• " The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children... the practice of reading aloud should continue throughout the grades.  To begin with, research shows that it is not until 8th grade that a student's reading level catches up to his or her listening level.  Until that time , most students are capable of hearing, understanding, and enjoying  material that is more complicated than what they can read. This listening experience boosts the student's listening comprehension and listening vocabulary- both of which directly feed reading comprehension and writing skills.  Moreover, the person reading aloud serves as an important role model, and the material being read serves as a commercial for the pleasures of print.
    Two factors make up what might be called a ' lifetime reader formula:
     
    1. Human beings- be they five-year-olds or fifty-five year olds- will only do over and over what brings them pleasure.
     
    2.  Like driving a car or swimming, reading is an accrued skill.  That is, in order to get better at it, one must do it as much as possible. The only way to improve from a 4th grade reading level ( achieved by 90 percent of American students) to an 8th grade reading level ( 75 percent) to a twelfth-grade level ( 25 percent) is by reading.  And the more you read, the better you get at it.  The better you get at it, the more you like it.  And the more you like it, the more you do it, ad infinitum."
    -Jim Trealease
     
    Please encourage your children to read this year; read with them. Be a Reader! I recommend children read 20 to 30 minutes a night or roughly an hour and a half weekly ( or more).  Every family has unique demands.  It can be difficult to establish reading routines... but helping to instill the love of reading is a life-long gift.
     
     
    I will also keep track of the time your child logs reading with you at home. 
     
    I also have an extra credit reading/ journaling project your child may participate in if (s)he is interested.
     
    Websites for Newbery Books, recommended 5th grade books are available on line.
     
    Some of my favorite books:
     
    Please understand that appropriateness and comfort level of these reading materials vary depending on family beliefs and student development.  This is not a mandatory list.  It was put together based on previous student recommendations which I have read and enjoyed.
     
    The Hunger Games series - Suzanne Collins
    The Harry Potter series- JK Rowling
    Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
    Peter and the Star Catcher series
    The Giver- Lowis Lowry
    Divergent and Insurgent- Roth
    Maximum Ride Series- Patterson
    Abe Lincoln a Photobiography
    Mike Lupica books: Heat, Travel Team, Miracle on 34th Street
    Gossamer
    The Book Thief ( Holocaust- for mature readers)
    Charlotte's Web-EB White
    Where the Red Fern Grows
    The Egypt Game
    Books by Kate Di Camillo- Winn Dixie, Tale of Despereaux
    Books by Cornelia Funke- Dragon Rider, Inkspell series
     
    I feel as though I am forgetting some... but websites of recommended reads will help guide your selections too.
     
     
     
     
     
     
Last Modified on September 3, 2015