Reading for pleasure will help your child become a good reader.  Help your child choose books he/she can read and wants to read, what we call "just-right" books.  This means that your child:

To help your child select a "just-right" book, try using the "five-finger" rule.  Have your child read and count on one hand any unkown words.  If there are five or more different unknown words on a full page, this book is too hard for your child to read alone, although you may sill want to use it as a read aloud.

 

 

      You can read all the words.

      You might have read it before.

      You read smoothly, fluently.

      It's easy to understand.

      You understand everything.

      You can read the book by yourself.

 

 

      You can learn things.

      You like and enjoy the book.

      You can read almost all the words

      You understand most all of it.

      You have never read it before.

 

Hard Books