As summer approaches you may be looking for books to read with and to your child.  Here are some great resources to find that "just right" book you've been looking for! 

Here are some great websites:

• Books online: Username: lcpse &  Password:elem

• Ashburn library – : Click on Kids’ Page, book lists, and e-books! You can check out books online and just drive by to pick them up! :)

• American Library Association – book lists, information on authors, and more!

• Reading Rockets : Offers amazing information on many topics

• Top 100 Greatest Books for Kids

• 10 Weeks of Summer Reading Adventures

Here are some tips on how to pick the right book:

Choosing Good Books

Good books can inspire your children, expand their imaginations, and help them become better learners. Parents can encourage reading in many ways, but experts agree that choosing good books is an essential first step. You can help your children choose books that will captivate their attention and show them the joy reading can bring. The more they like to read, the more they will read.

What makes a children's book good?
A good children's book interests the children who read it and makes them want to read more. Some such books appear regularly on lists of recommended children's reading. These are the books that appeal to many youngsters and have won the respect of librarians and educators. The real test of a "good" book, however, is your children's reactions to it. Take your cue from them. Trust your instincts and your children's judgment as you explore the world of children's literature together.

But what can you do to motivate your children to read more regularly?
As a parent, you know that reading is important, and you probably feel frustrated if your child doesn't like to read. Many forces in children's lives pull them away from reading — television, video games, and after-school activities — but finding a way to incorporate reading and writing activities into your child's daily routine may not be as difficult as it seems. Try the following:

• Learn more about your child's interests and suggest books, magazines, and articles that relate to those topics.

• Sometimes good movies are a starting point for pleasure reading — after seeing a movie based on a book, children will be motivated to read the book.

• Sometimes travel sparks reading, and finding books that relate to a place you visit on a family vacation can get a child hooked.

• Keeps books and other reading materials at home.

• Read books with your children! Children of any age can appreciate being read to.

• Be a good role model — let your children see you reading.

• Try a hands on activity. There are many activities that tie in literacy themes.  

Reading and being read to make good readers better!  Though reading books at an appropriate level is important, instilling the value of reading is a life-long gift we can give our children!

10 Simple Reading Comprehension Strategies for Elementary School Children

Recently there has been a wave of panic among parents and teachers as a result of the falling standards of literacy in schools, and this has been brought to bear in a number of government-led reports and investigations in the English speaking world. One of the principal concerns is the standard of reading comprehension among elementary school children.

This article outlines ten simple and easy-to-implement reading comprehension activities for parents of elementary-level students.

1. Ask simple questions while you read with or to your child

Be sure to ask your child questions about what has happened in a passage of the storybook you are reading, such as “What do you think the rabbit will do now?” or “Why do you think the little boy went inside the house?” This is a great way to check that your child is staying focussed on the story, and is aware of what is happening.

2. Use prediction strategies

Ask your child what she thinks is going to happen next in the story. You can do this at the end of each page, or at the end of a chapter for older readers.

3. Encourage your child to relate what is happening in the story to his own life

This is a good way to enable your child to relate to the events of the story, and a powerful strategy for boosting reading comprehension, as we are always more stimulated when we are affected personally. If, for example, there is a pet in the story, you can ask “You have a pet as well, don’t you. What’s his name? What type of animal is he?”

4. Use the ‘retelling strategy’

Ask your child to tell you what has happened in the story. This can be either verbal or written, and can be done either at the end of the story or at the end of each section.

5. Choose reading materials that you know your child will be interested in

If, for instance, your child has shown an interest in tractors or cars, try reading a storybook that features these vehicles.

6. Use contextual clues to help your child

If your child is having problems deciphering the meaning of certain words, use contextual clues within the story to help. This will teach your child a valuable skill, while allowing her to explore new boundaries in a comfortable and safe environment.

7. Adopt the ‘Main Idea’ reading comprehension strategy

Often a new storybook can seem overwhelming to a young reader, as there are so many new concepts, themes, words and situations to digest. It is always a good idea to encourage your child to see the bigger picture when you read to him, as this will give him a framework to pin the rest of the story to.

 8. Alternate reading hard and easy texts with your child

Similarly, re-read known and loved stories as well as new books each day. The new books will challenge her, while re-reading the old stories will nurture her reading confidence and provide a safety blanket of familiarity.

9. Read aloud to your child

Language means more to young children when they hear it than when they read it. Listening to a story that is being read to them enables children to understand how intonation and patterns of language can affect the meaning of a story. It also gives them access to a world that only more adept readers would be able to otherwise enjoy.

10. Read with your child every day

This is possibly the most important point of all. Set aside a regular time each day to read with your child. It doesn’t have to be for more than 15 minutes, but the benefits from setting aside a bit of time to read with your little one can be amazing. Create a cosy nook on the couch, bring along a few loved toys, cuddle up with a favourite book and, most importantly, have some fun. If you don’t treat it as a chore, neither will your child.

Heart Word Magic - Help Students Learn to Read and Spell High-Frequency and Sight Words

Sight words= any words a reader knows by "sight". Eventually, nearly every word should be a "sight word" for proficient readers.

High frequency words= words that occur most frequently in written text

The heart word methodology allows for integration of sight words/high frequency words into phonics lessons. Students are taught to analyze words with both regular and irregular phonics components. They then will identify the irregular, or tricky part, as the part to know by "heart".

Here are some example of how a heart word routine might go 

All About VALLSS (formerly PALS)

The Virginia Language and Literacy Screening System (VALLSS) is the state-provided screening tool for Virginia's Early Intervention Reading Initiative. The purpose of the VALLSS assessment is 3-fold:

1) Provide a measure of foundational literacy skills

2) Identify students at risk for reading difficulties

3) Indicate literacy skills that require more instruction and intervention 

For students in Kindergarten, the screening will consist of assessments in the following areas:

In grades 1-2, the screening will consist of assessments in the following areas:

VALLS testing dates, data entry dates, benchmark scores, and grade levels to be tested are established by the state annually.  VALLS is administered three times a year; at the beginning of the school year, mid-year for students who did not meet the fall benchmark and at the end of the school year.  For more information, please visit this link.

A phonics program developed by the University of Florida Literacy Institute

An explicit and systematic phonics program consisting of a carefully designed scope and sequence. This program is both evidence and research based.

The primary goal of this program is to introduce students in the primary grades to the foundational knowledge and skills necessary for proficient reading. UFLI follows a scope and sequence designed to ensure that students systematically acquire each skill needed and learn to apply each skill with automaticity and confidence. 

For more information, please visit the UFLU Foundations website.