Building a Better Reader at Home!

8 Fun Activities for Making Better Readers!

#1 Explore Books At a library or bookstore: bring a laundry basket to load up and don’t forget books on CD for the car! Online: www.getepic.com ($4.99 per month/free for teachers) or www.raz-kids.com ($109 per year or ask your child’s school if they have an account) Search the App store for “Interactive Books (or search by author: i.e. Dr Seuss) Use “Read to Me” and quizzes to monitor your child’s comprehension! You Tube videos with read alouds!

#2 Read, Read, Read 30 minutes per day: Reading aloud (5 minutes to an adult, sibling, pet or stuffed animal) Read silently (15 minutes) Reading aloud while your child follows along (read it like you’d say it/model good reading behaviors) (5 minutes) Talk about the book (5 minutes) Busy parents can use online reading programs to help them get this done!

#3 Ask Engaging ??? What made you laugh? What made you sad? What made you think? What sparked your imagination? What character was a lot like you? What emotions did you feel? What ways would you change the story?

#4 Make It Fun! Pantomime: act out a scene you chose Postcard: write to a friend about a book Mapmaker: draw a map of the setting Collage: make a collage for the conflict Draw: use pictures to show the most important scene Improv: someone picks a character and a scene for you to act our on the spot Time machine: write a story about a character who travels out of a book and into today

#5 Be an Example  “Parents can encourage reading,” they explain, “by keeping print books in the home, reading themselves, and setting aside time daily for their children to read.” Strong correlations exist between these parental actions and the frequency with which children read (scholastic, 2013). For example, among children who are frequent readers, 57% of parents set aside time each day for their child to read, compared to 16% of parents of children who are infrequent readers. (Common Sense Media)

#6 Pick Good Fit Books  Know your child’s LETTER and NUMBER! (use the chart or ask your child’s teacher/a letter or number is on most children’s books) Don’t be afraid to “Go Easy” (this builds fluency) Don’t be afraid to “Go Hard” (for short periods of time/at a level your child can handle without getting frustrated) “Just Right” is where a child can read and independently answer most questions Just above “Just Right” is perfect for a child working with an adult

#6 Pick Good Fit Books

Too Hard for You??? We plan makers are accustomed to things turning out not-quite-as-good-as-we-had-in-mind. Our world view includes the “diminished excellence” component. Diminished excellence is a condition of the world and therefore never an occasion for sorrow, whereas flawed competence comes out of character and therefore is frequently the reason for the bowed head, the furrowed brow.

Too Hard for You??? In the last paragraph, a comparison is made between "diminished excellence" and "flawed competence." From the narrator's point of view, the conditions are different because the one is: A. a source of sorrow while the other is a source of pride. B. based in the family while the other is based in the self.  C. inherent in the environment while the other is inherent in the individual. D. a sign that the individual can improve the world while the other is a sign that the individual can't.

Too Hard for You??? Choice H is our answer! This question was tough because it asked us to consider and compare two complicated ideas in the passage. We had to grapple with abstract concepts as well as be very specific with our answer choice.

#7 For Beginning Readers Check out the strategies listed under “For Beginning Readers” (on the “Building a Reader at Home” handout) Strategy Focus: Don’t immediately tell an unknown word to your child Use the Cloze Procedure: All you need is a book and a black marker!

I made myself a sn_____________ As perfect as could be.

I thought I’d keep it as a p______ And let it sleep with me.

I made it some p_____________ And a p_________ for its head.

Then last n_______ it ran away But first --- it w____ the b .

#8 For Advanced Readers Check out the strategies listed under “For Advanced Readers” (on the “Building a Reader at Home” handout) Strategy Focus: Think of New Titles for Books Get out the craft supplies, poster board and the imagination!

??? Building a Better Reader at Home! South Lyon Reading Success .com alisa@SouthLyonReadingSuccess.com 248-787-3100

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