1. Read Together- Choose a book and take turns reading. Let your child read a page, and you read the next! Or, you can responsible for reading the part of a character.
2. Read in Real Life- Highlight ways you use reading in everyday life! Think about how you use reading for recipes, bills, communicating with others, and more!
3. Ask Questions- Ask questions about characters, setting, problem, and solution when reading fiction texts. For nonfiction text, talk about text features, cause and effect, and main idea.
4. Read a Variety of Texts- There are so many things to read! Try magazines, internet articles, books, how-to-directions, instructions for crafts, and anything else you can find!
5. Play a Game- Many board games or even video games require reading. Play a game where you have to do some reading!
6. Make Connections- Think about how what you're reading connects to things you've seen, read, or done in your life. What connections do you make as you read?
7. Wonder about Words- Reading is a wonderful way to learn new words. Stop and talk about the meanings of new words you find while you read.
8. Write- Reading and writing are connected! After reading, write about what you've read.
9. Read for Fun- Don't just read because it's required! Take time to read because it's fun and enjoyable.
10. Cozy Up- Part of making reading fun is being comfy while you do it. Cuddle up with some blankets, get cozy in a fort, or read in bed.
10 Terms to Talk About When Reading Fiction at Home
1. Characters- Characters are the people, animals, or other important beings in a story. Talk about how main characters and supporting characters are important to the story.
2. Setting- The place and time a story happens. Think about which settings are important and what events happen there.
3. Problem- A problem is what goes wrong in the story. Characters usually have to overcome the problem in some way.
4. Solution- The solution is the way the characters fix the problem they are faced with. The characters might have to try several solutions before something works. Stories can have more than one solution to a problem.
5. Summary- A summary is a retelling of the important events of a story or section of a story.
6. Character Traits- Character traits describe what a character is like. You can find evidence in what a character says, does, and thinks to decide their personality.
7. Point of View- Point of view is the perspective from which a story is told. Is it a narrator outside the story? Or a character inside the story?
8. Theme- Theme is the message of the story. It is similar to the moral of the story.
9. Illustrations- Illustrations are the pictures in a story that extend the writing. A picture can tell you a lot that the words don't!
10. Sequence- Sequence is the order of events in a story. Key words might include: beginning, middle, end, first, next, and last.
10 Terms to Talk About When Reading Nonfiction at Home
1. Cause- The cause is the reason why something happens. Discuss the reasons why things happen as you read.
2. Effect- The effect is what happens. Talk about the things that happen because of a cause. There can be many effects from one cause.
3. Evidence- Evidence is the proof or support you can find in the text to support your answers. Ask questions based on the text and support them with evidence.
4. Text Features- Nonfiction text features help a reader better understand the text. They include: glossaries, headings, table of contents, fact boxes, photographs, and many more.
5. Heading- A heading is a small title within the text that explains the section.
6. Main Idea- Main idea is what the text is mostly about. You can support the main idea with supporting details.
7. Compare and Contrast- When you compare and contrast, you look for what is the same and what is different.
8. Diagram- A diagram is a picture with labels that explains the parts or steps of somethings.
9. Caption- Captions explain a photograph. They help the reader understand the photographs that are included in the text.
10. Fact- A fact is something that is true and can be proven. It is the opposite of opinion. Find facts as you read your nonfiction texts.