Support – Literacy Ideas

Maria O Rourke

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Literacy

Oral language:

  • Skype/Facetime with a relative (maybe a family member who lives alone) and 
  • play a game e.g. 20 Questions – think of an object and the other person can only ask questions that have a yes/no answer.
  • A-Z: Pick a topic and take turns in naming something beginning with A then B then C and see if you can get to Z without skipping any letters.
  • The Big Interview: child prepares 10/20 questions they’d like to know about the relative and then asks them. This could form the basis for a history project for older children.

 

The Daily News

Infants to 1st Class 2nd Class Upwards
  • Child tells you the news they have for the day. Stick to things in their own life rather than focusing on the news on the radio or TV
  • The day, the date, the weather outside
  • 1 or 2 things they did yesterday
  • Write down what they tell you on a whiteboard or piece of paper
  • Child either types out what you’ve written or copies it down in a journal or copy
  • You can create your own little newsroom on the kitchen table or you can use your phone to record your child reading their news
  • You can send the video to loved ones to keep in touch
  • Child writes/types their news as well as news happening in the outside world
  • You can create your own little newsroom on the kitchen table or you can use your phone to record your child reading their news
  • You can send the video to loved ones to keep in touch

 

Read a Book with a Parent

Snuggle up on the couch and spend ten/twenty minutes reading together for no other reason than the joy of reading a book. A great website is www.storyberries.com – this is a free, online collection of easy-to-read and beautifully illustrated stories, comics and poems for kids of all reading abilities. You can read for your child, or he/she can read for you. This is a great site for bedtime stories.

 

Board Games

Many board games are a great way of extending vocabulary, developing oral language and improving spelling e.g. Scrabble, Boggle, Pictionary, 30 Seconds, Scattergories. Some of these games can be played online.

You Tube: Jack Hartmann

Here are some useful websites for Senior Infants, 1st and 2nd Class for Literacy.

Exercise, Rhyme and Freeze | Rhyming Words for Kids | Exercise Song 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSPmGPIyykU

Look Out for Bossy R | Fun Phonics Song for Kids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp8arskkcXg

When 2 Vowels Go Walking | Phonics Song for Kids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-n_LHGseNk

There are many more to choose from including sight words raps (for High Frequency Words/Tricky Words) and word families such as ap family!

Sight Vocabulary / High Frequency Words Spelling Routine

www.candohelper.com – Use this site for Sight Words: the words children find most difficult in reading, writing and spelling. Scroll down to Sight Words and browse through, but mainly  concentrate on the first and second 100 words e.g. 10 words per week.

Spelling Routine for each week

LSCWC – Look/  Say / Cover / Write / Check

This is brilliant for memory retention, plus it’s a bit of fun highlighting the letters (like a game!) Emphasis on self-discovery, so ask the child the following question: 

  1. “Look at the word. Is it the way you expected it to be spelled?”

 

Look  (don’t have to do it for every word )

  • read word,  say and highlight with a Highlighter “unusual” letters in the word

Example 1: “have” sounds like “hav” so highlight the “e” 

Example 2: “they” sounds like “thay” so highlight the “e”  

Example 3: “said” sounds like “sed” so highlight the “ai” 

 

Say

  • Tap up your arm while saying each letter – can go up one arm and down the other for longer words “ h (tap) e(tap) r(tap) e(tap)”

 

Cover and Write

  • Child covers word and writes each letter while saying them out loud eg “ h – e – r – e” 

 

Check

  • Child will self-check each word by matching letter by letter

 

Extension Worksheets and Copybook Work: Spread the work throughout the week.  

  1. Trace over words;  3 each day
  2. Fill in boxes (word shapes ); 3 each day
  3. Sentences; Write 3 sentences using  3 chosen words each day (self-checking is critical here; it develops (a) a  self-checking routine (b) checking for capital letters, full stops © checking the spelling of ALL words
  4. Word Hunt: “Can you find any of the chosen words in your reading books?”
  5. Word search: Groups of 20 so complete at the end of every second week.

 

Phonics Stage One: Alphabet Work and Spelling Patterns

Alphabet Work activities

  • If you have wooden or plastic letters, practise putting the alphabet in order as quickly as you can in a rainbow arc shape (If you can do this really easily, order from z-a.)
  • While the child is looking away, take away a letter and see if they can guess which letter is missing.
  • Name each letter as you touch the letters (This helps keep it in our memory).
  • Name each sound as you touch the letters.
  • Someone can call out a sequence of three letters: can you say which letter comes next?
  • Someone writes down a sequence of four letters: can you look at it, say it and turn it over and remember the letters?  Pull them down from the alphabet. (This helps develop auditory memory)
  • Someone can call out  four letters. You repeat them and then remember and pull them out from the alphabet. Check if you are right. (This helps develop visual memory.) Extend this activity one letter at a time to make it more challenging when you have mastered the step before. Use strategies to remember by chunking the letters like we do when spelling e.g.  Here is a 5 letter string: p, t, a, g, y Remember in two chunks p and t and then a, g, y.  
  • You can also have fun with memory work by getting the child to ask you the above activities.
  • Memory work can be extended to giving directions: first two, then three, and extend as they get better (e.g Stand up, do 5 star jumps and sit on the floor.)  Have fun with these!

Children should all know and verbalise what they know about the alphabet and vowels. See the information below.

  • There are 26 letters in the alphabet.
  • There are 44 sounds.
  • The 5 special letters are called vowels; the rest are called consonants
  • The vowels are:   a e i   o u
  • These vowels can make short sounds or long sounds eg:- /a/ or ai, /e/ or ee, /i/ or ie, /o/ or oa, /u/ or u
  • Every word has a vowel.
  • Every syllable has a vowel (A syllable is the beat of a word). Try clapping your name and other words guessing how many syllables are in each eg pancake = 2 syllables, elephant = 3 syllables.

Spelling and reading  lists of CVC words onset and rime ( words with the same ending rhyme) b+ad = bad, s+ad = sad etc

Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcqgczbLu80&list=TLPQMjQwMzIwMjBluZ0DGeGDvw&index=3
Short a Short e Short i Short o Short u
bad

Dad

had

mad

sad

 bed

fed

led

 did

hid

lid

 cod

nod

rod

 bug

hug

mug
jam

Sam

 beg

leg

peg

 big

dig

fig

 Dog

Fog

Log

 hum

Mum

sum
can

fan

man

pan

ran

 Ben

hen

men

ten

 bin

fin

din

pin

tin

win

 on bun

fun

run

sun
cap

map

tap

 yes is hop

mop

pop

top

 us

bus
at

bat

cat

fat

hat

sat

 bet

get

jet

let

met

net

pet

set

wet

yet

 it

bit

fit

hit

lit

pit

sit

wit

 cot

got

hot

lot

not

pot

rot

 up

cup

pup
      box

fox

           but

          cut

          hut

          jut

          put             

          nut

Follow up activities

  • Read each list
  • Spell each list (You know your own child so go at a speed which suits your child. I would suggest three High Frequency Words per day and one rhyming pattern each day.)
  • Choose three words and write a sentence with each. Check over your sentence checking for capital letters and full stops. Read over your sentence again checking each spelling.
  • Choose three/four dictation sentences on the Friday (for examples, see below).
  • Use The SOS (Simultaneous Oral Spelling) technique: see below.

SOS Spelling Technique

Read the word e.g. pet

Touch each letter while saying the letter name  p-e-t

Cover the word and write while calling out each letter name when you write.

Check your spelling by matching each letter.

 

Dictation sentences
1.The pan is hot.

2.The tin is big.

3.Tom cut up the log.

 1.Tom ran to the hut.

2.Meg has a bad leg.

3.The rat sat on the mat.

4.We had fun in the sun.

 1.Sam had jam on his bun.

2. The fox hid in the box.

3The cod has a big fin.

4.Ben hid the fat hen 

 in the pen.

 

Rules to remember

  • When we write a question we put a question mark ? at the end.
  • When we want more than one we can spell the base word + s e.g. cat + s = cats
  • Even if the last sound sometimes sounds like a z it is still s e.g. kid + s = kids

 

Dictation sentences using questions marks and/or plurals
Ted has six pets.

Sam cut up the logs.

Pat has a lot of pens.

The dog sits and begs.

 Has Rob got the box of red hats?

Is it bad for dogs to be fat?

Has Tom got a map so we can get to the hut?

 

Phonics Stage Two: Consonant Blend Spelling Pattern

 

  • Please read over until blends become automatic at speed.
  • Print out and make into flash cards for matching or playing snap.

 

Two letters can come together, the two sounds blend –  see table below.

 

Name Sound Name Sound
sp          

   

 /sp/ cl      /cl/
st          /st/ gl        /gl/
sc /sc/ fl       /fl/
sm      /sm/ pr    /pr/
sn       /sn/ br  /br/
sl            /sl/ tr  /tr/
sw      /sw/ dr      /dr/
Name Sound Name Sound
tw           20 /tw/ pl    /pl/
cr         /cr/ squ    /squ/
gr         /gr/ spl   /spl/
fr 

           

 /fr/ shr /shr/
thr     

          3

 /thr/ str     /str/
spr           /spr/ scr    /scr/
bl          (blob) /bl/    

 

 

  • Read and spell words with blend pattern. 
  • Print out and make into flash cards. 
  • Practise reading getting faster each time so that they become automatic.

 

 

spit

spat

spin

spot

 trip

trot

trim

trap

 grab

grit

grid

grim

grin

gran

grip

 flag 

flap

flan

flat

flip

flop

 stop

stub

stun

 best 

nest

vest

rest

test

west
slit

slot

slap

slip

slam

slim

slug

slop

 twig

twin

 glad

glum

glib

 plan

plop

plot

plum

 snip

snap

 belt

felt

spelt

hilt

spilt

tilt

wilt
  drip

drop

drum

drag

drab

 frog prop 

pram

 clip

clop

clog

clap

clam

  
  blot     desk

risk

tusk

dusk

rusk

  

 

Follow up activities

  • Read each list
  • Spell each list (You know your own child go at a speed which suits your child. I would suggest three High Frequency Words per day and one rhyming pattern each day.)
  • Choose three words and write a sentence with each. Check over your sentence checking for capital letters and full stops. Read over your sentence again checking each spelling.
  • Choose three/four dictation sentences on the Friday (see below).
  • Use The SOS (Simultaneous Oral Spelling) Technique (see below).

 

SOS Spelling Technique

Read the word e.g. spit

Touch each letter while saying the letter name s-p-i-t

Cover the word and write while calling out each letter name when you write (not the sound).

Check your spelling by matching each letter.

 

Dictation sentences
Stop the frog.

I can slam the lid.

Plop it in the pan.

 It is not the best plan.

Drag it to the nest.

I am glad to be a twin.

 He spilt the rest.

It can be grim at the top.

Flag it up as the best.

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