I am often asked “What can my child do over the summer to be ready for a new school year?” My best answer is “Read, read, read!”
It almost does not matter what they read as long as they read. Reading includes, magazines, newspapers (sports sections counts), poetry and, of course, books. Do not worry if your child chooses a book that you think is too easy. At times, it is actually preferable to do so in order to gain fluency and confidence. For reluctant readers it is highly recommended to try to hook them into a series, (i.e., Magic Tree House, Cam Jansen, Ivy and Bean, etc.) A series allows a child to be more familiar with the characters and an author’s style. Once they have read one of them they can more easily pick up others in the series and it already feels familiar.
Expose your child to fiction as well as non-fiction. Often we gravitate towards fiction; however, many children prefer non-fiction. The photographs in a non-fiction book on insects, planets, animals, gems, or natural wonders are so enticing they will grab the reader into the book. In addition, a non-fiction book is one that does not need to be read cover-to-cover. At times, this is more pleasurable.
It is important that the books your children are choosing are on their independent reading level. A good rule of thumb is to open to a full page of text and they should hold up a finger each time they encounter a word they cannot decode or do not understand. Once they hit three words, they should look for another book. This will ultimately make the reading experience more enjoyable and meaningful.
In addition, don’t ever give up on reading aloud to your child. That experience of sharing a book together is one that is not only cozy but also enriches the child’s comprehension as the two of you discuss, characters, plot, make predictions, and adjust your predictions as you read. The level of book that you can read to your child is above what they could read independently.
Discussion Questions for Read Alouds:
Before reading, get a frame of context, look at the cover , read the back cover, and discuss what you think the book will be about:
• What do you think the character will do next? Why?
• What is the setting (place and time)?
• How do you think the character felt when …?
• What would you do if you…?
• What does this remind you of?
• Does this character or book remind you of another book? If so, who and how?
• Can you think of another way to solve the problem in the story?
• Compare and contrast 2 characters
Good Questions to ask your child about the book they are reading independently:
• Who are the main characters?
• What genre; how do you know?
• What is the setting (time and place)
• What is the problem and what have they tried to do to solve it?
• How was the problem solved?
• Can you think of another way to solve the problem?
Each library has a recommended summer reading book list and the librarians are a wonderful resource. In addition, here are excellent websites with recommended book lists by age level:
www.haisln.org http://www.ala.org/ alsc/awardsgrants/notalists/ncb
Linda Stock is the Assistant Principal of Yeshivat Noam’s Elementary School in Paramus and is a Fair Lawn resident. She can be reached at: [email protected]
By Linda Stock
