Supporting Independent Reading at Home: 3rd and 4th graders

Charlie DeTar — Fri, 14 Oct 2022 21:33:50 +0000

As parents, we’re always wondering how to help our children who are learning to read in school. Are there ways to effectively support them at home?

The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake

Robin Newman

We recently spoke with MK Mutzbauer, a former teacher who taught at the 3rd and 4th grade level for 23 years. She holds a masters degree in special education and currently works in the Book Fairs Division at Literati!

Read on for our Q&A with MK, as she answers questions about how to engage your elementary schoolers in reading—whether or not they’re currently struggling—and help support their learning at home.

Literati:

Thanks for speaking with us, MK! You’ve said that literacy is the foundation for the rest of education. Given your diverse background in teaching, what are your tips for parents who might be struggling to keep their kid interested in reading? What can they do at home, especially when they’re up against screens, video games, and other things right now?

MK:

First of all, reading should never be a punishment, as in “go to your room and read.” Try to make it more of an activity, like “Hey, let’s go read together! It’s a nice day out, so let’s grab a blanket and go read under a tree.” Grab something to eat or drink and just go sit somewhere and read a few chapters or a little bit of a book together.

Literati:

What are some of the fun places you’ve read with your students to get them excited about reading?

MK:

In the classroom, we’d have DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) or Pop-a-Top Friday, where students could bring in a drink of choice, and they could read anywhere in the classroom. It was always a big fight to get under the teacher’s desk!

And I sat and read with them—I didn’t grade papers, I didn’t read emails—I read. Mom and Dad can do this the same way: they have to read as well, because kids notice and learn from them. Find a room, or anywhere, and read. Maybe outside, maybe in a playroom, maybe at night in a tent in the yard—wherever your kids have the most fun, bring a book and read together there. Make reading fun!

Also, while you’re cooking or doing something around the house, you can have your kid read to you. Say something like, “I just want to hear a little bit about that story that you’re reading” or “why don’t you read a chapter to me so I can understand it,” and let them read to you.

Literati:

Are there situations to avoid because they might cause a child to have a negative association with reading?

MK:

Reading shouldn’t be used as a prize or as a punishment—it should just be “we’re reading” or “let’s read.” So it should never be a negative; it should always be positive and fun. Pop popcorn or make some hot chocolate, grab a few good books, and read together. If kids understand that this is fun—it’s not a punishment, as in “you have to read 30 pages” or “you have to read this”—they should want to.

Or, sometimes a child has a book that Mom and Dad expect them to read, but it’s too hard. Maybe they’re a 4th-grader trying to read a 6th-grade book, and they’re just not ready for that. They need to read at their interest level and age level, or lower, for them to really comprehend that book.

Literati:

That’s exactly what we’re trying to do with our new system of reading levels: not only find books that match a kid’s interests, but that also match their skill set.

At this age level, they’re starting to have strong opinions, comprehend books, and really think critically about them. Do you see a big impact when a kid has the opportunity to choose books for themselves?

MK:

Oh yeah, they are 100% invested in the book if it’s something they’re interested in, and they’re going to want any and all information they can get about that topic, whether it’s dinosaurs, sports, or anything else. I would say their interest level is the main thing for getting them interested in reading.

For more information on Literati Book Clubs and Reading Levels, visit literati.com.

The post Supporting Independent Reading at Home: 3rd and 4th graders appeared first on Literati.

How Parents of 3rd and 4th Graders Can Help with Reading Comprehension

Charlie DeTar — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 18:06:47 +0000

Sometimes it can be hard to tell if your child is reading at the right level. If they’re not, it can cause frustration with reading, delaying their skill development or their desire and ability to read altogether.

Former elementary school teacher MK Mutzbauer, who holds a masters degree in special education, understands this challenge—and how to overcome it.

She sat down with us to talk about reading comprehension at the 3rd- and 4th-grade level.

Below, she explains how to tell if your child is reading books that are at the right reading level for them, what to do if they’re not, and how you can support their reading development at home.

Literati:

You’ve worked with 8- to 10-year-olds, and at that reading level, one of the skills they’re working on is comprehension. What are some questions that parents can ask their kids to see if they’re comprehending their books?

MK:

You can say things like, “Explain to me what you’re reading, tell me about the characters, tell me what is happening.” Ask about the main characters and their traits, the setting, and the main problem in the book and how they might solve it or how they think it will be solved.

Prediction is a big one—have them predict what’s going to happen. For example, maybe the characters are going to a haunted house. You can ask, “What do you think’s going to happen in that haunted house?” Let them predict things, because they’ll be excited to find out if what they predict is going to happen.

Talk to them about the characters, maybe relating them to people they know by asking, “Does that character remind you of anybody in our family or any of your friends? Why? How are they similar? How are they different?” They have to make a connection to their life somehow with that book to understand it. And they need to read at their interest level and age level—or lower—for them to really comprehend that book.

Literati:

If a parent feels like their child isn’t comprehending their books, what is a good solution?

MK:

A lot of things can be solved by rereading together to make sure they understand. Or you can read it back to them and see what they think about the characters, and if they might think a character is totally different than what the character actually is. If you see these differences, help them to understand by discussing it. You can say things like “Well, how did you see this? When we reread it together, I see it this way.” As adults, we have more life experience, so sometimes it could even just be helping them by explaining certain things they haven’t had experience with yet.

Literati:

If a parent doesn’t have time to read 30 minutes per day with their kid, are there any other ways they can evaluate the child’s reading comprehension, and intervene if they don’t?

MK:

Sure. Let them read aloud to you on the way to school in the car, or let them listen to audiobooks, and that way you can discuss it. You could even have them read along with the book while the audiobook is playing. The main thing is to get them to read something they’re interested in.

Literati:

At this age level, they’re starting to have strong opinions, comprehend books, and really think critically about them. Do you see a big impact when a kid has the opportunity to choose books for themselves?

MK:

Oh yeah, they are 100% invested in the book if it’s about something they’re interested in, and they’re going to want any and all information they can get about that topic, whether it’s dinosaurs, sports, or anything else. I would say their interest level is the main thing for getting them interested in reading.

Find more information on Literati Book Clubs and Reading Levels here. Our book boxes help accelerate your child’s reading abilities, no matter their current level, with books chosen just for them.

The post How Parents of 3rd and 4th Graders Can Help with Reading Comprehension appeared first on Literati.

Independent Reading - Literati

Supporting Independent Reading at Home: 3rd and 4th graders

The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake

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How Parents of 3rd and 4th Graders Can Help with Reading Comprehension

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