Reading Tips

Tips for finding a good fit book (Students will be using this in class/school, but we want it to extend outside the classroom):

I PICK Good Fit Books:

I - I select a book and look it over, inside and out.

P (Purpose)- Why might I want to read it?

I (Interest) - Does it interest me?

C (Comprehend) - Do I understand what I am reading?

K ( Know) - Do I know most of the words?

Family tips for helping search for "just right" books:

1. Have your child read a page from the book. If they are having difficulty with fluency or more than 5 mistakes (the five finger rule), select another book.

2. Never assume a book is too easy or difficult.

3. Encourage students to read outside of the 15 minutes required each day. Try a magazine or child newspaper!

4. Ask your child questions about the book. If they are able to answer you with detail, not only are you practicing comprehension strategies, but showing an interest in your child's reading.

5. Make a trip to the local, school, or classroom library!

In order to build reading skills, your 3rd grader:

• Reads multi-syllable and grade appropriate, irregularly spelled words.
• Reads grade-level text with appropriate pace, accuracy, expression and understanding.
• Self-corrects mistakes and re-reads when necessary.
• Talks about and answers questions about a text using specific example from the text and connects different parts of a text.
• Reads a variety of texts including, fiction, non-fiction, fables, and poetry and understands and talks about their main ideas and lessons.
• Begins to understand the difference between literal and non-literal text such as metaphors and analogies.
• Uses the text and context to determine the meaning of words.
• Is able to express her own point of view about characters or a text.
• Makes comparisons between books written by the same author and books such as series that are about the same characters.

Reading Activities

• Get Serious About Series: Find a series that interests your child and begin to read it together. You can read to your child, your child can read to you, and he can read a chapter independently. You and your child can interview each other as you read — ask about main ideas, events, and thoughts you each have about the books and characters.
• Look It Up: When your child encounters a word she doesn’t know the meaning of, look up the meaning together. You can even begin to keep your own family dictionary, recording words and their definitions. Your child can create illustrations that show definitions of the words, as well. Use the word yourself, or encourage your child to use that word in a sentence sometime during the day.
• Learn About an Author: As your child develops favorite authors, look online for that author’s website. Your child can email or write a letter to the author (under your supervision).