These will be answered in entirety as soon as it is possible.  Thank you!

*What are reading levels?  How will you use them in class?

 Reading levels are used to determine what kind of books a child can read independently and what kind they can read with instruction from a teacher/adult.  I use the Fountas & Pinnell system that labels reading levels with the letters A-Z.  A is the simplest book and is usually read by students sometime in kindergarten.  The Z books are in the typical range for students in upper grade school/middle school and junior high.  The range is wide and there are "benchmarks" for a typical first grader (and other grade levels).  Keep in mind that some students can be slightly below and some students can be above these benchmarks.  Just like students grow physically at a different rate, students will also grow as readers at different rates.  This is what is expected.  That is why each child is met at the level they can currently read and instruction is given to move forward to increase their reading skills.

These levels will be used in class to determine what books the child will be reading during Silent Sustained Reading Time (SSR) and what books I use during small group instruction.  Students pick three books to keep in their red tubs on the shelves.  These are the books they read each morning until 8:45 am.  Repeated readings of the same book builds fluency and self-confidence in beginning readers.  When students achieve independence at a level then they will be moved up to the next level and this cycle continues all year. 

*How do you assess my child's reading?

I strated assessing students using running records.  These are records taken as a child reads aloud to me.  I have the children read a portion of a book up to 100 words (or the entire book if shorter than 100 words).  I listen for how the children stretch out sounds, how they use reading strategies, their fluency rate (speed of how they read) and more.   Comprehension rubrics are used to assess how the student has comprehended the text they just finished reading.  Do they include details, names of specific characters,  additional information and more.  During center time I will meet with the children in 1-1 conferences and in small groups.  This is the time I use the level of book the child is on to facilitate instruction.  During this time we might use graphic organizers, comprehension questions, phonics skills or various other reading activities.

*What kinds of books do you use to teach reading skills?

I will use the Reading A-Z web-site books and various tradebooks.  I will have multiple copies of the text so each child can have their own copy during reading.  I choose books that relate to our theme if possible.  There will be times when this is not possible and then books with particular skills are choosen.  I have multiple copies of many different levels of books.    Every book used is geared toward where the child is currently reading.  This allows them to be comfortable while stretching their skills.

*What are the best types of books for my child?  What about books in the monthly Book Orders?

The best type of books are beginning early readers or beginning reader books.  Often books in our book orders will have this written in italics under the book title.  I will try to give specific recommendations in the next book order note sent home.  The phonics sets in the book orders are also a great resource.  They have new sight word reader sets coming soon.  There are many non-fiction books that are beginning readers too.  Again, I'll try my best to give specific titles in the future. 

*What are the phrases you use to "coach" my child in the classroom?

Some of the key phrases are . . .

*How can I support what you are doing at home?

 The best support you can give your child is to spend time reading to/with them daily!  20 minutes a day is the recommendation from experts.  This can be done easily as a before going to bed routine.  We've done this for our children-- both reading to them and having them read to us-- and it has stuck as a nightly tradition.  You'll soon find that this time becomes just as important to you as them. 

Another task is to use flash cards to promote automatic word recall.  The more you practice these words, the faster your child should be able to reacll them.  Make your own flash cards with index cards or make two copies of each word and play CONCENTRATION with them.

*Should I read to my child or have them read to me?

 Children should be doing the reading and should also be read to.  They need both to be a truly successful reader.  Reading more difficult books to your child so they can be enriched by the vocabulary and by listening to how you read fluently.  Reading to someone encourages their fluency, word recognition and self-confidence.  Practice both at home for the best results! 

*What types of resources would be beneficial for our family to have to teach reading skills?

Your home should be filled with beginning reader books.  Books can be checked out from the library or purchased cheaply through the Scholastic Book Orders (See Saw flyer). Additional support can come from frequent use of sight word flash cards.  Continued rapid practice will allow the child to build automatic recall of these imortant words.  IPA carries many different types of sight word flash cards.  Some have pictures, others are words and some are word families.  Sometimes you can find sight word cards at different dollar stores.  Having your child write in a  writing journal will alos build reading skills.  Writing enhances reading and reading enhances writing.