First Grade - Reading

Reading at home makes a HUGE difference:

Read Daily: At least 20 minutes a day.
Read Often: Read road signs, menus, food labels, magazines
Let them see you read: You are your child’s role model so if they see that you enjoy reading, they will too.
First graders love to know “WHY?” talk about why it is important to read what they are reading!

Choose Books That Are At An Appropriate Reading Level For Your Child

Use the five finger rule:
Choose books that match your child’s likes and interests. Your child will be much more invested in reading if they are reading a book of interest.

How To Read With A Beginning Reader:

Encourage your child to use his/her finger to point to each word, track the words.
Read a sentence and have your child repeat it.
Take turns reading a sentence each or a page each.
Switch it up: Have your child read to you, you read to them, read together.
Talk about the story as you read it. What do you think will happen next? What does this story remind you of? How do you think this character feels?
Don’t be afraid to read the same book again! Repeated reading helps build reading fluency!

How to Check For Understanding:

Start the book by making predictions. What do you think will happen in this story? Ask questions and make comments during the reading process.
After reading a book, have your child tell you the events from the story in the correct order.
What was the problem in this story?
How did the character feel when...?
Encourage your child to make connections. Does this story remind you of another book you read, an event in your life, a movie?