Friday, January 20, 2017

Oh, For the Love of Reading

     People often ask me what I’m passionate about. Well, the truth is that I love to read. I enjoy reading so much that I will read two books during the same time because I can’t wait to finish one to start another. I even download books to listen during my work commute, which sometimes makes me wish I had a longer commute so I could get farther along in my James Patterson story.

     While the Goodrich Way is normally a time to showcase what our students are doing in our classrooms, I wanted to use this time to address a question frequently asked by parents – “How can I help my child become a better reader?” Here are my suggestions, many of which I have used with my own children when they were younger.


  •  Be a role model.  Let your kids see that you enjoy reading different types of texts. Talk about what you are reading, whether it’s a newspaper article, a cookbook or a James Patterson story. (You don’t have to tell them every detail!)
  • Read to your child/ with your child. -  While reading, point at the words.
  • Ask them tell you a story.-  Have them tell about something that happened or ask them to make up a story. Write it for them and then read it aloud to them. Let them reread it to you.
  • Listen to your kids read. - If your child isn’t reading fluently, ask them to re-read it or read it aloud so he/she can hear you.  
  • Ask your child questions before, during and after reading - Who? What? When? How? Why? questions allow your child to think about what they are reading or have read. This not only increases comprehension but also lends way to spending quality time with your child. 
  • Find a fun reading spot.  – When my kids were younger, we had a Reader’s Café on the patio. I’d have my coffee and they had lemonade & snacks. We’d just sit and read. 
  • Expose your child to different types of  reading materials. – Comic strips, graphic novels and audio books count! I use an app called Hoopla, https://www.hoopladigital.com/, which allows you to borrow audiobooks & ebooks, from your local library. All you need to do is download the app and enter your library card number. It's AWESOME!!


Below are links to more grade-specific tips.

                                               HAPPY READING!!!

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