I encourage you to read these books with your child, it is all about the joy of reading.
It is okay if you do not have time to read all the books but this is an opportunity for your child to have several interesting books to take home each week, as the library only allows 1 book per week.
Students can, but are not expected to read these books independently.
I encourage you to read the books together and discuss the content of the books.
Please return this bag on Thursday mornings. A new bag will be sent home the following day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Below are suggested topics of conversation about the books to enhance your child’s comprehension. The following is taken from Adrienne Gear’s “Reading Powers.”
Profile of a Proficient Reading A good reader is metacognitive – aware of and able to use and articulate the following strategies in order to interact with the text and enhance meaning.
1. Make Connections. A good reader is able to draw from background knowledge and personal experiences while reading to help create meaning from the text.
Does this book remind you of something?
Text to Text
(Example: It reminds me of another book I read about a pirate)
Text to Self
(Example: It reminds me of a time that I was scared)
Text to World
(Example: It reminds me of a time when I saw a fire truck)
If they have difficulty, adults can help to prompt their own connections as an example. After they provide a response, prompt them to elaborate.
Connections can be made while they read, on several occasions, not just at the end of the story. It will make the text more meaningful to them.
2. Ask Questions. A good reader asks both literal and inferential questions before, during, and after reading to clarify meaning and deepen understanding.
Quick thinking questions (Example: What was the boy’s name?)
The answer is in the story
Deep thinking questions (Example: What do you think happened after the boy went home and why?)
The answer may not be in the story, they are using ideas from the text and / or their own experiences to come up with an answer.
3. Visualize. A good reader is able to create multi-sensory images in the “mind’s eye” while reading to help make sense of the text.
What is an image from the story that “sticks” in your mind?
4. Determine Importance. A good reader is able to sort through information in the text, select key ideas, and remember them.
Adults can help by asking questions about what is important and why.
5. Draw Inferences. A good reader knows that not all information is included in a text, and is able to reasonably “fill in,” hypothesize, and predict, based on evidence in the text.
Example: How do you think he is feeling?
6. Identify the difference between a fiction and non-fiction books.
Discuss if the book is fiction (make believe story) or non-fiction (true/real).
Discuss text features of a non-fiction book:
Examples: table of contents, headings, glossary, index, you do not need to read the book in its entirety or start the book from page one. You may choose selected topics of interest from inside most non-fiction books that have a table of contents.