by Linda Haver

Created on: May 11, 2011

Many first graders come to school on the first day filled with excitement and anxiety about reading.  They are not sure what to expect because they have been told they will learn to read in first grade.  Some already know how to read and are curious about what will be expected of them.  The non-readers will want some reassurance that reading is attainable and that they are already on their way to being a successful reader.  A good teacher will provide a variety of reading activities on that first day that will allow every child to leave school confident in their abilities.

A great first day activity for non-readers is to introduce them to environmental print which they can recognize by sight.  Almost every child will be able to read the name of the local supermarket chain or their favorite toy store when the printing matches the sign logo.  Empty food containers are also a good source for environmental print.  Students will build confidence when they realize they can already read some words that they see in their everyday life.

The students’ first names written on individual sentence strips are a good reading resource for the first day of first grade.  Usually, everyone can read their name.    As a class, use the name cards to sort by first letter or number of syllables.  Challenge the readers to match the name cards to each student.  Use the beginning sounds of names to generate other words with the same beginning sound.

Have a few baskets of books of varying ability levels available on the first day of school for a short period of independent reading time.  Be sure to include books with little or no text.  Model how to “read” these special books by using the pictures to tell the story.  Also encourage the non-readers to look for words that start with the same letter as their name.

Read-alouds are very important in first grade.  The purpose of one type of read-aloud is to enjoy a good story read by the teacher.  Another type of read-aloud is interactive to model comprehension and thinking strategies used in independent reading.  First grade teachers should conduct an interactive read-aloud on the first day of school using a book with a simple plot and descriptive illustrations.  During an interactive read-aloud, the teacher should pause several times and “think out loud” by verbally expressing her thoughts about the story.  The teacher might comment on how a character is acting, make a prediction about what might happen next in the story, or make a connection to her life.  The teacher might also stop to ask a few students to tell what they are thinking.  This interactive activity   demonstrates how the students should think about their independent reading.  This type of modeling while reading aloud should expand throughout the year to introduce new strategies.

First graders should go home on their first day of school with a confident and positive attitude toward reading.  By differentiating literacy activities the teacher can be sure all students leave feeling good about their abilities.

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