First Grade Students Learn to Read

student When Bell Top Elementary School first grade students talk with their teachers about holidays, days of the week, the weather, or what they did over the weekend, they are developing oral language skills. It’s more than that, however. The students may not know it, but these conversations also promote reading skills. Early reading progress is dependent upon oral language development.

Bell Top teachers Melanie Lyte and Sarah Lussier regularly read stories to their first grade students, and ask them to summarize the story, predict what will happen next or talk about the pictures – more oral language skills practice. 

Another skill important for reading growth is phonemic awareness, or the understanding that words are made up of sounds. When Lyte and Lussier play rhyming games, recite poetry or use alliteration, they are helping the children understand the sounds letters make.

A New York State Education Department report states, “Effective [reading] programs provide many opportunities to read and write.”  Certainly, that describes the reading programs in Lyte’s and Lussier’s classrooms.

The first grade students work at a variety of centers to help sharpen their reading skills. At the guided reading center, a small number of students are grouped by ability and read a text that is suited to their reading level.  Here, students take turns reading aloud under the guidance of their teacher. 

At the reader's workshop center, instruction begins with a group mini-lesson that targets a specific reading or comprehension strategy. The teacher introduces and models the strategy, and then the students practice the strategy in the group setting. 

In another center, students work independently or with a partner.  During this time, the teacher will meet with individual students or small groups to provide additional assistance.

Reading lessons end with share time, when all students gather together again to demonstrate how they used strategies or skills during independent reading.

Students in Lyte’s and Lussier’s classes get extra help with their literacy lessons from parents and STARS volunteers.  STARS stands for Seniors Teaching and Reaching Students, a volunteer program that places senior citizens in East Greenbush Central School District classrooms to assist teachers and help students learn.

Donna Gruett, a ten-year STARS volunteer, helps Lyte in a variety of ways in the classroom.  In particular, she works with small groups or individual students to reinforce reading strategies. For example, Gruett explains, “I might help the students with the ‘chunky monkey’ by pointing out smaller chunks inside a word. I also help them use pictures for clues.”

“I also work individually with children,” Gruett said. “Melanie wants every student to have an opportunity to read one-on-one with someone. It helps every student feel special.”

Gruett isn’t the only volunteer in Lyte’s classroom; parents routinely come in to help out.  Gruett states, “I’m not sure people understand how much the volunteers, parents and STARS really help the students and the teachers.”