In Language Arts we spend a large portion of our morning learning how to read words using phonics skills. Mrs. Franks teaches two direct stations each day where students work on reading and writing words with the pattern for the week and read paper books that include those words. The first three weeks of second grade were spent reviewing short vowel words (nap, beg, not). We are currently working on our second week reviewing that silent -e makes a long vowel sound in a word (make, like, rope).
The phonics program we are using this year utilizes some hand gestures for students. When students see a word with a silent -e they make this gesture.
Beginning readers are used to sounding out words from left to right. When you come across a silent -e word your eyes need to notice the e at the end of the word before you start sounding it out so you know to make the long vowel sound. This gesture helps students to notice the silent -e.
A few days a week students will bring home paper books that they highlighted and read with Mrs. Franks. On these nights the homework assignment is “Read paper book, log.” We expect students to reread this same paper book that night for homework to get additional practice with this week’s phonics skill. It should be read out loud to an adult. You will see many highlighted words.
These are words your child should be able to decode. If your child gets stumped on a highlighted word you might encourage your second grader to use the hand gesture, make the long vowel sound for you, and then try sounding out the word. As the year goes on we will work on many different phonics skills that second grade readers need to master to become proficient readers.
