Practice Ideas for School Closures

We have developed possible homework calendar plans for Read Well students. We’ve kept it simple so parents can easily follow lesson plans, let their children check off tasks done, and sign the completed homework. These are just quick and temporary suggestions, using existing materials.

The assignments are review work, so parents are not expected to teach new skills. Since it is unknown how long schools will be suspended in any given state, estimate how far back you wish to review and then reevaluate as time passes.

If you choose to use the review assignments, you will need to complete and then copy for each student (by group):

  1. Homework calendar (provided as a Word document so you can add lesson numbers, as indicated in red, before copying.)
  2. Solo Review Stories from the Read Well homework blackline masters.
  3. The Pocket Chart Review exercises (PDF version or Word version). Send home exercises only from units completed for Read Well K and Read Well 1 Units 1-20.

NOTE: When you click on the links for Word documents, they will likely be automatically downloaded to your computer, so look for them in your Downloads folder. Contact us if you run into any problems accessing the materials.

Web-based meetings. If Google Hangout, Zoom, Skype, etc. are options for you, it might be easier to set up one-to-one lessons for short periods of time (10 to 15 minutes) versus longer group lessons. Mail home Decoding Books (or RWK Magazines) and Readers and complete review lessons.

Practice without a group. Have individual students:

  1. Read every other word with you.
  2. Read the words in rhythms . . . mat, mat, mat; fat, fat, fat, etc.
  3. Elevator up and elevator down on the word lists.
  4. Students mix up the words (and the teacher follows along).
  5. Catch the teacher making errors.

Spelling. You may also wish to have students orally segment words from their Decoding Practice.

For example: The word is hand. Tap and spell it by sounds. (/h/, /a/, /n/, /d/) Now, write it. Now, tell me how you spelled hand. (h-a-n-d)

We wish you and your students all good health!

Marilyn Sprick, Lead Author, Read Well and The Third Quest
Barb Robillard, Intervention Specialist and Consultant
McKenzie Meline, Development Specialist and Consultant