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Literary: Ask and answer questions referring to the text.
Activity 1: Take notes
While reading a fiction book, have your student take notes about things he/she is reading. This can be on post-its, bookmarks, or a separate paper.
Activity 2: Mark the evidence
While reading a fiction passage, ask your student questions about what he/she is reading. Then ask your student to find where in the text he/she got the answer. They can mark it with an underline, color/highlight it, or use a symbol to label it.
Activity 3: Direct quotes
While reading, ask your student questions about the text. When he/she answers, have him/her start their answer with a text evidence stem phrase like the examples below.
Example stem phrases:
(Author's name) wrote, "_____."
The author of (name of text) wrote, "________."
On page ____, the author stated, "_______."
This is shown when the author says, "_______."
Literary: Determine the central message, lesson, or moral using key details from the text.
Activity 1: Illustrate the central message
After reading a fiction story, create a colorful illustration that represents the central message of the text.
Activity 2: Act it out
Choose a scene from the text and act it out.
Activity 3: Reflect on the central message
After reading, write a paragraph reflecting on the central message of the text and explain why it is important.
Literary: Describe characters and sequence of events.
Activity 1: Journalist
Imagine you are a journalist. Create a list of interview questions to ask a character from a fiction story and write down their responses.
Activity 2: Compare two characters
Select two characters from a fiction story and create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast their traits.
Activity 3: Character timeline
Create a timeline of important events that happened to a character in a fiction story and explain their significance.
Informational: Ask and answer questions referring to the text.
Activity 1: Quiz game show
Create a quiz show game with questions and answers based on the informational text. Play it with a partner or family member.
Activity 2: Vocabulary flashcards
Select 5 challenging vocabulary words from the informational text and create flashcards with definitions, synonyms, and example sentences.
Activity 3: Text Connections Web
Create a visual web of connections between the informational text and other texts, movies, or personal experiences.
Informational: Determine the main idea and key details from the text.
Activity 1: Main Idea Mystery Bag
Prepare several mystery bags, each containing a collection of objects related to a specific topic. For example, if the topic is “Insects,” a mystery bag could contain a plastic bug, a magnifying glass, a leaf, and a picture of a garden. Present the bags to your student one by one without revealing the contents. Encourage them to examine the items carefully and discuss what they think the main idea of the bag might be.
Activity 2: Make a Topic Tree
To begin, provide your student with a large sheet of paper and crayons, markers, or colored pencils. Explain that the main idea is like the “trunk” of a tree, while the supporting details are like the “branches.” Choose a simple topic, such as “Ocean Animals.” Have your student write the main idea at the top of their paper and draw a tree trunk beneath it. Then, ask them to brainstorm and list three to four supporting details related to ocean animals, such as different types of sea creatures, their habitats, and adaptations. These details become the branches of their tree. Encourage students to add smaller branches or leaves to each branch, representing more specific information.
Activity 3: Summarize in One Sentence
Provide your student with a short passage or article on a topic that they enjoy. Have your student carefully read the passage aloud to you, and then challenge them to write a single sentence that captures what the entire passage was about. Encourage them to focus on the most important information and disregard minor details.
Activity 4: Create Article Headlines
Select a few articles or passages. Have your student read the articles and then create attention-grabbing headlines that accurately explain the main idea.
Informational: Describe the relationship between concepts/events using sequence and cause/effect language.
Activity: Historical Timeline
First, introduce the concept of a timeline to your child, explaining that it is a visual representation of events in chronological order. Next, whoever your child has chosen from the "Who Is" or "Who Was" series, have them create a timeline of that person's life. Then, using index cards or post-it notes, have your child write the important milestones/major events in that person's life. For example, if your child chose Jimmy Carter: Write on first card - Jimmy Carter was born on Oct. 1, 1024, in Plains, Georgia; Next card write - school attended; Then, colleges; etc. Finally, tape cards together and have your child discuss the order and importance of each major event written down with you.
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills including prefixes, suffixes, and multi-syllable words.
Activity 1: Bingo with Word Parts
Create Bingo cards with prefixes, suffixes, and root words. Call out definitions, and your child can mark the corresponding word parts on their card.
Activity 2: Outdoor Learning
Take the learning outside by using chalk to write words with prefixes and suffixes on the sidewalk. Students can then read and discuss these words.
Activity 3: Word Building with Scrabble Tiles
Use Scrabble tiles or letter magnets to create words. Focus on prefixes, suffixes, and multi-syllable words. Your child can experiment with different combinations.
Activity 4: Word Hunts
Conduct word hunts in everyday materials like newspapers, magazines, or books. Have them identify and highlight word with specific prefixes, suffixes or syllable patterns.
Activity 4: Scavenger Hunt
Hide cards with multisyllabic words around the house. When your child finds a card, they have to say the word and clap out the syllables before moving on to the next one.
Read with accuracy and fluency.
Activity 1: Have your child imitate you as you read. (Echo Reading)
Practice makes perfect! Simply having your child imitate you a little bit at a time can go a long way in teaching your child how to read quickly and with expression. Read a sentence or two using great expression and then ask your child to repeat the reading. If you need to practice more than once, that is okay! Make sure you choose passages with lots of expression. The sentence might call for whispering, speaking loudly, emphasizing certain words, or even using dramatic pauses when called for.
Activity 2: Record your student as they read.
One great technique that can be useful is to have your child record themselves reading a passage. When they play the tape or recording back to listen to themselves, they can really "hear" at that point what they sound like and take corrective measures to make it sound better. Have them break down the passage sentence by sentence to repeat the exercise and keep recording it to hear the progress.
Activity 3: Perform a "reader's theater" at the dinner table (or anytime, anywhere) at home!
Act out stories together. Assign characters and have fun with the dialogue. This not only improves reading, but also builds confidence. Make it fun and get costume props involved! You can find reader's theater scripts online, or you could choose to come up with your own based off a book of your own choosing.
Activity 4: Practice speed reading with timed reading games.
Learning to read speedily can be a great asset for your student. Reading at a faster rate will give your child confidence to move forward in more advanced classes, and it will help to bring more enjoyment while reading for pleasure. There are ways to make this fun! Kids love competitive games. Either make a competition out of who can read faster (if kids are evenly paired) or find ways to have your child compete against themselves.
Activity 5: Read aloud to your child every day.
Take turns reading a book aloud. This not only helps with fluency but also provides an opportunity for discussion.Activity 6: Storytelling
Encourage your child to create their own stories. This helps with both reading and writing skills.Activity 7: Read and then Reread in a different voice
Instead of rereading a text ask them to use a “silly voice” to reread it in.
Have them read like: a robot, a baby, a pirate, an opera singer, a monster, a cowboy, an alien, a TV sports announcerUse a:
- whisper voice high-pitched voice
- angry voice confused voice
- baby voice deep voice
Write opinion pieces with reasons that support a topic.
Activity 1: Letter to the Editor
Write a letter expressing your opinion on a current issue in your community.
Activity 2: Opinion Comic Strip
Create a comic strip that presents your opinion on a subject using illustrations and captions.
Activity 3: Opinion Poster
Create a visually appealing poster that presents your opinion on a given topic.
Activity 4: Opinion Letter
Write a persuasive letter to someone explaining your opinion and requesting their support.
Activity 5: Opinion Advertisement
Create an advertisement persuading others to adopt your opinion on a particular matter by writing the script to the advertisement and then videoing it.
Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas.
Activity 1
Write an explanatory story about the life cycle of a butterfly. Include all the stages in sequence. Make sure to use transition words like first, then, next, last, etc. Be sure you have a title, a good opening, details, capital letters at the beginning of each sentence, punctuation at the end of each sentence, and a good closing sentence.
Activity 2: Brochure
Create an informative brochure to educate others about a chosen topic.
Activity 3: Q & A Session
Have your student pretend he/she is being interviewed as an expert on a topic by writing questions and answers session about a topic.
Activity 4: How-To Guide
Create a step-by-step guide on how to do or make something.
Write narratives to develop real or imagine events.
Activity 1: Create a Comic Strip
Comic strips are a fun and simple way to teach narrative writing. Take inspiration from popular comic books and encourage your child to create their own characters, plot, and dialogue.
Activity 2: Current Event Story
Discuss a recent news story, and then ask your child to write their own story inspired by the events. This helps your child to understand current events while developing writing skills.
Activity 3: Diary Entry
Ask your student to write a diary entry - either from their own lives or from the point of view of a fictional character. They can reflect on their emotions, thoughts, and experiences.
Engage in collaborative discussions that clearly express their own idea.
Activity 1: Dinner Suggestions
When it comes to deciding what to have for dinner, it can be a struggle to pick what to cook or eat. Allow your child to name a few things to eat for dinner. When your child suggests a food, collaborate in a discussion why they would like it and what makes it sound like a good idea. This allows your child to express their own ideas of what they personally want.
Activity 2: Read a Story
Allow your child to pick a story to read together. Have your child explain why they chose their story. When reading, stop randomly and ask your child “What do you like this character feels”, “If you were this character, what would you do”, or “How would you feel”. Ask your child questions that allows them to discuss how express their own ideas about their feelings or what is happening in the story.
Activity 3: Free Draw a Picture
Allow your child to free draw on a sheet of paper. As your child is drawing, have discussions with them about what they are draw, how they are feelings, why they drew it, and point out details that allow your students to describe more details about their picture. When collaborating in discussion, allow your child to express their own ideas their drawing and adding things to their picture.
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