HOW PARENTS CAN HELP THEIR FIRST GRADERS LEARN TO READ

FIRST GRADERS

Shining

Stars

LEARN TO READ
FIRST GRADERS

HOW TO USE 

THIS BOOKLET

You are your child’s 

first and most important

teacher. Use this booklet to

help your young child

learn to read. 

• The story on PAGE 1

is about the parent of a

first grader. As you

read it, watch for ways

that Hallie’s mother

helps her learn to read,

like when they find

words that begin with

“H” or when they take

turns reading. 

• Build your child’s

reading skills by trying

activities like those on

PAGE 4. 

• Use the CHECKLIST

on the back page to

think about your child’s

reading skills.
elping my daughter learn to read is an important part of being

her mom. It’s right after keeping her safe and making sure she eats and sleeps enough, in 

my book. Hallie just started first grade. It will be an important year for both of us. I know if she can

read by the end of first grade, she should do well in school. 

I know I can help Hallie practice what she learns in school, so I try to make reading 

a big part of our life. I’ve learned that there’s a lot we can do while reading. Just

doing everyday things will make Hallie an even stronger reader. I hadn’t thought of

some of the ideas before, but now they make sense.

She needs to know “sight words,” like “and” and “the” that you need to

know when you see them. So we’ll flip through a magazine together just to find

words like that—”was” and “to” and “by.”

She can already find a lot of H words. It’s her

favorite letter, because it starts her name. And it’s the beginning of “horse,”

her favorite animal, and “hamburger,” her favorite food. Sometimes on the

way to the school bus stop we make up tongue-twisters, like “Horrid Harriet

Hated Hats, Had Halloween Hair.” That gets us started on all kinds of games,

like thinking of other words like “ghastly” and “hideous” that mean the

same thing as “horrid.”

I’m thrilled that she knows the meaning of words like “horrid.” It’s an

unusual word. When I read Hallie a word I think she doesn’t know, I ask her

about it. I want her to know as many words as she can, so she’s never at a loss for words.

A Parent’s Story

H

“H”is for Hallie

FIRST GRADERS

1
Hallie is beginning to write actual words, although her spelling can

be funny, like hors for horse and blak for black. I can see that she’s sounding the words out, and

getting the sounds in the right order, even if she doesn’t get all the letters. And she’s starting to

notice when words aren’t exactly right, and ask for help spelling them.

Playing silly word games helps me feel close to her. If she’s helping me in the kitchen, I might 

start with “you can catch a catfish, you can catch a flea,” and she’ll go on with “you can catch a

chicken, you can catch a bee,” then I’ll say, “you can catch a BUS—but you can’t catch me!” I’m

glad I can still make her giggle. 

She and I have always loved rhymes, but now I see how they make you notice the sounds in

words. I have heard that the more she notices about sounds, the easier it will be to match those

sounds to letters—and she can use that when she’s reading.

At dinner, we talk about the day. It helps me remember what I did, and

reminds me of what’s important. And Hallie tells me about what she read at school and about

playing kickball with her best friend Joey at recess. Talking like this helps her reading and writing

because she has to use words, not pictures, to make me see something.

I know Hallie reads aloud at school, but I still make sure she reads to me for five or ten

minutes every day. I help her sound out the words she can’t read yet. Sometimes we

take turns reading pages so she can hear me saying some of the harder words. Now

that Hallie’s older, I can read her longer books, like chapter books. I didn’t hear a

lot of books as a child, so it’s a treat for me, too. I get so caught up in

those stories! We chatter away about the characters, and what she or I

would do in their places.

2

When I read

Hallie a word

I think she

doesn’t know,

I ask her

about it.

FIRST GRADERS
FIRST GRADERS

Hallie’s crazy about horses, even though we live in a city. Someday I hope I can take her to ride

one. But meanwhile, we read about them. We go to the library, and Hallie chooses books she can read

to herself. Some nights, when I check on her after she’s asleep, she’s still holding one of those books

about horses. 

I don’t visit Hallie’s school often, because I work, but I go

to evening meetings when I can. I’m glad her classroom has plenty of books.

Almost everything’s labeled, from the reading rug to a plastic elephant, and there are letters and

words up on the walls. The teacher puts the kids’ writing up on the wall, too. I look for Hallie’s first,

of course. She doesn’t write as well as some of the other kids, but she’s definitely writing! 

What I like best, though, are the questions the teacher asks: “Who is in the picture?” “Why did

the boy draw monsters?” ”How do you think the story will end?” It shows me that he is asking them

to think, not just know words. With his questions, the teacher is encouraging Hallie to be the smart

person she is.

Some days I leave work early so I can pick Hallie up at school and talk with her teacher. I 

want to know how she’s doing. The last time I visited, the teacher said Hallie could practice

writing more. So I’ve been asking Hallie to write me notes sometimes when she has a

question, and every month we write a letter to her grandfather together.

Today on the way home from school Hallie and I stopped at the corner grocery. I picked

up some cookies—for later, I told her, after dinner and some practice writing. But it was still

early, so Hallie asked if we could walk home the long way, through the park. The trees were

soft and hazy. The leaves weren’t out yet, and the flowers hadn’t begun to blossom yet. But

they will. And so will Hallie.

3

The End.

Rhymes help

you notice

the sounds in

words.
Try asking your first grader

questions like these when 

you read together.

Talk about the story...

• What is the fox helping the boy find?

The golden horse.

• What does the fox tell the boy to do with the

old saddle? 

Put it on the horse. 

• Would a fox really let a boy sit on his back?

Could a fox really fly? 

Not really. This is imagination.

• Do you think the boy will follow the fox’s

advice this time? Why or why not? 

Probably, because he didn’t listen the first time and got

into trouble.

Talk about words and sounds...

• How many words can you think of the 

rhyme with fox? With gold?

Box, socks, clocks, etc. Fold, hold, rolled, etc.

• How many words on these pages start with

“w”? 

Seven.

• What are some words that mean the same as

“fast?” 

Quick, speedy, rapid.

Talk about new words...

• What is a “groom”? 

A person who takes care of horses.

• What color is “golden” like? 

Yellow.

• What do you see behind the castle? 

Mountains.

he fox said, “Now you see what

happened because you did not

listen to me! I will help you

find the golden horse, but

this time, do as I tell you.

When we reach the castle, go

straight to the barn. 

There you will find the horse, his groom

sleeping nearby, and two saddles. One

saddle will be made of gold, and the

other of old leather. Lead the horse away

quietly, but put the old leather saddle on

him. Leave the golden saddle behind.” 

Then the boy climbed onto

the fox’s back and

they flew off so fast the

wind whistled in the boy’s

hair.

T

THE 

GOLDEN HORSE

Activity Page

4 FIRST GRADERS

There’s more to reading together 

than just saying the words. 
FIRST GRADERS

This publication was produced under National Institute for Literacy

Contract No. ED-00CO-0093 with RMC Research Corporation. The

views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the policies of

the National Institute for Literacy. No official endorsement by the

National Institute for Literacy of any product, commodity, entity, or

enterprise in this publication is intended or should be inferred. 

The National Institute for Literacy, an agency in the Federal

government, is authorized to help strengthen literacy across the

lifespan. The Institute works to provide national leadership on

literacy issues, including the improvement of reading instruction for

children, youth, and adults by sharing information on scientifically

based research. 

Sandra Baxter, Director

Lynn Reddy, Deputy Director

The Partnership for Reading, a project administered by the National

Institute for Literacy, is a collaborative effort of the National

Institute for Literacy, the National Institute of Child Health and

Human Development, the U.S. Department of Education, and the

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to make evidencebased reading research available to educators, parents, policymakers, and others with an interest in helping all people learn to

learn well.

This Partnership for Reading publication describes strategies proven

to work by the most rigorous scientific research available on the

teaching of reading. The research that confirmed the effectiveness 

of these strategies used systematic, empirical methods drawn from

observation or experiment; involved rigorous data analyses to test its

hypotheses and justify its conclusions; produced valid data across

multiple evaluators and observations; and was accepted by a peerreviewed journal or approved by a panel of independent experts. 

The application of these research-based strategies will increase 

the likelihood of success in reading instruction. Adherence to

scientifically based research in this publication was ensured by a

review process that included representatives of each Partnership for

Reading organization and external expert reviewers. For detailed

information on this review process, contact the Partnership for

Reading at the National Institute for Literacy, 1775 I Street NW,

Suite 730, Washington, DC 20006.

Written by Elizabeth Goldman and C. Ralph Adler, design by Lisa T.

Noonis and Diane Draper, and production by Bob Kozman, all of

RMC Research Corporation.

This brochure is based on A Child Becomes A Reader—Birth to

Preschool, published by the National Institute for Literacy. For a free

copy of the full booklet, visit www.nifl/gov.

For additional copies of this booklet, download PDF or HTML

versions at www.nifl.gov. To order print copies, contact the National

Institute for Literacy at ED Pubs, PO Box 1398, Jessup, Maryland

20794-1398. Call 1-800-228-8813 or email edpubs@inet.ed.gov

2006

Checklist

FOR PARENTS OF FIRST GRADERS

❏ My child knows all the letters of the

alphabet.

❏ My child knows the difference

between letters and words, and

knows there are spaces between

words in print.

❏ My child knows that written words

represent speech and can show how

words are represented by letters

arranged in a specific order.

❏ My child knows some punctuation

marks and where sentences and

paragraphs begin and end. 

❏ My child is beginning to understand

and explain why people read. 

❏ My child can put together (blend)

and break apart the sounds of most

one-syllable words and can count

the number of syllables in a word.

❏ My child can sound out words he

doesn’t know, and recognize some

irregularly spelled words, such as

have, said, you, and are.

❏ My child reads first grade books

aloud, and can tell when she cannot

understand what she is reading. 

These skills usually develop during

first grade. Talk with your child’s

teacher if you have questions.

❏ My child reads and understands simple

written instructions.

❏ My child uses what he already knows

to enrich what he is reading. 

❏ My child predicts what will happen

next in a story

❏ My child asks questions (how, why,

what if?) about books she is reading

and can describe what she has learned

from a book.

❏ My child uses invented spelling in his

writing and also understands that there

is correct way to spell words.

❏ My child uses simple punctuation marks

and capital letters.

❏ My child writes for different purposes—

stories, explanations, lists, letters—and

reads and revises her writing.

❏ My child uses language with more

control, speaks in complete sentences,

and uses more formal language at

school than at home and with friends.

❏ My child is curious about words and

uses new words when he speaks and

writes.

❏ My child is beginning to see that some

words mean the same thing (synonyms)

and some mean the opposite

(antonyms).

❏ My child is learning that words play

different roles in sentences—that nouns

name things and verbs show action, 

for example.

This checklist is adapted from A Child

Becomes a Reader—Birth Through

Preschool. Get a free copy at

www.nifl.gov.

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