Reading together gives you the chance to talk about topics that matter to you and your child (getting lost, loneliness, jealousy, etc). You also model how good readers use expression and pace their reading to the material being read.

4. Encourage your child to use a variety of strategies when confused (as detailed above).
5. Help your child broaden their reading repertoire by exposing them to new genres, authors, and series.
6. Find trusted sources such as GoReaderGo, your public library, or local independent bookstores.
7. Talk about what matters in the books you both read.
8. Make sure your child knows how to select a “just-right” book.
9. Set up a time when the whole family reads.
10. Make sure your child sees you reading.

Although they are reading independently, elementary readers can still benefit from your continued involvement and support. Have conversations with your child about what you each read, model the ways good readers think, and create a cozy and book-rich environment in your home. These actions show your child(ren) that you are interested in their thoughts, opinions, and interests. Your actions also demonstrate the value you place on reading and learning. These steps pave a path towards a lifelong love of reading.

• Explore a variety of new books, genres, and topics?expand your world! (adventure, science fiction, historical fiction, memoir, sports fiction, poetry, etc.)
• Vary the type of reading material: books, newspapers, magazines, manuals, recipes, letters, websites, etc.)
• Be willing to read any book your child chooses, or alternate between your child’s choice and your own (as long as you both are willing and can enjoy the book).
• If you have a restless listener, offer drawing or other quiet activities (Rubik’s Cube, drawing, etc.) that occupy hands while you read.
• Be willing to abandon a book that is killing the joy of reading (after giving it a reasonable chance).
• As your elementary reader transitions to independent reading, continue talking about what you both read.

Conflicts are usually familiar, mild, and clearly resolved. Chapter books may include illustrations that enhance the enjoyment of the story but are no longer essential for understanding.

Children at this stage are often willing to try other books written by a favorite author. As their reading ability improves, elementary students are able to read books with increasingly sophisticated language and more complex plots. Older elementary readers may explore a variety of new genres as reading ability grows and interests blossom. Learning about the world by reading non-fiction feeds elementary readers’ desire to know and understand. Exposing your child to a variety of books helps them grow as readers, thinkers, and unique individuals.

• Encourage your child to make verbal predictions as they read, such as “I think that James will find out that the peach is magical.”
• Model how you make connections as you read, such as “This reminds me of another book where the dragons guarded the treasure.”

• Invest in an e-reader or download reading software for the family computer, tablet, smart phone, etc.
• Encourage your child to keep a wish list of books they want to read, and help them find/borrow books on their list.
• Set realistic and healthy limits for screen time (computers, TV, game devices, phones, etc.) and other activities for your family.
• Listen to audio books (on trips, at home, while doing chores, when relaxing).
• Subscribe to print or online magazines that interest your child or go to the library and enjoy their collections. Check out Go Reader Go Elementary Book Review page for recommendations.

• After your child has completed a book, see the movie as a treat.
• Create a special place just for your child’s books.
• Help your child find a book club.
• Make sure there is good lighting by beds, chairs, and couches.
• If you have a reluctant reader, read the first chapter to your child, then leave the book nearby so you child can continue where you left off.
• Help them find “just right” books.

• vary what they read?fiction, non-fiction, magazines, etc.
• look for authors, series, subjects, and genres that they like.
• choose “just-right” books that they can read accurately, fluently, and with understanding.
• think about what they already know about the topic before and while they read.
• make predictions on what might happen next based on the story so far.
• ask questions and find answers as they read.
• make connections with the text. (This reminds me of...)
• know when to “abandon” a book (after giving it a good try and reading past the beginning).

• Choose a chapter book that has at least 100 words on the page.
• Open to the approximate middle of the book and choose a full page of text (excluding the beginning and end of the chapter, and any page that shares text with a picture).
• Have the reader make a fist and begin reading.
• Every time the reader comes to an unknown word on that page, they should stick out one finger. If an unknown word appears again in the passage, do not count it.
• If five fingers stick out—STOP! The book is too hard.
• If fewer than five fingers stick out by the end of the passage, the book is “just-right.”

• Continue reading and see if it begins to make sense.
• Talk to someone else about what is confusing.
• Visualize (make a picture in their head) what they are reading.

Good readers may:

• use the words around the unknown word to figure out what it means (using context clues).
• look for parts of the unknown word that they already know (root words/prefixes/ suffixes).
• look up the meaning and decide which definition makes sense based on how it is used in the sentence.