You can never have too much practice with spelling generalizations. k and ck at the end of words are very tricky for many children. Ck comes immediately after a short vowel. In a vowel-consonant e word, after a consonant or after a vowel team, the /k/ sound is spelled with a k. 

Directions for making a k/ck cootie catcher.
1. Download the pattern and cut into a square. 
2. Fold diagonally corner to corner.

​You've heard the acronyms and seen the numbers. Your child's teacher says they need to work on fluency. But what exactly do they mean? 

Fluent reading is accurate, automatic, smooth and phrased with appropriate intonation and expression. Fluency is a sometimes called a bridge between phonics and comprehension. Fluent reading is an indication of proficiency, but also a skill that can be taught. 

Aimsweb and Dibels are two of the main fluency assessments used by public schools today. These tests are used because fluency scores are often an indicator of reading difficulties. Exactly what tests are given depends on the grade level/time of year. The skills build in difficulty and complexity. 

In Kindergarten and the beginning of 1st Grade, students are given 4 different fluency assessments. These are individually administered one minute tests. To some extent each of them builds on the next.

Summertime evokes images of popsicles, sprinklers and endless days of childhood magic. But for teachers, especially those who work with students who have fought hard to make gains this school year, the image we see is a slide. Slides sound like fun. Bright and colorful, one of childhood's quintessential playthings. But the slide that I envision is a far more sinister one.....the summer slide. 

The summer slide is a term used to describe the learning loss that occurs during the summer vacation. And it is a very big deal. Struggling students are particularly at risk for losing ground in their quest to become a fluent reader, as are students from lower socio-economic groups. 

Last time, I introduced text-to-self connections. Today, I would like to introduce the other two types of connections: text-to-text connections and text-to-world connections. 

At its most basic, text-to-text connections are when you compare one book with another book that you have read. It can refer to plot, character, writing style, use of language, point of view or any number of literary elements. It is a particularly valuable tool when reading multiple books by the same author or books of the same genre by different authors. These are the conversations we have with book reading friends over a cup of coffee.

An example of a text-to-text connection is when one notices: "This is a similar problem to one the character faced in another book I've read." or "This story takes place in the same time period as another book I've read." 

You can model and have these types of conversations with your children and build a deeper understanding of literature and a culture of literary discussion by asking questions like: 

What does this remind me of in another book I've read? 

How is this text similar to other things I've read? 

How is this text different from other things I've read? 

Have I read or seen something like this before? 

Helping your child to build reading comprehension doesn't have to be a pen and pencil task, or even a formal activity. One of the easiest and most natural ways of understanding stories is by making connections. Children begin doing this long before they are reading independently, especially when parents or other caring adults take the time to talk about books with them. Making connections activates the prior experiences and background knowledge that a reader brings to the text. Drawing on this background knowledge is one of the strategies that helps readers understand what they are reading. 

Thinking out loud while you are reading to your child, asking them to do the same, and thinking aloud periodically when they are reading to you opens the door to a deeper understanding. 

When we talk about "making connections while reading", there are three basic types of connections we are talking about: text-to-text connections, text-to-self connections and text-to-world connections.