Reading Tips
A Parent's Guide to Reading
This guide has many ideas to help you at home with your child's reading. It explains in simple terms what your child needs and offers many helpful ways to read and learn together.

www.schwablearning.org/pdfs/EGuide_ReadingBasics.pdf?date=3-03-03



The ABCs Of Reading To And With Your Child
(Source Unknown)

A sk questions while reading together. "What do you think will happen next?"

B uy books as gifts for birthdays, Christmas, Hanukkah, or other holidays.

C hat about what is happening in the book and how it relates to everyday life.

D rop everything and read. Set aside 20 minutes a day during which the whole family reads.

E xamine book illustrations in detail. Select books that have large, bright pictures.

Find books that interest your child. Make suggestions, but don't turn reading into work.

G ive hints when your child gets stuck on a word.

H ave fun. Smile and enjoy the story. Read with a slow, relaxed voice and be expressive.

I nvite your child to the bookstore. Take time to lounge in the chairs and browse the books.

J oin in your child's reading successes. Celebrate every small step with sincere praise.

K ids love to receive mail. Send your child a magazine subscription in an area that interests him or her.

L earn to read with, and not just to, your child daily. Read aloud, share ideas, and answer questions.

M odel reading. Share with your child, whether you're reading for information or for entertainment.

N ever force your child to read. If you're both too tired or discouraged to read, take a break.

O ffer your child a variety of reading materials, such as books, magazines, cereal boxes, comics, and newspapers.

P redict story elements, draw conclusions, and retell the story with your child.

Q uiz your child at the end of a story. Informally, of course!

R eread books to familiarize your child with words and to build self-confidence.

S ing songs, recite poetry, and do fingerplays to help develop language and listening skills.

T ry to help your child understand that it's okay to make mistakes.

U nderstand that reading is developmental and that it takes time and practice to become fluent.

V isit your local library on a regular basis. Sign your child up for his or her own library card.

W elcome wordless picture books into your collections. They generate conversation and allow the nonreader to create his or her own stories.

"X hibit" patience when your child is selecting books. Your support is empowering.

Y ou are the most important person in helping your child develop a lifelong love of reading.

Z ealous readers are the result of supportive and nurturing role models.

Why Can't I Skip My Twenty Minutes of Reading Tonight?

Let's figure it out -mathematically!

Student A reads 20 minutes five nights of every week;
Student B reads only 4 minutes a night...or not at all!

Step 1: Multiply minutes a night x 5 times each week.
Student A reads 20 min. x 5 times a week = 100 mins./week
Student B reads 4 minutes x 5 times a week = 20 minutes

Step 2: Multiply minutes a week x 4 weeks each month.
Student A reads 400 minutes a month.
Student B reads 80 minutes a month.

Step 3: Multiply minutes a month x 9 months/school year
Student A reads 3600 min. in a school year.
Student B reads 720 min. in a school year.

Student A practices reading the equivalent of ten whole school days a year. Student B gets the equivalent of only two school days of reading practice.

By the end of 5th grade if Student A and Student B maintain
these same reading habits, Student A will have read the equivalent of 60 whole school days. Student B will have read the equivalent of only 12 school days.
One would expect the gap of information retained will have widened considerably and so, undoubtedly, will school performance. How do you think Student B will feel about him/herself as a student?

Some questions to ponder:

Which student would you expect to read better?
Which student would you expect to know more?
Which student would you expect to write better?
Which student would you expect to have a better vocabulary?
Which student would you expect to be more successful in school....and in life?

Turn off the TV for 20 minutes a night and read....it's worth it!

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The following information is from the "No Child Left Behind" Website:

Simple Strategies for Creating Strong Readers


Without doubt, reading with children spells success for early literacy. Putting a few simple strategies into action will make a significant difference in helping children develop into good readers and writers.

Through reading aloud, providing print materials, and promoting positive attitudes about reading and writing, you can have a powerful impact on children's literacy and learning.


Invite a child to read with you every day. (see above to see why this is so important)

When reading a book where the print is large, point word by word as you read. This will help the child learn that reading goes from left to right and understand that the word he or she says is the word he or she sees.

Read a child's favorite book over and over again.

Read many stories with rhyming words and lines that repeat. Invite the child to join in on these parts. Point, word by word, as he or she reads along with you.

Discuss new words. For example, "This big house is called a palace. Who do you think lives in a palace?"

Stop and ask about the pictures and about what is happening in the story.

Read from a variety of children's books, including fairy tales, song books, poems, and information books.

Reading well is at the heart of all learning. Children who can't read well, can't learn. Help make a difference for a child.

For more information visit www.ed.gov/offices/OIIA/pfie/ or call 1-800-USA-LEARN

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From kindergarten through third grade, you may see tremendous growth in your child's literacy development. While your child may receive a lot of educational guidance from teachers, remember that you play a major role in your child's success in reading and writing at every stage of development.

The Young Reader (Grades K-2)

Here are a few things that you can do to help build your child's literacy skills:

Let your child gradually share some of the reading aloud. You read a sentence, paragraph, or page, then it’s your child’s turn. Take over if your beginner seems tired or discouraged to ensure that reading is always fun, not just hard work ...
If your child can’t sound out a word, suggest skipping it, reading the rest of the sentence, and deciding what word would make sense.
Leave notes on the refrigerator or in a lunch bag for your child to discover and read.
Take your new reader to the library to sign up for his or her own library card.
Try introducing the following types of books to your child:

Read-aloud books with plots to follow and challenging vocabulary
Easy-to-read books your child can read alone
Books in a variety of genres, including nonfiction and poetry


The Developing Reader (Grades 2-3)

Here are a few things that you can do to help build your child's literacy skills:

When your children read aloud, help them catch and correct their own mistakes by asking guiding questions. For example, you might ask, “Does that word really make sense here? What letter does it start with? What do you think the word could be?”
Talk about the books you read together and about the books your children are reading on their own.
Don’t stop reading aloud! Developing readers can read simple chapter books alone, but they still need you to help read the kinds of books that will challenge their thinking and build their vocabulary.
Suggest that your child read to a younger brother, sister, or neighbor. It will be good practice, a chance to show off skills, and an inspiration for the younger listener.
Try introducing the following types of books to your child:

Novels for “middle readers” that you can read aloud together
Information books for young readers
Books in a variety of genres, including biographies, humorous stories, and poetry.

For more information visit the website "Reading Is Fundamental"

Arthur: The World's Most Famous Aardvark
pbskids.org/arthur/index.html

Braille Bug: Learn all about Braille
www.afb.org/braillebug/

Jan Brett's website
Author of The Mitten, Gingerbread Baby and other
beautifully illustrated books.
www.janbrett.com/

Beverly Cleary Website
(Author of "Ralph S. Mouse", among others)
www.beverlycleary.com/

Tomie dePaola's Website
One of my favorite authors and illustrators.
For the artist in all of us.
www.tomie.com/resources/index.html

Fun Brain
Games for everything from nouns and verbs to math and science.
Take the Parent-Kid challenges!!
www.funbrain.com/

Game Goo: Learning That Sticks
www.cogcon.com/gamegoo/gooey.html

The Official Hank the Cowdog Site
For all of you who enjoy Hank's adventures as Head of Ranch Security!
www.hankthecowdog.com/

Junie B. Jones
www.randomhouse.com/kids/junieb/

KidsReads: Cool new books, authors, games and more!
www.kidsreads.com/

LISD Second Grade Language Arts Matrix
www.leanderisd.org/District_School_Info/curriculum/standards/elem/Elem_LA2_Matrix.pdf


Magic School Bus
place.scholastic.com/magicschoolbus/home.htm

Magic Tree House
www.randomhouse.com/kids/magictreehouse/

Matchword2
Match pairs of words in this Concentration style game.
www.mikids.com/Jigwords/2/MW1/hfw.html

Patricia Polacco
www.patriciapolacco.com/

RIF Reading Planet
www.rif.org/readingplanet/

Word Family Sort
www.readwritethink.org/materials/wordfamily/