Reading Groups started today

I started four reading groups today.  I'll be starting the other four next week or the week after depending on when I finish reading those books (fun fact: I do read all the books that your kids read during reading groups so it takes me a little bit more time at the beginning to make sure that I've read all the books; in this case, eight books).

Ways that you can help your child become a better, more confident reader at home are

1. Make sure they read 30 minutes every night--comics, newspaper, books, internet story, whatever!
2. Ask about what they're reading--have them give you a little summary of the part where they just finished reading
3. Ask what they think about the book/comic/article/etc. so far. Do they like it? Why? Why not?
4. Read with them, have them read to you, let them see you reading
5. When they read to you, don't constantly correct them when they get a word wrong.  If they can't figure it out but they can recognize and read parts of the word, then help them out by saying the word slowly to them.  If they can read it but don't know what it means, see if they can figure it out from the sentence that it is in; if they can't, give them another sentence and see if they can figure out the meaning from that example
6. Always be positive. Reading can be challenging, but it's so rewarding. It takes you away from regular life, you learn things, and helps you to understand others better.

Just in case you were interested these are some of the books that I'm reading with the groups I started today.   They're both really interesting and funny books to read.  If you are interested in reading them yourself, you can find them both at the library.

Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park
Julia Song and her friend Patrick would love to win a blue ribbon, maybe even two, at the state fair.  They've always done projects together, and they work well as a team.  This time, though, they're having trouble coming up with just the right plan.  Then Julia's mother offers a suggestion: They can raise silkworms, as she did when she was a girl in Korea.

Patrick thinks it's a great idea.  Of course there are obstacles--for example, where will they get mulberry leaves, the only thing silkworms eat?--but nothing they can't handle.

Julia isn't so sure.  The club where kids do their projects is all about traditional American stuff, and raising silkworms just doesn't fit in.  Moreover, the author, Ms. Park, seems determined to make Julia's life as complicated as possible, no matter how hard Julia tries to talk her out of it.



George's Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl
It's about a boy named George. George has a grandma that acts like a wicked witch.  Throughout the book, George tries to make medicine that would make his nasty grandma be nice.