Literacy for Families and Community

Literacy for Families and Community

The Literacy By 5th Grade Initiative also seeks to support the role of families and the community in promoting literacy for our youngest learners. Online reading platforms, children's book readings, and literacy resources are provided to help residents of all ages understand and promote literacy outside of the classroom.

A new series of videos from our Early Education Services team will also be featured (see adjacent videos) with tips for reading to children to promote early literacy.

More Tips:

Tips for Parents of Young Children

Consejos para padres de niños pequeños

 

Free Online Literacy Apps

As part of the Literacy by 5th Grade Initiative, Riverside County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Edwin Gomez is providing free access to a suite of bilingual learning programs for all students in Riverside county. From pre-reading activities and read-to-you stories, to alphabet recognition songs and grammar rules games, these interactive, new tools from Footsteps2Brilliance are now available to our youngest learners 24/7.

Parents can easily register their children following the steps below: Footsteps 2 Brilliance Image

  1. Go to www.myf2b.com/riverside
  2. Click the Register for Free Today button
  3. Enter your home zip code and click the Check my Zip Code button
  4. Select your school district from the options provided
  5. Click the Register in English or Registrarse en español button
  6. Follow the prompts to complete your child’s registration
  7. Follow the daily lessons for your child's grade level.

For more information, please see our press release.

RCOE Staff Book Reading Video Series

Reading aloud to children daily is an effective way to help them become successful readers. In support of the Literacy By 5th Grade Initiative, leaders from across the Riverside County Office of Education read books for children in English and Spanish to help build a video series for adults and children to enjoy.

Watch the entire book reading series | Ver la serie completa de lectura de libros

"Love You Forever" (Spanish) - Book Reading by Esmirna Valencia

"Love You Forever" (English) - Book Reading by Charles Viramontes

"The Day The Crayons Quit" (English) - Book Reading with Dr. Heather Williams

"Julián Is A Mermaid" (English) - Book Reading with Jill Johnson

"Señorita Mariposa" (English) - Book Reading with Katie Campbell

"Señorita Mariposa" (Spanish) - Book Reading with Yadira Rosales

"Bright Star" (English) - Book Reading with Teresita Larios Ortega

"Lucero" (Spanish) - Book Reading with Sandra Guerrero

"What can you do with a paleta?" (English) - Book Reading with Don Powell

"¿Qué puedes hacer con una paleta?" (Spanish) - Book Reading with Claudia Figueroa

"Little Cloud Lamb" (English) - Book Reading with Felicia Cruz-Delgado

"Cuerpo de nube" (Spanish) - Book Reading with Gilda Gonzalez

"Why Am I Me?" (English) - Book Reading with Becca Marks Anderson

"¿Por qué yo soy yo?" (Spanish) - Book Reading with Hector Alegria

"The Big Umbrella" (English) - Book Reading with Christy Moran

"La sombrilla grande" (Spanish) - Book Reading with Claudia Velez

"My Colors, My World" (English) - Book Reading with Emily Devor

"Mis colores, mi mundo" (Spanish) - Book Reading with Ursula Estrada-Reveles

"Kindness Is My Superpower" (English) - Book Reading with Melissa Bazanos

"La amabilidad es mi Superpoder" (Spanish) - Book Reading by Manuel Carrasco

"The Rainbow Fish" (English) - Book Reading by Mike Barney

"El pez arcoíris" (Spanish) - Book Reading by Viridiana Lopez

"Alma And How She Got Her Name" (English) - Book Reading by Stephan McPeace

"Alma y cómo obtuvo su nombre" (Spanish) - Book Reading by Cecilia Rodriguez

How Are You? ¿Cómo estás? (English & Spanish) – Book Reading by Amirah Dahdul

"Those Shoes" (English) - Book Reading by Dr. Charles Newman

"Esos zapatos" (Spanish) - Book Reading by Dr. Ruth Peréz

"How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad" (English) - Book Reading by Matt Snellings

"How Do Dinosaurs Say I'm Mad" (Spanish) - Book Reading by Eugenio Villa

"The Word Collector" (English) - Book Reading by Eric Calderon

"The Word Collector" (Spanish) - Book Reading by Neftali Galarza

"The Color Monster" (English) - Book Reading by Joe Nieto

"The Color Monster" (Spanish) - Book Reading by Lupita Becerra

"The Way I Feel" (English) – Book Reading by Dr. Scott Price

"The Way I Feel" (Spanish) – Book Reading by  Myra Sanchez

"Last Stop on Market Street" (English) – Book Reading by Josué Reyna

"Last Stop on Market Street" (Spanish) – Book Reading by Jose Martinez

"The Pout-Pout Fish" (English) – Book Reading by Jeff Vaca

"The Pout-Pout Fish" (Spanish) – Book Reading by Leticia Garcia

"Ten Black Dots" (English) – Book Reading by JoAnne Lauer

"Ten Black Dots" (Spanish) – Book Reading by Craig Petinak

"You Matter" (English) – Book Reading by Amanda Corridan

"You Matter" (Spanish) – Book Reading by Dr. Ruth Pérez

"Not Quite Narwhal" (English) – Book Reading by Dr. Edwin Gomez

"Not Quite Narwhal" (Spanish) – Book Reading by Dr. Edwin Gomez

Literacy Education

In Riverside County, we are deeply committed to ensuring every child can read well because learning to read is an essential skills in school and life. In order to achieve this goal, a strong partnership between families and schools and the community is essential. 

Learning to read is not a natural process and it has to be explicitly taught. In order to develop strong readers, it is important to use evidence-based methods, or the” Science of Reading,” to ensure all students succeed and thrive in this area. 

In order to be a successful reader, students will need strong skills in:

  • Phonological and phonemic awareness - the ability to hear and manipulate sounds of language
  • Decoding and word recognition - the ability to read words
  • Fluency - being able to read a passage accurately, quickly and with proper expression
  • Vocabulary - knowledge of the meaning of words
  • Comprehension - making meaning of written words is necessary for understanding what we read

For more information on how to support your child in these important areas, please see the resources below.

Reading 101: A Guide for Parents: Phonological and phonemic awareness

Expert Answers to Family Questions About Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, and Fluency

 

Oral Blending and Segmenting is an essential foundation of literacy. The short videos (3-5 minutes) in the series below provide families opportunities to practice hearing and saying the sounds to make words. The best place to start is with the short vowels then move on to long vowels. 

Phonemic Awareness Video Series - for practicing these skills with your child

Phonemic Awareness: A Guidebook for Parents

Activities to develop student's phonemic awareness

Word Decoding and Phonics

Digital letter tiles to make words and practice reading them

Video of parent tips for reading at home with your child

Phonics: Everything Parents Need to Know

Reading Fluency

6 Smart Strategies to Boost Reading Fluency

Fluency - Everything Parents Need to Know (video)

9 Tips to Build Your Child’s Vocabulary at Home

Building Your Child’s Vocabulary

Interactive Readalouds: Learning from Books Together
 How to do Interactive Readalouds with your child.

Expert Answers to Family Questions About Vocabulary and Comprehension

Online Children's Books:

English Books

Footsteps2Brilliance – Free resource from Riverside County Superintendent of Schools

TeachingBooks – books with video readings, meet the author videos, and more!

Storyline Online – videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books

TIME for Kids – news stories by grade level

YourClassical Storytime Podcast

News for Kids – news writing to be accessible for kids

Open Library – books for all ages made available through the Open Library collaborative project

Unite for Literacy – online books for reading and listening

Spanish Books

Biblioteca digital

Story Place

The following resources are recommended by RCOE's Migrant Education team. For more information on their programs, please see the Migrant Education web page.

Colorín Colorado
Colorín Colorado website offers tips for families to help their children learn to read, succeed in school, and learn a new language.

Latino Stories
Latino Stories offers resources for the study of Latino Latinx literature, books, writers, and culture.

The following resources are recommended by The Riverside County Early Education team. For more information on their programs, please see the Riverside County Early Education Division web page.

Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets gathered together an extensive collection of resources about reading, including topical research briefs and reports, descriptions of nonprofit, state and federal literacy organizations, and free reading guides for parents and educators.

Imagination Library
Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library is dedicated to inspiring a love of reading by gifting books free of charge to children from birth to age five, through funding shared by Dolly Parton and local community partners in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Republic of Ireland.

Unite for Literacy
At Unite for Literacy, they picture a world where all children have access to an abundance of books that celebrate their languages and cultures and cultivate a lifelong love of reading.

Riverside County Library System - Riverside County Libraries
The Riverside County Library System is your information pathway. Everyone is welcome to use the Riverside County Library System.

Early Learning • ZERO TO THREE
Babies are born learning through play, exploration, and interactions with caring adults.

Center for Early Literacy Learning : CELL
The goal of CELL is to promote the adoption and sustained use of evidence-based early literacy learning practices.

What Is Phonological Awareness?
This short video explains how Phonological Awareness differs from traditional rote literacy skills.

Scholastic Learn at Home for Families
Scholastic Learn at Home offers a 20-day active learning journey for young learners.

7 Tips For Reading Aloud To Kids
Reading aloud to children has many benefits and helps build successful readers.

Talking
Engaging in conversation with your child is critical for language development.

Eight Tips for Creating Homemade Books
Making books about your child’s life is a great way to build reading interest.

Math and Literacy—The Perfect Pair
Children’s books are excellent tools for introducing and reinforcing math ideas.

National Family Literacy Month

National Family Literacy Month is celebrated during the month of November. It is an opportunity for families to learn and read together. As part of Dr. Gomez’s Literacy by 5th Grade Initiative, the Riverside County Office of Education provides resources and support for parents and educators throughout Riverside County and beyond. The Instructional Services Unit and Early Education Programs Unit have put together a group of resources for this important month.

Family Friday Activites Graphic

Footsteps2Brilliance Reading and Writing Workshops for Families

These workshops will show you how you can use the free Footsteps2Brilliance apps for fun and easy literacy activities in both English and Spanish to support your child’s reading success. 

Watch Footsteps2Brilliance Reading and Writing Workshops for Families