Mrs. Matheny

Hello Elon readers and families! 

I want to welcome you back to a new school year!  My name is Ruth Matheny and I am the Title I Reading Specialist at Elon Elementary. It is my goal to help your child develop into a confident, competent reader who enjoys reading. I look forward to partnering with you this year to help increase your child’s repertoire of reading skills and build a love of reading! Check out the many resources below that you can use to help your child with reading at home.

Reading Tips for Parents

• Reading Tips for Parents of Preschoolers
• Reading Tips for Parents of Kindergarteners
• Reading Tips for Parents of First Graders
• Reading Tips for Parents of Second Graders
• Reading Tips for Parents of Third Graders
• Reading Tips for Parents of Fourth Graders
• Reading Tips for Parents of Fifth Graders
• Reading Tips for Parents of Children with ADHD
• Reading Tips for Parents of Children with Intellectucal Disabilities
• Reading Rockets For Parents
• Raising Readers: Parents & Families
• Syllables Types and Syllable Division

PALS Resources for Parents (PreK-3):

• PALS Phonologial Awareness at home
• PALS Alphabet Knowledge at home
• PALS activities by skill
• PALS Monthly Literacy Activity

Online Reading:

• Unite for Literacy
• Wonderopolis
• Storyline Online
• Scholastic Learn at Home
• Smithsonian Tween Tribute Junior
• Story Time from Space
• Just Books Read Aloud
• The Indianapolis Public Library 

Check out these online resources that you can use to help you child at home:

• Educational and Appealing Online Phonemic Awareness Games for EVERY Skill
• 3 Appealing Apps to Teach Phonemic Awareness Skills that are 100% FREE!
• 5 Fun AND Instructional Videos to Teach Syllables to New Readers
• Engaging Videos for Practicing Rhyming in the Classroom
• Five Fabulous Videos for Learning Letter Sounds
• Reading Bear: Free Phonics & Vocabulary Games
• Teach Your Monster to Read Games
• Read, Write, Think!
• PBS Kids Reading Games
• ABCya!
• Into the Book

VDOE's Learning in Place - Suggested Offline Activities to Engage Students

Kindergarten - Grade 2

• Take a walk and look for things that begin with each letter of the alphabet.
• Choose a favorite story and perform it as a play for someone in your house.
• Syllable counting: Clap the syllables for everyone's name in your family. Count the number of syllables. Play "I spy" with things around the room by using the number of syllables as the clue (e.g. I spy something with 3 syllables)
• Read! Read! Read!

Grades 3-5

• Dinner conversations: Talk with students about what they are reading during dinnertime. Ask questions such as; What is the book about? Who is the main character? Where is the book set? How do you know? What have you found interesting so far?
• Pick a favorite character from a story you are reading or have read. Create a collage about that character. It can be from pictures and words cut from a magazine or a scrapbook page that might be added to a scrapbook about the character.
• Listen to or read a news segment or news article. Make a T chart and keep a running list of facts and opinions. Another variation of this would be to write an article for the news and be sure to include both facts and opinions. Read it to someone and see if they can find them.
• Read! Read! Read!