Reading - For Pleasure

Many fourth grade classrooms have nightly reading as a part of their homework routine.  This can be challenging for students who are still developing readers.  Many are reluctant to read and are often not excited by the idea of this portion of their homework.  I have a few suggestions that may make reading for pleasure actually pleasurable for your child.

1.  Consider using an e-reader such as a Kindle, Nook or iPad.  Using an e-reader allows students to interact more with the text.  They can adjust the size of the font, which reduces the number of words on a page.  They can gain a feeling of accomplishment as they tap to turn the page.  They can use the dictionary feature to define words they are unsure of.  One of my sons prefers to read on an e-reader because he says it helps him to focus on the story and not the number of pages he has left in the book.

There are many free ebooks available through the NH Public Library - http://nh.lib.overdrive.com/ All you need to access these books is your library card number.

2.  Consider audiobooks.  Listening to an audiobook helps to build listening comprehension, visualizing skills and vocabulary.  Listening to a book allows your student to have access to books their peers may be reading that are still beyond their independent reading level.  Students can also listen to the story being read aloud while they follow along in a traditional copy of the book.  There are many ways to utilize these books and the way you choose to use them may vary from day to day.

The Exeter Public Library has many audiobooks on CD available for students to check out.  There are also a number of audiobooks available to download from the NH Public Library.  They can be downloaded to an ipod or ipad after the Overdrive app is downloaded.  Audio books are great for road trips and there are many titles available that may appeal to the whole family.

3.  Consider forming a "Book Club"  This Book Club may be members of a family (parents, siblings, grandparents, etc.) or may be a group of friends that are all reading the same book.  The club would meet to discuss the story events and help the members make connections between the text, their own lives and their prior knowledge.  Discussion should be light and can focus on those famous " W questions" - Where?  When?  What? Why?  What is next?

4.  Choose independent reading material carefully.  For reading to be enjoyable, it should to be at a level that allows the student to focus on the characters and story events rather than on decoding.  When a student struggles with decoding words while reading, they often lose the flow of the story.  It starts to feel like work.  Students should read independently in a book that is a level or two below their instructional reading level.  If you are unsure of what an appropriate independent reading level for your child may be - I would be happy to help you determine that.  I can also give you tips for how to determine the reading level of a book that you pick up in a bookstore or at the library.

5.  Consider a series.  When students read books in a series, they start to build a relationship with the characters.  They have prior knowledge about the setting and the characters before they begin reading the next book.  They are often more invested in the outcome of the story and are better at making predictions about how characters will behave, based upon their actions in earlier books.  There are several good series out there at all different levels for many different interests.

6.  Consider magazines, graphic novels & comic books.  Reading is reading, it does not have to be in a novel.  The goal is to get your student hooked on the story.  Pictures and humor can definitely help with this.

7.  Use your resources.  Our librarian at Lincoln Street School, Mrs. Burnham, is an excellent resource for our students.  She has wonderful book suggestions and seems to know right away what type of books each of her students will enjoy.  The Exeter Public Library also has an extensive collection of books.  The staff there is very knowledgeable and wants to get books into the hands of students.  I am also always happy to make book recommendations.  I am lucky enough to be the parent of a 4th grade boy with eclectic reading tastes, so I have some real life experience with book selection.

As always, please don't hesitate to ask questions.  I am happy to brainstorm with you to come up with a strategy that may work for your child.  Developing the habit of reading everyday is a wonderful goal for all students!

Spelling Tests!

We have been studying 15 words (plus a bonus word) for the last couple of weeks.  This has been a good fit for many students, and a challenge for others.  All of the words we are studying each week come right from the Corrective Reading Lessons that students are completing at school.  They are words they are practicing decoding and reading in context.

If students receive a score below a 70, a pink slip goes home stapled to their spelling test.  The pink slip is just a notification to parents that the spelling test was tough for their child.  Students have the option to study the words they missed and retest on those words on Monday. 

There are some words that have been tricky for many students (for example the word "difference") that may show up again on the spelling list the following week.

I am finding that for a few students, 15 words a week are too many.  Those students will be going back to lists of 10 words for their weekly test.  They will still receive a spelling list of 15 words and should complete the spelling activities with all 15 words, but they will only be tested on the 10 highlighted words on their spelling list.

This week our spelling homework will change slightly:

Monday:  Write your words in ABC Order

Tuesday:  Consonants and Vowels

Wednesday:  Students will take a Pre-Test at home.  A parent or other adult should sign the bottom & it will be returned to school on Thursday.  This is a check-in for students.  A few students are turning in homework early and then having difficulty with the test on Friday. Taking a pre-test should show them which words are still tricky for them mid-week.

Thursday:  Words 3x Each

If you have any questions about the weekly spelling tests, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Happy Spelling!

15 Spelling Words This Week

This week we are making the move to 15 spelling words! All words are coming from the Corrective Reading lessons that students are working on this week.  They will also still have a bonus word. The bonus word is also from the lesson and can replace a missed spelling word - or can boost their score to 105!

Spelling homework is also changing slightly this week.  Assignments will be as follows:

Monday:  ABC Order
Tuesday:  Consonants & Vowels (Write word with vowels in red, consonants in another color)
Wednesday:  Write Words 3x Each
Thursday:  Word Search & Practice Test

We will see how our shift goes over the next couple of weeks & if 15 words are too many for some students, we will make an adjustment for them.  If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to email me:  ljsmith@sau16.org or give me a call: 775-8881.