Reading tips formiddle grades (3-6)
Encourage reading materials that they’re interested in: All kids are not interested in the same thing. Get books and magazines that interest your child. If s/he is interested in sports, check out books on the sports that they’re interested in. If s/he love science fiction, fantasy, romance, horror or mystery then get books in those genres. Don’t worry if they’re reading the same types of books; instead be happy and proud of him/her for reading. If you need help picking out books ask your local librarian for help or go to http://bookwizard.scholastic.com/ to help narrow your search by topic, subject, interest and reading levels, genre, language, and reading motivation programs.
Enable a good reader: If your son or daughter is struggling in reading, help them to focus on what needs improvement. If it’s their fluency, have them read to you as you prepare dinner and encourage them to reread sentences/paragraphs that they have trouble with. If you notice that your child isn’t able to read 90 out of 100 words with ease, then the book they’re reading is too difficult. Next time help them choose books at a more appropriate level, which isn’t necessarily their grade level. The above website is a wonderful tool to use. If your child is having difficulty with comprehension, after each paragraph have them summarize what they read. Ask open-ended questions, for example, “What do you think the author meant when they said…?” As they improve, they can summarize after each section or chapter. The goal is to get them to understand what they are reading.