Reading Resources
Tumblebooks: a great collection of books with highlighted text that students can read along with as they listen: http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/customer_login.asp?accessdenied=%2Flibrary%2Fasp%2Fhome_tumblebooks%2Easp
Starfall: a fun way for students to practice basic phonics skills:
http://www.starfall.com/
Denver Public Library:
https://www.denverlibrary.org/
Tumblebooks: a great collection of books with highlighted text that students can read along with as they listen: http://www.tumblebooks.com/library/asp/customer_login.asp?accessdenied=%2Flibrary%2Fasp%2Fhome_tumblebooks%2Easp
Starfall: a fun way for students to practice basic phonics skills:
http://www.starfall.com/
Denver Public Library:
https://www.denverlibrary.org/
Reading Strategies
Parents, the most important part of reading with your child is to enjoy your time together. Use these strategies when appropriate.
Preview the Book
When beginning a new book, look at the cover, browse through the book to see if there are pictures. Work with your child to make predictions based on the pictures. Ask your child if this is a fiction or non-fiction book.
Discuss the Structure of the Book
If this is a fiction book, talk about the different elements of this style of writing. Talk about characters, setting, and plot. Discuss the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Talk about the problem and solution. You will probably read this book from beginning to end.
If this is a non-fiction book, look to see if there is a Table of Contents or an Index. Browse through the book to see if there are bold words and talk about the importance of these words. Look to see if there is a Glossary. Show your child how to look at the Table of Contents or Index to decide which sections you want to read.
Make Predictions as You Read
As you read a fictional book, stop and make predictions. What do you think will happen next? Discuss the predictions to see if they were correct.
Make Connections as You Read
Whether you’re reading fiction or non-fiction, talk about connections to the book. If it’s a fictional story, make connections to similar stories or to events in your lives. For instance, read several different versions of Cinderella and compare them. Compare characters in different stories. If it’s a non-fiction text, make connections to similar topics. For instance, if you’re reading a book about bears, compare that to a book you’ve read about beavers. If you’re reading a book about Africa, compare that to a book you’ve read about Germany.
Retell the Story or Restate the Facts
When reading a fictional story, stop every now and then to retell the story. You want your child to be able to make movies of the story in his/her head as he/she reads. Drawing pictures of the story might help with the retelling.
When reading a non-fiction text, stop every now and then to restate the facts. What have you learned as you’ve been reading. What important words have you learned? Draw pictures to represent the important vocabulary words.
Parents, the most important part of reading with your child is to enjoy your time together. Use these strategies when appropriate.
Preview the Book
When beginning a new book, look at the cover, browse through the book to see if there are pictures. Work with your child to make predictions based on the pictures. Ask your child if this is a fiction or non-fiction book.
Discuss the Structure of the Book
If this is a fiction book, talk about the different elements of this style of writing. Talk about characters, setting, and plot. Discuss the beginning, middle, and end of the story. Talk about the problem and solution. You will probably read this book from beginning to end.
If this is a non-fiction book, look to see if there is a Table of Contents or an Index. Browse through the book to see if there are bold words and talk about the importance of these words. Look to see if there is a Glossary. Show your child how to look at the Table of Contents or Index to decide which sections you want to read.
Make Predictions as You Read
As you read a fictional book, stop and make predictions. What do you think will happen next? Discuss the predictions to see if they were correct.
Make Connections as You Read
Whether you’re reading fiction or non-fiction, talk about connections to the book. If it’s a fictional story, make connections to similar stories or to events in your lives. For instance, read several different versions of Cinderella and compare them. Compare characters in different stories. If it’s a non-fiction text, make connections to similar topics. For instance, if you’re reading a book about bears, compare that to a book you’ve read about beavers. If you’re reading a book about Africa, compare that to a book you’ve read about Germany.
Retell the Story or Restate the Facts
When reading a fictional story, stop every now and then to retell the story. You want your child to be able to make movies of the story in his/her head as he/she reads. Drawing pictures of the story might help with the retelling.
When reading a non-fiction text, stop every now and then to restate the facts. What have you learned as you’ve been reading. What important words have you learned? Draw pictures to represent the important vocabulary words.