How you can help at home.
Practice Makes Better
The single most important thing a reader can do to improve their reading is to PRACTICE! That means EVERYDAY for at least 20-30 minutes. Some classrooms have reading logs to help keep track of this. Students should be reading from a variety of genres; fiction and nonfiction. Example
Parents can check in with their children by asking questions and talking about their reading for the day such as:
Choosing Appropriate Books: Motivation and Level
Motivation is important to readers because they are learning how to sustain comprehension over longer texts. Students are also still learning how to choose a book that is at an appropriate level for them. Both of these can interfere with the progress of a student's reading.
Most importantly, students need to be reading books that motivate them to practice as well as giving them the opportunity to use the strategies that help them to think deeper about what they read.
Practice Makes Better
The single most important thing a reader can do to improve their reading is to PRACTICE! That means EVERYDAY for at least 20-30 minutes. Some classrooms have reading logs to help keep track of this. Students should be reading from a variety of genres; fiction and nonfiction. Example
Parents can check in with their children by asking questions and talking about their reading for the day such as:
- What genre is this? What do you know about this genre?
- Talk to me about what you just read.
- Talk to me about the setting of the story.
- Is the main character like you? Why or why not?
- Tell me something you learned.
- What was your favorite part?
- What was the most important part of what you just read?
- Show me a hard or tricky word in your reading. What do you think it means?
Choosing Appropriate Books: Motivation and Level
Motivation is important to readers because they are learning how to sustain comprehension over longer texts. Students are also still learning how to choose a book that is at an appropriate level for them. Both of these can interfere with the progress of a student's reading.
Most importantly, students need to be reading books that motivate them to practice as well as giving them the opportunity to use the strategies that help them to think deeper about what they read.