Resources and Fun for Grades 5 & 6
Looking for an exciting
reading resource for your upper elementary student? Try the Smithsonian Tween Tribune! There are great educational options for you to choose (grade level/english or spanish) and fascinating topics!
Choosing interesting reading material can be a challenge for this age group, which is why "Tween Tribune" makes a great option for readers! Not only are the articles informational, they will also support vocabulary development. Click on the image to the left and see!
Fifth and sixth grades are pivitol times for young readers. Having spent time in the previous grades focusing on "learning to read," fifth and sixth graders are now focusing more on "reading to learn." This is a time when the reading comprehension practice from lower elementary becomes daily practice.
The University of Michigan offers some helpful hints for promoting healthy reading habits in the home:
How can we make reading part of our family’s lifestyle?
Parents play a critical role in helping their children develop not only the ability to read, but also an enjoyment of reading.
*Turn off the tube. Start by limiting your family’s television viewing time.
*Teach by example. If you have books, newspapers and magazines around your house, and your child sees you reading, then your child will learn that you value reading. You can’t over-estimate the value of modeling.
*Read together. Reading with your child is a great activity. It not only teaches your child that reading is important to you, but it also offers a chance to talk about the book, and often other issues will come up. Books can really open the lines of communication between parent and child.
*Hit the library. Try finding library books about current issues or interests in your family’s or child’s life, and then reading them together. For example, read a book about going to the dentist prior to your child’s next dental exam, or get some books about seashore life after a trip to the coast. If your child is obsessed with dragons, ask your librarian to recommend a good dragon novel for your child.
There are many ways to include reading in your child's life, starting in babyhood, and continuing through the teen years. Focus on literacy activities that your child enjoys, so that reading is a treat, not a chore.
For full article visit http://www.med.umich.edu/yourchild/topics/reading.htm
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