Reading Strategies
| Choosing Good Fit Books |
| Children need a book to have two qualities if they’re going to start and keep reading it: to be about a topic that interests them and to be at their “just right” reading level. Let’s talk about interest-level first. I can’t stress this enough: under the current circumstances, let your children read whatever is of interest to them. Even if you work hard to “broaden their horizons” at other times, don’t feel badly if they read 15 Pokémon books in a row now. In this moment, the point is that they are reading. Letting them choose topics they are naturally interested in will keep them reading far longer. But what if the books you have at home aren’t getting much interest from your children? Good news: you have access to Epic! https://www.getepic.com/ and Raz-Kids https://www.raz-kids.com/. |
| Second, let’s talk about picking books that are at the “just right” difficulty level for your children. There are many complicated systems that schools use to track your children’s reading level. While these systems are fantastic, there’s a simple trick you can use at home that will help you to know you’re picking the right level of books. It’s called the Rule of 5. Rule of 5 If there are 5 or more words on the second page of the book that your children do not know, they COULD choose an easier book (or have a parent or older sibling read that book to them!). The Rule of 5 can be controversial because if students cannot read the book with some fluency and ease, they could abandon the book quickly versus stick with it. On the other hand, I have seen many students in my classroom stick with extremely tough text because of their interest. You know your child best, so enjoy facilitating the book choosing process! Reference: Nickelsen, L. (n.d.). Professional Development – Transformational Training & Coaching. https://maximizelearninginc.com/ |