Building a Reading Life
Let me first tell you a bit about the reading instruction your child will receive at school and the implications that will have for the child’s work at home. First and foremost, youngsters will read, read, read! Reading is a skill—like playing the trumpet or swimming—that can only be developed through use. To become skilled at playing the trumpet or swimming, people need to do those things—daily, for long stretches of time—and the same is true for reading. Every day in school, students will have chunks of time for reading, and every day, every child will bring that same book home and be asked to read for at least fifteen minutes at home, recording the times in a reading log that will travel between home and school. Of course, most of us get started reading and can’t stop, and that’s what we’re really hoping for at home!
In school, I will work hard to learn how to set your child up with books that he or she will read easily, smoothly, quickly, and with interest. Research is clear that kids profit from a ton of high-interest accessible reading. It is actually detrimental to a reader to stumble through books where more than one in twenty words pose difficulties and reading feels robot-like.
What we’re doing at school:
· routines and expectations for reading workshop will be set
· begin to understand how to find “just right” books
· learn about good reading habits and how to converse with other readers.
What you can do at home:
· visit a local library
· share a book together
· talk about books in your reading life
Thank you for your support,
Mrs. Van Alstyne