Reading with Your Child

What makes a Just-Right Book?

*Ideally, a just-right book should be read at 98% accuracy. Therefore, your child should be able to read it independently, without a struggle, and with a solid understanding of the story.

When it comes to choosing just-right books, I like to think of the analogy of riding a bike.

If the book feels like riding up a really big hill then it is probably a little to hard right now. You may have many words you need to figure out using one or more reading strategies. Maybe you can read the words but when you are done you cannot talk about what you just read. Put the book away and try it again another day. Better yet, ask someone to read it to you.

If the book feels like riding on a flat rode then it is probably just-right. There may be a few words that you need to sound out or use another reading strategy to read, but they do not interfere with your understanding of the book. Overall, you can read it smoothly most of the time.

If the book feels like riding down a really big hill then it is probably too easy. Maybe there are not many words on the page or you have read it a million times and you could read it with your eyes closed. (That's not actually reading you know.) Put the book away and find yourself something you can read with a purpose.

Here are some ways you may choose to do the nightly reading assignments with your child:

You may choose to read TO YOUR CHILD. This means that the parent is doing all of the reading to the child. Even if your son or daughter is a successful reader it is still important for you to read to your child. In doing this you are modeling fluency, expression and enthusiasm. You may choose to read picture books aloud, chapter books, poetry, even the sports page of the newspaper. Whatever captures your interest and your childís interest works. Use this as an opportunity to revisit childrenís classics that are age-appropriate. These selections are often rich in vocabulary and language that children cannot gain access to by reading just-right books themselves. You might try books by E.B. White, Dick King-Smith, A.A. Milne, fairy tales and folk tales. Take time to ask your child questions when you read to them. Ask them to make predictions, ask questions and make connections to what you are reading. If you are reading from a series, ask your child to make connections between the books.

You may choose to read WITH YOUR CHILD. This can take a variety of forms. You may read most of the text and ask your child to read familiar words or predict the word you have left out. You may also take turns reading lines of the text, giving your child more opportunities to be the reader if they are being very successful or reading more yourself if they are struggling. You might both read parts that are familiar or repetitive. Remind students to use strategies to figure out unknown words.

You may choose to have your CHILD DO THE READING. This means that your child is reading a just-right book independently, to you or to someone else. They may even read to the family dog or Bella the hamster!

Find a combination that works best for your child and your family. As your child develops their reading skills it will be important for them to read independently for some length of time each night but plan to carve out some time to continue to read together. If you need help selecting books I am happy to offer titles or books from our classroom library. At various points during the year I will send books home with your child to practice with you.

Happy Reading!