SCHOOL DAYS . . . OR SCHOOL DAZE?

Will it be a bright and shining face bounding off to a brand-new school year, or will it be Shakespeare's *whining school-boy with his satchel, creeping like snail unwillingly to school*? A long hot summer can breed forgetfulness, and cover up shaky skills that were never too solid in the first place. Make sure your child is up to snuff with this quick at-a-glance checklist of reading skills.

Feature Article: QUICK READING TUNE-UP

BRIDGING THE GAP

NATIONAL SPELLING BEE MYSTERY

DID YOU KNOW?

PINT-SIZED WISDOM

1- Does he really know the short-vowel sounds, or has he just memorized the words? It can be difficult to tell sometimes, but here's a quick and easy way to find out: Have him read a list of nonsense words comprised of regular short-vowel sounds such as these: taf, paz, nud, bos, ved, meck, litch, gidge, zendy. If he is unsure about reading these *words,* review these sounds with him until they are automatic in recall. This knowledge will be especially important when he has to read a long, unfamiliar multi- syllable word.

Review from the beginning lesson in Phonics Pathways, or make up your own vowel flash cards and have him review them once or twice a day. It can be helpful to put a picture on each card that begins with that sound -- for example, apple, evergreen, igloo, octopus, and umbrella. Draw or cut from a magazine, or use the Train Game cards.

2- Does he experience difficulty blending words smoothly? Practice blending with a manipulative -- put a consonant card in his left hand and a vowel card in his right hand, and have him slowly look from one to the other, saying the sound each time. When the cards hitch together, the sounds hitch together in one smooth blend. You can make your own, or use The Train Game cards. (Also, the top sections of Pyramid are ideal for this kind of practice!)

3- Does he experience difficulty reading whole sentences? For many children, moving from a single word to a whole sentence is too big of a leap. Try having him read two-word phrases first, then three-word phrases and sentences, and work up to longer sentences more gradually. Put your own words together, or use the exercises in books such as Phonics Pathways and Pyramid.

4- Does he stumble over multisyllable words? Write words by syllables on cards, and have him read them. Review the multisyllable section of your phonics text, as well as the *Building Blocks* at the end of Phonics Pathways. The multisyllable word exercises in the last section of Pyramid were especially written to develop this skill.

5- Does he have difficulty comprehending what he has read? Review Phonics-Talk newsletters Volume 8 (Comprehension: Constructing or Extracting Meaning) and Volume 13 (Added Information on Comprehension). These two newsletters discuss this issue extensively.