Reading for enjoyment is one of the best ways to improve achievement in all areas! Below are some ideas for choosing books and helping develop reading at home. Our school plan has the development of reading comprehension as our main goal.
Choosing a “Good Fit” Book Students have learned to choose or are learning to choose a book that they can read well on their own. You can help. Have him/her read the first part of the book to you. If she/he cannot read more than five words on the first page, it is too difficult to read alone. Children must spend the majority of their independent reading time engaged in books that they can decode and comprehend at very high levels. These are books that they enjoy reading, can read confidently with good comprehension (understanding) and can find with minimal assistance. Here is a tool that will help your child when selecting a book.
I PICK “Good Fit Books” 1. I look at a book. 2. Purpose (why do I need to read this book – pleasure, information?). 3. Interest (do I find it interesting). 4. Comprehend (understand what it means). 5. Know all the words (do the 5 word check).
Students have learned to choose or are learning to choose a book that they can read well on their own. You can help. Have him/her read the first part of the book to you. If she/he cannot read more than five words on the first page, it is too difficult to read alone. Children must spend the majority of their independent reading time engaged in books that they can decode and comprehend at very high levels. These are books that they enjoy reading, can read confidently with good comprehension (understanding) and can find with minimal assistance. Here is a tool that will help your child when selecting a book.
I PICK “Good Fit Books” 1. I look at a book. 2. Purpose (why do I need to read this book – pleasure, information?). 3. Interest (do I find it interesting). 4. Comprehend (understand what it means). 5. Know all the words (do the 5 word check).
Literacy Strategies and Tips to use at home:
You can encourage your pre-teens to keep reading by providing them with books, newspaper articles and magazines about the things that interest them – such as music, movies, TV and computers.Learning to read takes practice. Loving to read takes enthusiasm! So read with your children often and create a sense of enjoyment, wonder and even a passion for reading. For struggling readers, start with short sessions and with books they choose.
Tips for Parents:
- To understand the connection between a child’s early experiences with spoken language and learning to read, you might think of language as a four-legged tool. The four legs are talking, listening, reading and writing. All four legs are important; each leg helps to support and balance the others.
- Put reading first. When children become good readers in early grades, they are more likely to become better learners throughout their school years and beyond. Remember that learning to read is hard work for children.
