Fluency Packets

It's finally the spring semester, and we're gearing up for next year! We're going to expect a lot from the kiddos in order to prepare them for second grade, and some of that includes additional homework. :)

During the month of January, your child will be bringing home two papers each week. These are designed to improve your child's reading fluency. This homework must be completed every single night. The pages will be sent home on Monday, and they'll be due to school the following Monday. I will be checking their homework periodically throughout the week to make sure they are completing it each night. It takes no more than 5 minutes to complete the homework each day.

Today you'll be getting a letter about the directions for the homework. We'll be practicing the homework together so that your child will know exactly what is expected of them each night.

Throughout the week you should be able to see your child's fluency increase. They will become more familiar with their sight words, and their speed and expression will improve.

If a child becomes a fluent reader, then there is a higher potential for stronger comprehension. The standard for a first grade student is to read at a rate of 60 words per minute or above. Also, the testing window for the DRA begins next week, so this homework will help your child greatly.

Thank you again for always supporting us with your child's education. As always, please remember to email me if you have any questions.

Raz-Kids!

I am incredibly excited to announce that we finally have our Raz-Kids subscription! Below you'll find the directions for accesing the website and logging into your child's assignment.

Students will be expected to read AND take the quiz over 3 books each week to receive credit for homework.  Please note that they must pass the quiz in order to receive credit.

Please see the directions below:

1. Log in to the student account
Teacher Name: mstookeyb
Password: your child's 6-digit student ID number

2. Choose a book to read - When you log in it will show the level I have assigned to your child. Click on the green book with the eye to read the book.
Students are expected to READ the book by clicking on the green icon. They will not receive credit for simply listening to the story (the blue book with the ear).

3. After reading, select the "Take a quiz" icon.

4. Complete the quiz.
Students must pass the quiz in order to receive credit. If they get a message saying, "Good job" then they have passed. If it says to read the book again, they must re-read the story in order to take the quiz again. Remember, they must pass the quiz to receive credit. They can re-read the story as many times as is needed. 

5. Check to make sure the quiz is complete. 
Looking back at the home screen you can see a checkmark under the book AND the quiz when both have been completed. (A green checkmark under the quiz indicates a perfect score on a quiz. The gray checkmark indicates that your child has passed, which is fine with me.)

When your child has completed each book on the page, meaning they have read and passed the quiz for every book on that level, please let me know and I can go in and move them up to the next level. Students are welcome to read more than 3 books per week, but they must read at least 3.

Your child will be bringing home an orange or black reading folder. This folder should stay inside their backpack at all times when not in use. Inside you will find their first grade reading log. After your child has read a book and completed the quiz, he or she (or you) are to record it on the reading log. You must initial next to each book they read, showing that you have checked and know they have done the required work. We have done the first one together in class as an example. I will be checking reading logs each Monday to see their reading from the week before. Please note that I will also be logging on to the website to verify what has been read.

Remember, the more they practice reading, the better readers they will become! As always, if you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

This is such an amazing resource for your children, combining reading skills with technology. I can't wait to see everyone using it!