My Fourth or Fifth Grade student reads really well on his/her own. Can that count?
Yes! Children in 4th and 5th grades may read silently for up to half of their time. Remember that oral reading fluency and discussion is important. Adults will still need to read and discuss all their minutes aloud. Don’t forget that discussion of what you’re reading counts towards minutes too!
My kindergartener doesn’t read or is barely reading, so what do I do for the “Student Reading Minutes”? For those kindergarteners who are not yet reading words, have your child read the pictures—an important strategy for later figuring out words. Also, please work on letter and letter sound identification using books, paper/pencil, games, magnetic letters, games on your computer or an app, flashcards, or any fun activity you put together. (If stumped, email us.) Work on the sight words for the Spellathon: writing/tracing the words is more effective than orally. In a book, you read a word or sentence, then your child reads the same word/sentence while you point to the words. Go on a HUNT in a book for specific letters or words. You read, then your child tells what has been read (look for discussion points in the Discovery emails/newsletters). If you need any more ideas, ask your child’s teacher.
What do I do with the recording sheet when it’s done? Send the completed sheets back to your child’s classroom as you finish them to ensure your child receives a prize for the minutes they have completed. To be eligible for prizes on Friday, sheets must be turned in by Thursday morning.
What if my child plays a musical instrument and reads music? If your child plays an instrument where reading music is involved, they may count up to a maximum of 10 minutes out of every 100 minutes of student reading.
What if my child does a reading website online (i.e., Starfall or RAZ-kids)? Your child may count up to a maximum of 25 minutes out of every 100 minutes.
What if I have more than one student at Discovery? You may read to them all together and record the minutes on each of their sheets as adult reading.
What if we fall behind? Keep going! Prizes will be awarded as students complete their minutes, even if they are behind schedule. Extra time is built into the schedule to allow families to catch up if they fall behind. Adults can listen while making a meal or doing simple chores. Audio books count for adult reading—a great idea for car rides.
Yes! Children in 4th and 5th grades may read silently for up to half of their time. Remember that oral reading fluency and discussion is important. Adults will still need to read and discuss all their minutes aloud. Don’t forget that discussion of what you’re reading counts towards minutes too!
My kindergartener doesn’t read or is barely reading, so what do I do for the “Student Reading Minutes”? For those kindergarteners who are not yet reading words, have your child read the pictures—an important strategy for later figuring out words. Also, please work on letter and letter sound identification using books, paper/pencil, games, magnetic letters, games on your computer or an app, flashcards, or any fun activity you put together. (If stumped, email us.) Work on the sight words for the Spellathon: writing/tracing the words is more effective than orally. In a book, you read a word or sentence, then your child reads the same word/sentence while you point to the words. Go on a HUNT in a book for specific letters or words. You read, then your child tells what has been read (look for discussion points in the Discovery emails/newsletters). If you need any more ideas, ask your child’s teacher.
What do I do with the recording sheet when it’s done? Send the completed sheets back to your child’s classroom as you finish them to ensure your child receives a prize for the minutes they have completed. To be eligible for prizes on Friday, sheets must be turned in by Thursday morning.
What if my child plays a musical instrument and reads music? If your child plays an instrument where reading music is involved, they may count up to a maximum of 10 minutes out of every 100 minutes of student reading.
What if my child does a reading website online (i.e., Starfall or RAZ-kids)? Your child may count up to a maximum of 25 minutes out of every 100 minutes.
What if I have more than one student at Discovery? You may read to them all together and record the minutes on each of their sheets as adult reading.
What if we fall behind? Keep going! Prizes will be awarded as students complete their minutes, even if they are behind schedule. Extra time is built into the schedule to allow families to catch up if they fall behind. Adults can listen while making a meal or doing simple chores. Audio books count for adult reading—a great idea for car rides.