A drive-time dose of literacy fun
A drive-time dose of
literacy fun
By Ricki Fischer
Fall is here and that usually means driving the children around town to extra-curricular activities and putting off bath time and homework. With so much going on in the family, it may be harder than usual to get in a good dose of help with school skills.
However, there are some reading-oriented games you can play in the car while you driving around. These games can improve your child's reading skills. The games involve thinking about words and since good reading requires thinking about words, playing these games will help your child.
A comprehension game called "Don't Touch the Remote!" is played by
the players asking questions about a television program the family watched. For
instance, you could ask:
* "Did the story end the way you thought it would?"
* "What would be another ending for the story?"
* "What happened at the beginning of the story, the middle, and the
end?"
* "Who was your favorite character and why ?"
A word clue game called "Put 'Em Together" is played by the players
giving clues to compound words. Some examples are:
* You can throw this through a hoop. (basketball)
* You can find recipes in this. (cookbook)
* You might see this in the sky after a rain. (rainbow)
* It is fun to eat this when you go to the movies. (popcorn)
A decoding game which combines listening for letter sounds as well as thinking about clues is called "Don't say that vowel." You think of a category such as "Animal" and tell the players they must name as many animals as they can without giving any answers that have the letter "o" in them. Example: they could say "cat", but they couldn't say "goat." Some other categories are: Colors without the letter "a", Fruits and Vegetables without the letter "o", Kitchen items without the letter "i"., etc.
Another traveling category game is called "Throw One Away." In this game the players think of items in a category plus one item that does not belong in the category. The other players must tell which one has to be thrown away. Examples: feet, claws, cat, beak, [cat does not belong because it is not part of a bird] or saw, hammer, wood, screwdriver [wood does not belong because it is not a tool].
In spite of all this fun, however, there are still tests at school. Here are
ideas to help you and your child deal with the weekly spelling test.
1. Use all the senses. It helps children learn their spelling words better if
they use all their
senses while studying. In other words, if they say the word
out loud, hear themselves say it,
write it, and look at what they wrote, they are using all
their senses.
2. Study in short sessions. Each night of the week, have the child spell a few
words. Spell
words while you are stopped at a red light, in the bathtub,
or cleaning up after dinner
together.
3. Get the whole family involved. Put the spelling words on 3" x 5"
cards. Have someone in the
family quiz the student.
4. Focus on improvements. Celebrate each time your child gets more words correct
rather
than the overall grade.
Happy driving, and happy reading!
Ricki Fischer is an instructional specialist for dyslexia and 504 in the Pasadena Independent School District's curriculum and instruction department. She has 33 years teaching experience.