Welcome to Mr. Carlson's Website.        

    I am a Title I Reading Teacher at Randolph Central School. This year I will be working with students in grades 1-6. 

Contact information:

    email:   jcarlson@rand.wnyric.org 

    phone:   358-3985  extension 4027

      Nancie Atwell's book, The Reading Zone, talks about the importance of reading at home.  Research shows that the highest achieving students are those who devote leisure time to reading.  A recent study found that the single most important predictor of academic success is the amount of time children spend reading books.  One predictor of high achievement in math and science is the amount of time children spend reading for enjoyment.

     Reading helps children understand the world and how it works.  Reading expands their vocabularies.  Reading helps them become faster and more fluent readers.  Reading helps to stretch their imaginations.  Reading for enjoyment helps them become more purposeful, engaged, and critical readers. (Atwell, 2007) 

Research has also shown that reading to children benefits them in many ways.

     Reading to children:

1. builds vocabulary

2. builds background knowledge

3. exposes children to a wealth of experiences outside of their own

4. stimulates imagination

5. stretches attention spans

6. establishes the reading-writing connection 

Recommendations For Parents

The following are some suggestions that should help your child to become a successful reader.

     Encourage your child to read for enjoyment on a daily basis.  Read to them and let them read to you.  Try to set aside a specific time for reading.

     Be a role model.  Let them see you read for information and pleasure.

     Encourage any attempts that they make at reading.  Be positive.  Build their confidence by giving praise for success. 

     Encourage them to read to younger siblings or friends.

     Make reading at home an enjoyable experience with relatively few pressures. 

     Show a genuine interest in your child's schoolwork.  Give them an opportunity to share their papers and assignments.

     Becoming a successful reader takes time.  It takes lots and lots of practice.  Reading at home increases the likelihood that your child will become a successful reader. 

                                 Title I Reading

     In 1st grade we will work with students in the areas of phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. 

Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in words.

Phonics is the ability to associate sounds with letters.

Fluency is the effortless, automatic ability to read words in isolation and in connected text.

Vocabulary development is the ability to understand and use words to acquire and convey meaning.

Comprehension is the process in which the reader constructs meaning from the text. 

     In grades 2-4, we will continue to support students who are having difficulty in the above areas.  The focus for these grades will be on reading fluency and comprehension.

     In 5th grade I will continue to support students in the areas of reading and writing. We focus on meeting New York State standards in English Language Arts.

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