October:  In sixth grade safety net reading, we have finished our first three books, Nannah Hannah's Piano, The Story of Three Whales, and The Secret Room.  The first one was a fictional book set in the U.S.  The second one was a non-fiction book set in Alaska.  The third book was a fictional story set in the past.  The students read orally and silently, identified new vocabulary, and worked on their literal comprehension.  We have begun our fourth book, which is titled Ruth Law Thrills a Nation.  It is another non- fiction book set in the U.S.  Students will fill in a story map identifying the title, characters, setting, and major events.  They will also continue to work on literal comprehension, new vocabulary, and oral fluency.

When reading with your child, utilize these same four strategies that we are working on at school. 

1. Prediction- you and your child predict what you think will happen in the next chapter.  Check your prediction at the end of the reading. 

2.  Summarize- at the end of your reading, ask your child to summarize what they read today. 

3.  Question- ask your child questions as you read to check for comprehension.  Ask literal and inferential questions.  Have your child ask you questions and check your answers. 

4.  Clarify- when your child is reading and comes to a word he/she doesn't know, have them try to figure it out themselves.  Have them reread the sentence, look at the picture, or break it into chunks.  If it's a new vocabulary word, have them try to guess the meaning by looking at the context and picture.  Check the meaning in the dictionary.

Read the Reading Connections monthly newsletter and try the suggested activities.  Click here to read the newsletter in Spanish.

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