Dear Parents,
My goal in Reading this year is to help your child become a more confident and motivated independent reader while increasing her / his ability to process and understand more complex texts.
To accomplish these goals there are three things Reading Instruction will focus on and that your son or daughter will learn and do:
- learn how to think and talk about reading in general, as well as, what they are reading specifically
- set specific improvement goals and practice specific strategies to improve
- read very large amounts of books and other materials that are not too difficult for them
As your child’s reading teacher, I will help them learn and use the first two items. However, I need your help and cooperation on number three. Your child’s busy schedule means there is less time than elementary school for reading class. Yet we know from research as well as common sense that the more one reads, the more knowledgeable they become as a reader - and as a person. So our reading class will center on a Supported Independent Reading Time in school, but that’s not nearly enough. I need you to commit to making sure that your child reads a minimum of 30 minutes at home every day. It can be in 3 ten-minute blocks or however it best works for your child, but it must occur. Think of it like food, some is needed every day just to maintain normal development and assure growth. The time is also needed to build reading endurance, increase vocabulary and practice the habits needed to succeed in school and in life. Also, as children learn to self-select various materials they find interesting and they can actually comprehend independently, they find pleasure in reading.
Thank you for your partnership.
- Eve Wozniak
Reading at Home
The only way to improve a skill is to practice it, often. At Lineville we believe that the ability to read and comprehend, whether it is books, magazines, or websites, is the most fundamental and critical of all academic skills. It is one of our top priorities while working with your children each day. The following activities are a few suggestions that you can use at home to help your child practice and refine his or her reading skills.
Independent Silent Reading
(20 - 30 minutes each night)
Goal: To help students gain confidence and practice reading text
- Use text in which the child misses no more than 1 in 20 words
- Child should self select the text for interest
- Have child chart / record their progress and time reading. Praise and celebrate often.
- Talk to them about what they are reading. A discussion with a child about a book, article, etc. sounds just like a discussion between adults about similar materials. The difference is that the material is geared to the child’s developmental and reading level. Ask: “What are the characters like and what motivates them? Why do they make the choices they do? What is the main idea? What doesn’t make sense? Why did the author ‘do that’ or ‘add that’? Perhaps the best question is “Why do you think that?” Have them show you the text clues and help them explain how they ‘figured it out’. Also, you can have your child mark any words, phrases, ideas that caused them trouble. Help them with these and talk about how they “fixed” the problem. (Hint: they can use Post-Its to mark the book.)
- Possible Extension: Have child chose and read aloud a favorite section.
Paired Reading
Goal: To help students read more fluently i.e., with appropriate pace, phrasing and expression.
- Parent reads a brief story, passage or poem to their child.
- Parent and child read the same passage together a few times
- Child reads the text alone using appropriate pace, phrasing and expression
Interactive Oral Reading
Goal: To monitor and support comprehension
- Parent reads a section of text out loud. Child summarizes.
- Child reads the next section and the parent summarizes
- If the text uses headings or titles, always point out and discuss how what follows the heading is related to the heading.
I PICK a good fit book
I choose a book and look inside.
P = Purpose
I am reading this book because….
I = Interest
I am interested in this book.
C = Comprehend
I understand this book.
K – Know
I know the words in this book.