identify patterns in student reading behaviors.
Why is my child's sight word vocabulary so important?
The purpose of sight word instruction is to help children gain control of a core of high-frequency words that appear most often in the texts they are encountering as beginning readers. Students need to learn how to recognize these words quickly and easily in order to become fluent readers. These words are enormously beneficial to the beginning reader, who can use them to understand the concept of a word, monitor voice-print match, monitor accuracy, self-correct, notice letter-sound relationships, and more. Once children recognize the words in detail, they will be able to use them to help solve new words (for example: the--then, an--man, etc.).
When should my child stop finger pointing?
Generally, students drop the finger and let the eyes take over the process in first grade. This increases the child's ability to read the text fluently. If the transition is difficult, students can master the practice with repeated reading of easy texts that can be read independently with 100% accuracy.
When should my child start to read silently?
In the first semester of second grade, children often discover that they can read more quickly when reading silently. By the end of second grade, children generally learn to read silently with competence. Some children find this transition difficult, but can master the practice with repeated silent reading of easy texts that can be read independently with 100% accuracy.
When will my child learn to write in cursive?
Cursive handwriting is built into 3rd grade Fundations instruction.