Reading Lesson Plans: Ideas for Teaching Beginning Writing and Reading

Teaching Beginners to Read and Write

Helping Kids Become Literate

In order to successfully learn to read and write, students must know the alphabet and letter sounds. They can then begin to learn short words and very basic word parts, which is how kids begin to build a foundation for vocabulary. Once your students are able to read fluently, the next step is to make sure they understand what they've read.

Guided Reading for Comprehension

Guided reading lessons are often very effective because teachers get to work with small groups of students and target specific reading skills. Guided reading helps students practice basic reading comprehension and phonics while still having a significant amount of support.

Begin with a picture walk. Ask your students to look at the cover picture on a book and predict what the book will be about. They can then flip through the book and examine the other pictures.

Read a book together with your students and ask them various comprehension questions on each page. For example, ask your class for their opinions about character motivation and tone. Show them how to use the pictures themselves to further understand the text.

Teaching Phonics

You can also use guided reading to reinforce your students' phonics skills. Select a sound that you would like to teach, and give your students a mini-lesson on the sound. Then, give them a photocopy of a passage or story. Ask your class to look through the text and circle words that use the sound you just taught. This activity will also help to reinforce fluency.

Writing Worksheets

Children usually begin writing by learning to draw lines. When a child's motor skills are developed enough, he or she can begin writing letters. One of the best ways for a child to get started is by tracing the outlines of letters. After mastering this skill, children are typically able to begin writing free hand.

When your students are just beginning to write, create worksheets that have pictures for students to trace. You can provide worksheets that focus on horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines, as well as curves, circles and other shapes. Next, move on to dotted letters and then free hand letters.