Reading at Home

Building a Reader at Home

Explore Books!

Give your child an opportunity to explore books. Visiting a library or bookstore gives your child the chance to find topics and books that interest them.

Read, Read, Read!

Make sure that your child reads at home every day! Children can read independently, aloud to an adult, or back and forth with a sibling or friend.

Ask Questions!

Encourage your child to:

· Make Predictions

· Discuss Characters and Traits

· Identify the Main Idea

· Discuss the Problem and Solution

· Retell the Story

· Identify the Genre

· Discuss the Moral or Lesson

Make it Fun!

Read and discuss books with your child. Children learn by example, so let them see you read, whether it be a book, newspaper, etc.

Also, take the opportunity to research interesting topics and complete book-related activities together.

Pick Just-Right Books!

Remember the 5-Finger Rule when choosing "Just-Right" Books:

1. Choose a book

2. Open to a page in the middle of the book.

3. Read the entire page.

4. Put up one finger for each word that you do not know the meaning or pronunciation of.

Guide: 0 - 1 Finger: Too Easy 2 - 3 Fingers: Just-Right

4 - 5 Fingers: Too Hard

For Beginning Readers:

· Point out and read words in natural settings - around the house, in stores, street signs, etc.

· Practice sight words

· Ask your child questions before, during, and after reading

When reading new or unknown words encourage your child to:

· Sound out the word

· Look for parts or chunks that they know

Blend the sounds together to read the word

Break the word into syllables

Separate the base word from the prefixes and suffixes

· Try a different vowel sound (long / short)

For Advanced Readers:

· Practice reading with fluency and expression

· Notice interesting, new vocabulary words and make it a challenge to use them in conversation.

· Read various genres of books

· Explore nonfiction books and their text features (table of contents, captions, diagrams, glossary, etc.)

· Use story clues to infer information that the author does not state directly

· Compare and contrast books

· Discuss connections to literature