Literacy Resources
READ Act Goal
The goal of the Minnesota READ Act is to have every Minnesota child reading at or above grade level every year, beginning in kindergarten, and to support multilingual learners and students receiving special education services in achieving their individualized reading goals in order to meet grade-level proficiency. Minn. Stat. 120B.12 (2024)
District Goal
By the end of the 2024-2025 school year, the literacy proficiency rate for:
- students of color
- students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds
- students identified as English Language Learners
- Students receiving special education services
will increase by 15%, as measured by standardized reading assessments, through the implementation of targeted reading interventions for all identified students and strategies outlined in Individualized Education Plans, culturally responsive teaching practices, and increased access to literacy resources and support.
Literacy Plan
- Literacy Development
- Supporting Your Child with Letter Sounds and Phonemic Awareness: What to Know and How to Help
- Supporting Your Child with Phonics and Decoding: What to Know and How to Help
- Supporting Your Child with Fluency: What to Know and How to Help
- Supporting Your Child with Comprehension; What to Know and How to Help
- My Child May Be Demonstrating Characteristics of Dyslexia: What to Know and How to Help
- English Language Learner Resources
- Adolescent Literacy Resources
Literacy Development
Developing literacy is a complex yet fascinating process that begins in early childhood and continues to evolve throughout life. At Albert Lea Public Schools, we recognize that parents and caregivers play a vital role in nurturing a love for reading and building strong literacy skills at home.
Below, you’ll find helpful resources designed to:
- Guide you in understanding how literacy develops across different stages of childhood.
- Empower you with practical strategies to support your child’s reading journey.
- Foster a love of reading, storytelling, and communication in your home.
Resources to Support Literacy Development
1. Understanding the Science of Reading
Learn about the Science of Reading and why learning to read is not a natural process.
2. Understanding Literacy Milestones
Learn about the key stages of literacy development, from early phonemic awareness in preschoolers to advanced comprehension skills in older readers.
- Birth to Age 3 Age 3-4 Age 5 Age 6
- Preschool
- Kindergarten
- 1st Grade
- 2nd Grade
- 3rd Grade
- 4th Grade
- 5th Grade
- 6th Grade
- 7th Grade
- 8th Grade
3. Practical Tips for Families
Discover simple and effective ways to build literacy at home.
- Read aloud together daily to foster a love of books.
- Encourage storytelling and discussions to develop language skills.
- Create a reading-friendly environment with access to books and quiet time for reading
- Empowering Parents: Reading Rockets Parents' Guide
Supporting Your Child with Letter Sounds and Phonemic Awareness: What to Know and How to Help
Building Early Literacy Skills: Letter Sounds and Phonemic Awareness
Learning letter sounds and developing phonemic awareness are essential building blocks for your child’s reading success. These skills form the foundation of literacy, helping children decode words, read fluently, and grow into confident, independent readers.
What Are Letter Sounds and Phonemic Awareness?
- Letter Sounds: Understanding the connection between letters and their corresponding sounds is crucial for decoding words. It’s the first step toward sounding out unfamiliar words and building confidence as a reader.
- Phonemic Awareness: The ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in words (phonemes) is the cornerstone of strong reading and spelling skills.
Research shows that these early literacy skills are highly predictive of future reading achievement. The good news? They can be nurtured through simple, fun, and engaging activities at home!
Practical Tips to Support Your Child
1. Play with Sounds
- Sing songs, recite rhymes, and play games that emphasize individual sounds, like clapping out syllables or spotting words that rhyme.
- Try tongue twisters to make it fun and challenging!
2. Practice Letter-Sound Connections
- Use flashcards or alphabet charts to teach letter sounds.
- Practice matching letters to sounds through puzzles, magnetic letters, or interactive apps.
3. Encourage Word Play
- Blend sounds together to form words (e.g., /c/ + /a/ + /t/ = cat).
- Break apart words into individual sounds (e.g., "dog" = /d/ /o/ /g/).
- Create silly made-up words for a fun twist!
4. Read Aloud Together
- Choose books with repetitive sounds or rhymes to emphasize phonemic patterns.
- Point to letters and sounds as you read to make connections between spoken and written language.
Explore Resources for Early Literacy
Supporting Your Child with Phonics and Decoding: What to Know and How to Help
Phonics and Decoding: The Keys to Reading Success
Phonics and phonemic awareness are at the heart of learning to read. These critical skills give children the tools to connect letters with sounds, build words, and unlock the world of reading and spelling with confidence.
What Are Phonics and Decoding?
- Phonics: The connection between sounds and written letters. Phonics teaches children how these sounds correspond to the letters on a page, giving them the ability to decode unfamiliar words.
- Decoding: The ability to apply knowledge of letter-sound relationships, including knowledge of letter patterns, to correctly pronounce written words. Understanding these relationships gives children the ability to recognize familiar words quickly and to figure out words they haven’t seen before.
How You Can Support Your Child
1. Make Phonics Fun
- Use songs and rhymes that emphasize letter sounds.
- Practice with alphabet flashcards or magnetic letters to match sounds to letters.
- Play “I Spy” games focused on sounds or letters (e.g., “I spy something that starts with /b/”).
2. Read Together Daily
- Choose books with rhymes and repetition to reinforce sound patterns.
- Point to words as you read, highlighting the connection between letters and sounds.
- Encourage your child to sound out simple words on the page.
3. Celebrate Progress
- Praise small milestones to keep your child motivated.
- Share excitement about new words they’ve learned to read or spell.
Explore Resources for Phonics and Decoding
Supporting Your Child with Fluency: What to Know and How to Help
Building Fluency: The Key to Confident Reading
Fluency is the bridge between decoding words and understanding their meaning. It allows children to read smoothly, accurately, and with expression, transforming reading into a meaningful and enjoyable experience.
Why Is Fluency Important?
- Fluent readers can focus their attention on comprehending the text rather than struggling to sound out each word.
- It boosts reading confidence, making children more eager to read independently.
- Fluency helps bring stories to life by encouraging expression and natural pacing, which enhances understanding.
Fluency develops with practice, encouragement, and consistent exposure to engaging texts. Activities like rereading favorite books, listening to fluent readers, and exploring age-appropriate texts are all powerful tools to support fluency growth.
Practical Tips for Supporting Fluency
1. Reread Favorite Books
- Repetition builds confidence and helps children recognize words more quickly.
- Encourage your child to read aloud familiar books with you or independently.
2. Model Fluent Reading
- Read aloud to your child with expression and natural pacing.
- Show them how to pause at punctuation marks and emphasize key words.
- Audiobooks are a great way for children to hear fluent reading, too!
3. Encourage Reading Aloud
- Ask your child to read to you, a sibling, or even a pet.
- Take turns reading paragraphs or pages to model fluency and make it a fun, shared experience.
4. Use Age-Appropriate Texts
- Provide books and passages that are just challenging enough to stretch their skills but not so difficult that they become frustrating.
- Look for books with repetition, rhymes, and engaging storylines.
5. Celebrate Progress
- Praise improvements in speed, accuracy, or expression.
- Set small goals, like finishing a page fluently or reading a poem with expression, and celebrate when they succeed.
Explore Resources for Building Fluency
Supporting Your Child with Comprehension; What to Know and How to Help
Reading Comprehension: The Ultimate Goal of Learning to Read
Reading comprehension is the ability to understand, interpret, and engage with text. It’s the ultimate goal of learning to read, built on the critical skills of decoding and fluent reading. Once these foundational skills are in place, comprehension allows readers to:
- Connect text to their knowledge and experiences.
- Ask questions and think critically.
- Make inferences and form deeper understandings.
Why Vocabulary Matters
A rich vocabulary is essential for comprehension. Understanding the meaning of individual words helps readers grasp the meaning of the text as a whole. Encouraging curiosity about words and discussing their meanings can significantly enhance both vocabulary and comprehension skills.
Strategies to Strengthen Reading Comprehension
1. Encourage Active Reading
- Ask your child to predict what might happen next in a story.
- Pause during reading to ask questions like, “Why do you think the character did that?”
- Have them summarize the main idea in their own words after reading.
2. Relate Reading to Real Life
- Discuss how stories connect to their own experiences or current events.
- Use nonfiction texts about topics they’re curious about to engage them further.
3. Expand Vocabulary Through Reading
- Pause to explain unfamiliar words and use them in daily conversations.
- Play word games to make learning new vocabulary fun and interactive.
- Introduce a “word of the day” to encourage curiosity and usage of new words.
4. Make Reading Interactive
- Discuss books together, focusing on themes, characters, and key ideas.
- Use graphic organizers, like story maps or concept webs, to visually break down and analyze the text.
5. Offer a Variety of Texts
- Provide access to diverse genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and informational texts.
- Let them explore topics they’re passionate about to keep them engaged and motivated.
Explore Resources for Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary
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Helping Your Kid With . . . Building Vocabulary and Comprehension With Read-Alouds
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Helping Your Kid With . . . Comprehending Texts Independently
My Child May Be Demonstrating Characteristics of Dyslexia: What to Know and How to Help
Supporting Students with Dyslexia
At Albert Lea Area Schools, our staff understands the importance of early identification and support for students who may exhibit characteristics of dyslexia. While a medical professional must officially diagnose dyslexia, we are committed to ensuring that students receive the appropriate support as soon as possible to help them succeed.
Early Identification and Intervention
We screen students according to the Minnesota Department of Education's guidelines and intervene promptly when a child shows signs of reading difficulties, including those associated with dyslexia. Early intervention is crucial for students who may need additional support to build strong literacy skills.
Structured, Science-Based Instruction
Many children, including those with characteristics of dyslexia, benefit from explicit, systematic instruction in foundational reading skills. Our reading interventions are designed to be targeted and structured, grounded in the science of reading to meet the unique needs of every student. This approach ensures that students who may have challenges with decoding, fluency, and comprehension receive instruction that aligns with best practices for effective learning.
Family Involvement
The resources available for all families also include strategies for supporting children with characteristics of dyslexia. We believe that collaboration between schools and families is essential, and we encourage parents to use the tools provided to reinforce learning and support their child’s development at home.
Resources for Families Supporting Children with Dyslexia
English Language Learner Resources
- Colorin Colorado
- Empowering ELL Parents and Families at Home
- Latino Family Literacy Project: Parents Reading in Home Language – Why it Helps Kids
- 5 ways immigrant parents support children’s home language learning
- Free Multilingual/Multicultural Books online (list of various sites