Reading at Home

In the next few weeks, your child will be bringing home a Ziploc bag with a familiar book that they have read in the classroom. There will be a form in the bag where the date, book’s title is written, and a place for you to initial after your child has read the book to you and send it back to school with your child the next day. Reading at Home is a program that has been at the Corinna School for over three years. It helps develop the habit of reading outside of school and provides a time for practicing reading. Your child should be reading at least 15 minutes (this is only a minimum; your child can certainly read more!) at home but we know that the more children read, the better readers they become.

         The books that your child brings home should be familiar books and ones that they can read with little or no help. When a child reads a book more than once, it helps them read at a faster pace and recognize words more consistently. You can tell when the book is just right because your child will have a nice rhythm to his or her reading and few errors. Your child can read to you or, in the case of an older student, read silently. You’ll want to ask them what the book is about or discuss their favorite part or character to find out if they understand what they are reading.

        Over the course of the year, daily independent reading at home will help your child to improve in fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. But most of all, it will foster an enjoyment of reading and develop the habit of reading for pleasure. Encourage your child to read by providing a quiet time and place for reading, such as a time when the television isn’t on, a family reading time, or reading as part of the bedtime routine. As Dr. Seuss said, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”