ELA Resources

Tips for reading to your student:

1. Read a book THEY are interested in. All day long we tell then what to read at school. At home reading should be for pleasure. So make it fun by letting them choose the book. This will also help them to feel some ownership over their own reading.

2. PLEASE NEVER MAKE READING A PUNISHMENT! Make it fun! Switch it up every once and a while and read a graphic novel or popup book! You could always make going to Barnes and Noble a reward!

3. Read books that have a movie to go along with it. Make it a goal to read the book as a family and then do a fun family movie night! This can help to get your child to buy into reading. After you watch the movie you could have a great conversation comparing the two and sharing which you liked better and why!

4. Audiobooks are still reading. These are great for building fluency and grabbing your child's attention. The readers are usually dynamic and great at drawing the listener so far into the story they forget it is only one person telling the story. My favorite story to listen to is the Harry Potter series, in fact I fall asleep listening to this every night. The library has many on CD or you can access them for free digitally on Hoopla with your library card.

5. Skinners and the Library trips! This was an all time favorite of mine when I was younger. My mom would take us to get books at the library and then to get ice cream to eat while we read. In the nice weather we would sit in the grass next to the library under the big tree out front and read until we finished our ice cream.

6. If you are worried your young reader is still not motivated by these tips, create your own bingo board. In the summer the library creates a Summer Reading Challenge (highly recommended) that rewards students with prizes for certain intervals of books read throughout the summer weeks. You could create your own bingo board with different reading challenges and goals. The prizes could be things your child would love and this might help to further motivate them.

7. Model the way! If your child sees you engaging in a good book they will be more likely to want to do the same. As a lifelong Bookworm I love books, but if someone is watching a good show on TV in the other room, even I would have a hard time sitting by myself reading. You could do a family challenge to see who could read the most books. If your family is into sports you could do a bracket style tournament or make it Olympic themed. Have fun with it!

8. Read in creative spaces. Have a flashlight party and read in the dark or build a blanket fort and read inside it. Don't forget the snacks! Books are like movies, only we create the pictures in our heads and not with our eyes. So why shouldn't we break out the popcorn or movie snacks.

9. Read slowly and stop to check to make sure your child is still following along. It is much better to only read five pages that your child can fully understand than to read three chapters and they got lost after the first one. The quickest reason for a student to lose interest in a book is lack of understanding. You can ask them simple questions like, "Wait what just happened?" or "Why do you think they just said...?".

10. Remember reading is a lifelong journey. It is my job to help your student grow their literacy skills so they can continue to read more and more advanced stories. My goal for you as their family is to read with them to help them remember reading can be fun and that it is as much a part of our lives as eating healthy. Food keeps our body strong and healthy and reading does the same for our brains.

Throughout the year I will add resources students are utilizing that may prove useful for parents and families.

(Click on the website name to take your to the site)

Story Weaver- This is a great website for access to free online stories.

Hoopla- With this site you can take the public library wherever you go, or at least wherever your phone goes.

Free Rice- This site helps student to practice their vocabulary skills, while also helping to donate rice for every question they answer correctly to a country in need.

Good Reads- This is a great site for anyone who is an avid reader to keep track of books they have read and to get recommendations for any future books they may like.

An Unlikely Story- This is an awesome bookstore if you are up for a little day trip. They often have meet the author events that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Google Spotlight Stories- Google has made some stories that are designed to be used with VR glasses. This can be done by downloading an app. Don't have VR glasses or a smartphone? Have no fear Google has also made some of these stories into 360 stories so as you listen you can feel like you are a part of the story by watching on Youtube.

Book Recommendations