Helpful Tips

Nightly Reading

Your child should be practicing reading every single night. I encourage you to read with them and get involved in their reading progress. You can do this by listening, asking questions, and talking about books! Reading everyday is proven to be beneficial for beginning readers and it fosters a reading habit that will last a lifetime. Remember that the only way to become a better reader is to READ! :)

______________________________________________________

Real World Connection
Don't forget that reading is all around us, and it is important to connect reading to their real life and make it authentic. Incorporate reading into your daily activities. Some examples:
- Have your child read or write your grocery list
- Reading recipes
- Reading the newspaper together
- Encourage your child to keep a journal where he can write about their daily experiences; what they saw, felt, heard. Journal entries can take the form of lists, sentences, stories, or drawings. Ask them to share with you!
- Write letters to family members to keep in touch! Letter writing is a great way to practice writing and it will also be fun to get letters in return and practice reading!
- Promote any authentic reading/writing experiences that may come up; thank you notes, party invitations, ect.
- Start a vocabulary notebook; Keep a running list of words that they likes or

finds to be powerful or interesting. These may be words they hears in conversation, in movies, or on the computer. Make it into a game and give him points when they uses these words!

______________________________________________________

Choosing a Just Right Book

It is important that students are reading books that they can independently read. When choosing a book, we like to go by the 5 finger test...

It is also important for students to choose books that interest them or they can relate to. When students are enjoying what they are reading, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to read. This will also lead to students associating reading with positive experiences and cultivate a love of reading!
______________________________________________________

Model Reading & Thinking Aloud
It is meaningful for your child to see you reading and to see how you are thinking about reading. This will mirror  the reading processes what we do during Readers Workshop. When reading to your child, think out loud so they can hear what is going on in your head while your reading.
- Explain your thoughts about what is going on in the story
- State any questions you may have while reading
- Tell your child your favorite part and talk about the book

Another suggestion is to ask them to teach you reading strategies they are learning in school.
Everyday during Reading Workshop students learn and practice a strategy in our mini lesson. Ask students what they learned and engage in conversation. Ask them to show you how to do it. The best way to learn something, is to teach it! :)