n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
n
Every Word Counts!
Part of continual reading progress is learning new words. You can help your stu
dents learn new words by:
n
Stopping every once in a while and taking a few moments to talk about the
meaning of a word.
n
For example, you and your child read the word “avoid” in a story, and you
comment, “?is is an important word. You will see this o?en, so it’s important to
know what it means. It means to stay away from something. For
example, Goldilocks will avoid the three bears’ house from now
on.”
n
A?erwards, frequently using the word you read and talked about
helps your child to remember a new word. It might sound like
this: “Suzie, avoid leaving the front door open.” And then, again,
later: “Suzie, what are some ways that you can avoid making your
little brother angry?”
“Students say that the number one reason why they do not read more
is because they cannot fnd books they like to read”
(Kids and Family
Reading Report, June 2006, Scholastic/Yankelovich)
?ere are an array of reading materials and activities that can assist
parents with keeping your children motivated to read during the
summer and prevent reading loss from occurring.
Here is a list of resources that can help:
Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) Resources:
n
(
http://?orida.lexile.com) is a free online book search
utility that helps users build custom reading lists based on their reading ability
level and interests or school assignments. By providing this utility, students and
their families will have greater access to more ability-appropriate/targeted reading
options year round.
n
http://www.justreadfamilies.org/ provides
lists of books by grade bands that students are sure to enjoy over the summer.
n
Sample recommended reading list by district, including county library links by
district for more information about summer activities o?ered in the area:
http://www.justreadfamilies.org/reading/
n
http://www.justreadfamilies.org/gettingstarted/
n
- (a month’s worth of daily activities for your
child to do this summer, Summer Reading Activities Kit (cre
a
tive ideas for fun summer reading parents and children can do
together while on vacation, at home, or on the road), and other
links for parents: http://www.justreadfamilies.org/greatideas/
n
that develop reading
skills through word games, story times: http://www.justreadfami
lies.org/kids/
Other Resources:
n
http://www.readingrockets.org/calendar/
summer o?ers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activi
ties designed to help young children learn how to read and read
better. ?e reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other
educators in helping students build ?uency, vocabulary, and com
prehension skills.
n
sets out to motivate young children to
read by working with them, their parents, and community members to make
reading a fun and benefcial part of everyday life. Reading is Fundamental’s (RIF)
highest priority is reaching children from birth to age eight: http://www.rif.org/
n
SummerReads o?ers free texts aimed at “getting students ready” for a
particular grade level in the fall—third, fourth and f?h:
http://www.textproject.org/products/summerreads/
“Students say
that the number
one reason why
they do not read
more is because
they cannot fnd
books they like
to read”