What will my Student learn in Reading Roots? 

Reading Roots is a program for beginning readers. Students are checked at the beginning of the year to place them in a class at their current reading level. The teacher is continually collecting information about that student’s comprehension. Students may be moved to new classes as they make progress. 

Reading Roots provides systematic phonics instruction, rich literacy experiences, speaking and vocabulary practice. Students practice reading decodable stories, and enjoy partner practice with an interactive website called “Reading Between the Lions”.

What happens in a lesson?

Your student will go from their homeroom class to their leveled reading class. Every lesson is presented with memorable animations that tie letters to sounds, puppet skits that demonstrate sound blending, colorful picture cards, and frequent games to engage students in their learning. Lessons include videos from the award winning PBS series, Between the Lions.

Each lesson contains: 

Fast Track Phonics: phonemic awareness and phonics practice

Shared Story: student story reading with partner or class. This story comes home with students for nightly reading practice at home. 

Practice with Cleo and Theo: additional partner practice with phonics and reading using an interactive website.

How can I support my child at home?

You can support your child at home by reading the shared story with them every night. Your child’s teacher can help you set appropriate goals for your student. For some students, reading one sentence might be enough. Then you can continue reading the rest of the story to them, or have them read it aloud with you. 

Research shows that reading for just twenty minutes every night is the most important and valuable thing you can do to support your child’s learning. Make it a fun and special time with your child by snuggling up and reading something they are excited about. 

What will my Student learn in Reading Wings? 

Reading Wings is a program for developing skilled readers. Students are checked at the beginning of the year to place them in a class at their current reading level. The teacher is continually collecting information about that student’s comprehension.  Students may be moved to new classes as they make progress. 

Reading Wings builds comprehension, vocabulary and a love of reading. It targets vocabulary development, reading comprehension, fluency, speaking practice and writing skills. Students learn to read and understand both narrative and expository texts. 

What happens in a lesson?

Your student will go from their homeroom class to their leveled reading class. Each Reading Wings lesson cycle centers around a narrative or expository story. 

The teacher introduces the skill and story then invites students to practice with partners or teams while prompting and reinforcing the skill. Finally, students learn to use the skill independently. Students develop skills such as drawing conclusions, comparing and contrasting, and determining cause and effect. 

Reading Wings is intended to teach students reading strategies for decoding and pronouncing words and also for understanding what they are reading. The Savvy Reader is introduced at the start of a new strategy. Savvy introduces four comprehension strategies—clarifying, questioning, predicting, and summarizing. Teachers and students celebrate when they are using strategies independently. Find a lesson overview here or watch it in action here. 

How can I support my child at home?

You can support your child at home by reading with them every night. Your child’s Success for All teacher can help you set appropriate goals for your student. 

Research shows that reading for just twenty minutes every night is the most important and valuable thing you can do to support your child’s learning. Make it a fun and special time with your child by snuggling up and reading something they are excited about. 

Your student will also need to complete a simple Read and Respond sheet each night as directed by their Success for All teacher. This can range from a simple sentence to a short paragraph depending on your child’s reading level. This builds a daily reading habit and accountability to the teacher and teammates.