What is balanced literacy?
Balanced literacy is a practice that is used in your child’s classroom that engages students in thinking, talking and writing (and drawing) about literature. Classrooms are structured to create a comfortable environment that encourages both group and independent learning activities. By using the balanced literacy structure, students foster skills and behaviors that will develop them into independent, literate citizens.
What can I do to help my child become a fluent reader?
Read, Read, Read! Read to your child on a regular basis and make reading time part of the family ritual. If reading time is a comfortable and fun time in your household, then your child will make positive associations with reading. Children learn a great deal about story structure from listening to stories, and this will help to improve their writing. Once your child can read on their own, take turns reading to each other.
How can I make reading more enjoyable for my child?
Students might build interest in reading if you draw connections to real life with the literature they are reading. For instance, if you and your child attend a local sporting event, be sure to follow up the next day by reading the newspaper together to recall some of the highlights. Or, perhaps you and your child are able to attend a museum or aquarium. Follow up this enjoyable day with a picture book about the exhibit.
How can I spark an interest in reading for my child?
You are the best model for your child. Your child may be required to read for a certain amount of time at home. If so, there is no better way to encourage your child than to read simultaneously. Build family reading time of any kind. Then, once you are done reading, ask your child questions about what was read. Asking questions will help to build their comprehension skills.
My child doesn’t like to read as much as she likes to write. Is one more important than the other?
Reading and writing go hand in hand. A child’s ability to write is often reflective of their passion to read. The more a child reads or is read to, the more sophisticated the language, style and ideas will be when your child gathers their own thoughts down on paper.
What are some reading skills my student should master by the time they get to third grade?
Students entering into the 3rd grade should be able to gather key details and understand the main idea or central message of a text. They should also be able to gather information from illustrations and identify the point of view. They should be able to express their own ideas and develop real or imagined experiences in writing. But, most of all, students should be developing a passion for reading and writing that will help propel them to future success.