Reading At Home Tips
Rex, Nel, & Caity’s 4/5 2010/11
• Make reading a special and specific time of your child's
afternoon/evening. Be consistent with this time. Just before bedtime is
not ideal as many kids tend to be tired and have a hard time focusing. So
do many adults!!!
• Please have your child read BEFORE they do their other homework!
Research shows that reading opens up the learning pathways in the
brain, thus facilitating all learning.
• Help them find a special, quiet and comfortable spot for them to read.
• Be patient! Remember, it's one of those virtue things!
• Make sure that distractions are minimized.
• Turn off cellphones, if possible.
Help them to develop a good & ongoing list of Just Right books to read.
For suggestions they can ask Rex, Nel, other kids, siblings, you, etc. A
great place to look is amazon.com for suggestions and you don’t have to
buy anything.
The focus of this time should be spent on reading chapter book/novels.
Some of the time can be spent reading non fiction texts, graphic novels,
Time For Kids (TFK), magazines, comic books (although not all the
time), newspapers, etc. The internet does not count. Try to help them
vary what they read like we do as adults.
Most of this time should be focused on independent silent reading, but
can also be shared reading, you reading to them, listening to audio books,
etc.
Share with them what you are reading! Kids love that!
• When you read with them, sit at more or less the same level as your
child.
• Begin by discussing the book or the last chapter they have
read (the cover, what they know about the story, the title,
how it relates to their life, make predictions, etc).
• Work with them to figure out words that they are unsure
of, using phonics, contextual clues (word clues, repeating
words, patterns, etc.), picture clues, prior knowledge, reading to the end
of the sentence and coming back to the word.
• Encourage THEM to figure out unknown/new words.
• Stop periodically to ask them about words that are important to the text
(i.e. repeated words, rhyming words, names, etc.)
• Discuss the story or chapter when they finish.
Utilize the Reading Comprehension Strategies sheet that will be posted
soon.
If the book is too challenging for them, you can take turns reading.
• At fourth and fifth grade, we mainly focus on comprehension, so check
for their understanding.
Help to remind them to record what they have read EACH NIGHT in
their planner.
Sign their reading recorder each week when they have completed their 2
½ hours of reading.
• Support them! Encourage them!
• Enjoy yourself!