How help your child choose “Just Right” books
1. Choose a book that you think you will enjoy.
2. Look at the cover, read the title and the author.
3. Read the second page.
4. Five Finger Rule: Hold up a finger for each word you are not sure of,
or do not know.
5. If there are five or more words you did not know, you should choose
an easier book.
*Still think it may not be too difficult? Use the five finger rule on two
more pages.
How to help your child choose a book that is a good fit for him/her
Have your child read two or three pages and ask these questions:
Will this book be an easy, fun book to read?
• Do you understand what you are reading?
• Do you know almost every word?
• When you read aloud, can you read it smoothly?
• Do you think the topic will interest you?
*If most of the answers are “yes”, this will be an easy book to read
independently by himself/herself.
Will this book be too hard?
• Are there five or more words on a page that you don’t know, or are
unsure of?
• Is this book confusing and hard to understand on your own?
• When you read it aloud, does it sound choppy or slow?
*If most of the answers are “yes”, this book is too hard. Have your child
give another book a try, or read the book with your child or to your child.
Suggested Comprehension Questions:
• Summarize- Retell the story (in your own words). What happened in
the beginning, middle and end? (Check: Are the events he/she is retelling in
the order that they happened?)
• Describe the main characters. What qualities do they have? What do
you admire about them? Are you like them or not? Why?
• If you were the author, what changes would you make in the story?
Why?
• What are some questions you have as you read?
• What connections can you make between the book to you, another text,
or to the world? Does this book or parts of the book remind you of something?
• Compare and contrast two or more characters. How are they alike?
How are they different?
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