How can you help your child become a better reader?

Reading 20 minutes a night
A huge piece of helping your child become a better reader is making reading an important part of your daily/weekly routines.  There is strong research and data that shows the impact of reading 20 minutes a night.  Please click on the link to read some information on this topic. http://www.k12reader.com/why-read-20-minutes-a-day/   Also included in this link are some fantastic resources that address specific skill areas of reading, writing, and math that would be great for all kids to use from time to time at home.  When there are extended breaks from school an hour of learning time can go a long way to help reduce the dips that occur during those breaks. Impact of 20 minutes of reading a night.

Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary, & Comprehension
These are the "Building blocks of Reading" that our staff and students work on everyday to create a complete reader.  The function of each can be scary and overwhelming for parents when working with students.  Please click on the link to learn more about each of these.  http://www.iowareadingresearch.org/blog/building-blocks-of-reading/


Learning Games
Don't be afraid to allow your children to use games as a way to extend and engage them in learning. Research suggests that learning games are a great way to engage kids in their learning.  Please reference our Keystone Symbaloo page, http://www.symbaloo.com/mix/keystonetech, that we use with our kids.  This allows you to have one safe site for kids to conduct searches and play specific games without worrying about inappropriate content.  The kids use it frequently and they should know it well.


School and Home Collaboration
Always feel free to reach out to your child's teacher to ask questions about their learning and how you can help at home.  All of our teachers have multiple resources you could use at home with your child.  For our students and your children to maximize their learning potential it needs to be a team effort between school and home.  Learning can be more effective for your child when there is collaboration between school and home.

Thanks for all you do!

Mr. Junge