Even though Parent-Teacher Conferences are over, there's still no time like the present to help your families in any way you can! One sure-fire way to help them is to teach them the literacy terms you often use with your students.
Read on to learn the 9 literacy terms you must teach your parents and families!
There are many terms and teacher "lingo" we use with our teacher peers and even our students... But what about the families of the children we teach?
I strongly feel it helps if we're all on the same page in every way possible. One way to help them to help their children with reading is to teach them these terms we use everyday. There are 9 that I've selected as critical terms you should be teaching your families!
Please keep in mind that these terms and definitions are how I present them to families... I tried to use as much language as possible they may be familiar with as possible, without sounding too much like a "teacher".
Decoding is figuring out new words in a text.
Comprehension is understanding text by using different strategies that should be taught. Some of these strategies include visualizing, inferring, questioning, and making connections.
Sight Words are those children learn to read by "sight". They usually don't folly any specific spelling patterns, which make them more difficult to learn.
Vocabulary are the words children should know to effectively express themselves, both verbally and in print.
Phonics is an approach to teaching children how to read. It emphasizes spelling patterns and that there is a connection between written letters and spoken sounds.
Fluency is the rate at which your child reads. They should be able to read effortlessly, automatically and with the correct speed.
High Frequency Words are those that appear most in a text. There are specific lists (Fry, Dolch) that contain these words your child can practice.
Guided Reading is a strategy for teaching reading where a small group of students work on strategy-related skills using leveled texts.
Phonemic Awareness is the ability to hear, identify and manipulate the individual sounds in spoken words.
There are many other terms that our families could learn but we have to be careful not to overwhelm them! So the above should be enough to get them started. I've put them together onto a family-friendly print out you may feel free to use with your families should you wish! Just click on the picture to download!
I hope it's useful for you and your parents!
Are there any other terms you think they should know? I'd love to hear your opinions in the comments below!
Until Next Time Friends,
