3rd Grade - 5th Grade: Independent Reader Suggestions
Parents/Guardians - The three best things your child (and family) can do at home:
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Purposefully build and extend vocabulary using news articles, books, and environmental text (think signs, message boards, the cereal box, etc.).
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Encourage relaxed wide reading of fiction and non-fiction.
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Read books together that contain language that is more difficult than your child might normally choose themselves (but is still age appropriate in content), including classic literature.
Reading Strategy Reminder for our Students
(This is what we would tell you if we were working at our tables.)
Self-monitor: Read a paragraph. Did that make sense? What was it about? What do you think will happen next?
Main Idea: As you read, consider the main idea. What is the story mostly about? The main idea will have supporting details.
Theme: What is the theme? Remember, the theme is what the author wants you to learn.
Cause and Effect: Understanding what you read is often supported by paying attention to cause and effect. What happens first is the cause and the result is the effect
Decoding: Unsure of a word? Break it into syllables. Try to pronounce it. Still unsure? Use the words around it to figure out the meaning. This may be a new word for you. Still don't the word? Look it up in a dictionary or online.
Writing: We challenge you to try to write almost every day. You can start a journal. You can write your own comic strip or graphic novel. You can write a letter to someone in your family or a friend.
One of the best ways to edit what you have written is to touch each word as you read aloud. You MUST read aloud your writing piece when you are finished. You will catch most of your mistakes this way. You will hear when sentences end and begin. By touching each word as you read, you will catch skipped words or words out of order. You may realize that some of your words are missing letters or end sounds. Check to be sure that all of your sentences are complete.