1. The Parent’s Guide to Reading with Upper Elementary and Middle School Children \\\\\

2. Why Read With Your Child Who Can Read Independently? -Reading with your child shows you value reading as important. -Reading together allows you to discuss with your child what s/he is reading leading to deeper comprehension. -Allows your child to read material that would be too difficult to read on his/her own. -Helps you monitor your child’s reading skills -Allows you to model fluency when reading.

3. What is Reading Together? Three elements: 1. You read aloud to your child. 2. Your child reads aloud to you. 3. You talk about what you are reading.

4. Another Option….. Read the same book separately. 1.Choose a book with your child to read separately. 2.Decide how much to read and when to have the selection read by. 3.After you’ve both read the selection, discuss what you have read. Make predictions about what you think will happen next. 4.Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the book is finished!

5. Choosing What to Read 1. Child’s reading level. 2. Interesting Topics 3. Let your child pick the book or offer a selection. 4. Favorite authors. 5. Text that informs: newspapers, magazines, computer searches.

6. While You Are Reading… 1. Read with expression—make the story come alive. 2. Try using different voices for different characters. 3. Stop and discuss new vocabulary words. 4. Talk about how you understand new words. 5. Think aloud- *I wonder if... *I think... *I can’t wait to find out... *I didn’t know... I can’t wait to find out if Andy wins the contest!

7. 6. Talk about what is happening in the story and ask what might happen next. 7. Ask open-ended questions about the story. While You Are Reading (continued)

8. 1. Encourage your child to read with expression. 2. Help your child use the context to figure out unknown words. 3. If your child makes a mistake that affects meaning and doesn’t self-correct, ask “Did that make sense?” While Your Child Is Reading…

9. 6. Suggest rereading a difficult sentence or paragraph. 7. Encourage your child to ask you about anything s/he doesn’t understand. While Your Child is Reading (cont.)

10. 8. If your child does not understand what s/he is reading, stop and discuss it. Ask her/him to read it again. 9. Keep the reading fun. Some struggle is good. Too much frustration is not good. 10. Know when to take over reading or end the reading session. While Your Child Is Reading (cont.)

11. 1. Have a short discussion about the story. 2. Help your child summarize the main idea. 3. Discuss the problem and solution of the story. 4. Ask open-ended questions about the story or subject of the book. 5. Help your child make connections to his/her world or another story or book. After Reading

12. Tips for Reluctant or Struggling Readers NUMBER ONE TIP: Set the child up for SUCCESS! When reading, students should only be encountering 1 unknown word for every 100 words.

13. Tips for Reluctant or Struggling Readers *Make sure your child is reading books at his/her reading level. *Find books about topics s/he is interested in. *Order a magazine subscription in his/her name. *Build off of books s/he has shown interest in before (same author, series, or topic.)

14. Tips for Reluctant or Struggling Readers *Don’t make your child struggle too long over a word. Simply supply the word and move on. -When done reading do a quick demonstration on how to try to figure out the word the child was struggling with. You might give him/her a few more words to practice together. *Set up a reading time every night for the whole family. Everyone reads- NO EXCEPTIONS! Without outside distractions and choices, reading will become a habit. --If this is new for your family, start small: Read for 5 minutes, then 10, as you work your way up to 20 minutes or more.

15. *Think outside the box- reading isn’t just about reading books consider: reading directions for a game, a recipe to make together, magazines, the newspaper (even just the sports page), the computer, instructions for building a model. *Read together materials your child would struggle reading on his/her own including textbooks. More Tips for Helping Reluctant or Struggling Readers:

16. *Create a cliffhanger- you read a book to your child. When the book gets to the part that your child just can’t wait to find out what happens, you quit reading. They must read the book to find out what happens. *Graphic Novels- books that have a comic book look. Designed for reluctant or struggling older readers. *Make sure your child sees you reading!

17. Tips For Reading With Advanced Readers Advanced readers have a solid foundation of basic reading skills. The focus for advanced readers should be: 1. Expanding vocabulary. 2. Increasing and building comprehension. 3. Challenging their thinking in fun and enjoyable ways. A proletariat is…

18. Ideas for Working With Advanced Readers 1.*Have higher level books available to them. 2.*Go beyond the classroom. 3.*Do extension activities. 4.*Read even more advanced books aloud to them. 5.*Make sure books match your child’s maturity level.

19. More Tips for Advanced Readers 6. *Partner read together or read and discuss the same book. 7. *Guide deeper discussions of what you’ve read together. 8. *Get your child a magazine subscription. 9. *Pair fiction and nonfiction reading. 10.*Emphasize quality not quantity.

20. Booklists and Sources for Books www.scholastic.com - Book Wizard- find books by reading level, find books similar to another book -Scholastic Parent (tab on top of web page)- filled with all kinds of articles on reading, 116 book lists (by theme, for reluctant readers, by grade, etc.) -book orders Middle School Book Lists http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/middle-school www.arbookfind.com - search for books by reading level, interest level, topic -teachers can have book lists for your kids to access -can make your own booklist with your child Delaware Library Catalog http://lib.de.us/ http://lib.de.us/ Search, reserve, renew books, audio-books, and videos from throughout Delaware. Borrow e-books as well.

21. Sources for Books Nearby Library Locations Bear Public Library Bear Public Library Phone: (302) 838-3300 101 Governor’s Place, Bear, DE 19701 Mon.-Wed. 10am-9pm; Thurs. 10am-5pm; Sat. 10am-5pm; Sun. 1pm-5pm Kirkwood Library Kirkwood Library Phone: (302) 995-7663 6000 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington, DE 19808 Mon.-Wed. 10am-9pm; Thur. 10am-5pm; Sat. 10am-5pm; Sun. 1pm-5pm Elsmere Public Library Elsmere Public Library Phone: (302) 892-2210 30 Spruce Ave., Elsmere, DE 19805 Mon. 10am-8pm; Tue. & Thurs. 12-8pm; Fri. & Sat. 10am-5pm

22. New Castle Public Library Phone: (302) 328-1995 424 Delaware St., New Castle, DE 19720 Mon. & Tue. 10am-9pm; Wed. & Thurs. 2pm-9pm; New Castle Public Library Fri. & Sat. 10am-5pm Garfield Park Library Phone: (302) 571-7312 26 Karlyn Drive, New Castle, DE 19720 Mon.-Thurs. 9am-8pm; Sat. 9am-Noon Garfield Park Library Newark Free Library Phone: (302) 731-7550 750 Library Ave., Newark, DE 19711 Mon.- Wed. & Fri. 10am-9pm; Sat.10am-5pm; Sun. 1pm-5pm Newark Free Library

23. Wilmington Public Library Phone: (302) 571-7400 10 E 10th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 Mon.-Wed. 9.30am- 8pm; Thurs. 9:30am-5pm; Fri.-Sat. 9am- 5pm Wilmington Public Library Wilmington Public Library- North Branch Phone: (302) 761-4290 3400 N. Market St., Wilmington, DE 19802 Mon.- Wed. 11:30am -8pm; Thurs. 11:30am-5pm; Wilmington Public Library- North Branch Fri. & Sat. 11:30am- 4pm Woodlawn Public Library Phone: (302) 571-7425 2020 W. 9th St., Wilmington, DE 19805 Mon.-Wed. 10am-9pm; Thurs. 10am-5pm; Sat. 10am-5pm; Sun.1pm-5pm Woodlawn Public Library

24. Budget-conscious Book Stores http://www.thriftbooks.com/http://www.thriftbooks.com/ New and used books with free shipping in the U.S. A wonderful source for popular middle school titles. 2 nd and Charles 101 Geoffrey Dr. Newark, DE 19713 (near Christiana Mall) Rainbow Books & Music www.rainbow-online.com 54 E Main St Newark, DE (302) 368-7738 Goodwill of Delaware Newark Shopping Center 311 Newark Shopping Ctr Newark, DE 19711 4317 Kirkwood Hwy, Wilmington, DE 19808