"THOSE WERE THE DAYS"

Wondering how to help your son or daughter at night?

Asking where are your spelling words?  Thinking school just isn't the same....
Well you are right. And it shouldn't be.

We are preparing children for the future- their future  -and many of the jobs or careers they will be in have not yet been created.  But we do know one thing- they need to read and there is only one way to get better at reading and that is to read more.  So reading with your child, talking about reading and modeling reading is the best way to start.
When your child is reading at night-snuggle up and chat.

Ask them:

Fiction  
About the character, setting, problem and how the problem was solved.
Look at the similarities and differences between their own lives and the character in the story
Push them to predict, infer, compare, synthesize, and evaluate
Make connections to the text and the characters within the story
What the author's message was?              

Non-fiction
Identify the main topic
Look at the table of contents and talk about how you can find specific information
Discuss things like the habitat, predictors, extinction, environmental impact, materials used ( natural and man made )
Notice time sequences, talk about how illustrations and graphics provide information

Read a wide variety of things - newspapers, novels online, brochures, maps, lyrics to music, how to books, comic books or graphic texts, short stories, poetry and novels just to name a few.
If you can follow this reading with meaningful talk to support comprehension and increase retention  - you have spent time on 'good homework'.  Research also tells us some things about the benefit of reading- children who read have more sophisticated vocabulary, are better writers and will score 10% higher in tests and course grades.

Ideally, we need teachers and families working together as partners to support students' developing literacy.
Children learn from everything in their environment in which they live and work every day.  Be a part of it!

For more tips and information on helping your child with reading and writing, download Reading and Writing with Your Child, Kindergarten to Grade 6 – A Parent Guide. Also, visit our class website for more helpful links to help your child.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/abc123/eng/tips/