How can you help at home? We are sending home a reading “book bag” with your child. Your child will have the opportunity to select books to put in their reading bag. This bag will travel home and should be returned to school each day your child comes to the Reading Center so he/she can pick out new books. Your child may choose a variety of books around their skill level. Some books will be just-right books, some books will be easier to practice fluency, and some books may be of high interest but challenging. Many children are ambitious with the number of books they choose to take home. Please know it is not mandatory for your child to read every book they take home every day.
***IMPORTANT- Most likely your child is being asked to read 20 minutes a night by their classroom teacher, This can be broken up in several different ways. This may look different each night depending on your schedule and how much you have going on, on a particular night. Some options are: reading heart words, reading decodable books/comics/magazines, etc., listening to a grown-up read, listening to an audiobook
Reading at home each day is so important, and your partnership is essential. When your child reads with you at home, it will help him/her continue to build their comprehension, fluency, word-solving skills, sight word knowledge, vocabulary, and a love for reading in a supportive environment. Remember, even though your child has started reading to you, it is still extremely important for you to continue to read to your child. This will continue to build their vocabulary and comprehension at a higher level than they can currently read. Discussing these books with your child is where the magic happens! Ask questions like: How do you think the character felt? What would you do in that situation? If you could learn more about that topic, what would you want to know?
Periodically you will find notes and other resources from us that will come home in your child’s reading bag. Please be sure to look in there regularly. You may find lists of words and/or controlled text. Have your child practice these at home.
Thank you for your support. We are excited to have the opportunity to work with your family. Feel free to reach out to us with any questions. It’s our hope that together we will help your child grow as a lifelong reader and thinker!
Your Longmeadow Literacy Team