How to use the gameboard: Post the game board in a visible location. Each night choose an activity from the Reading Expedition Activity List. Each activity has a symbol so you can tell if it is related to phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, or vocabulary. Mark a box when the activity is completed!

Expedition Gameboard (Grades 3-5)

Under The Sea

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E-READING TIPS FOR PARENTS

1. Change the font size and style of text. Increase the text size so that there are fewer words on the page, making it easier to read for children to decode words. Or give your child the opportunity to select their favorite fonts to personalize their reading experience.

2. Explore free classics. Did you know there are thousands of free classic books available in eBook format? From The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn to Pride & Prejudice, many pre-1926 out-of-copyright books are free to download.

3. Check out eBooks from the local library. Your local library may also lend eBooks, providing another unique opportunity for your to provide your child even greater access to books.

4. Look up the definitions of words as you read. Come across an unfamiliar word? With eBooks, you can highlight or tap a word to view its definition, supporting both vocabulary development and a child’s curious nature.

5. Highlight your favorite passages. Have your child mark his or her favorite parts of a book, whether they are images or quotes, and view them later when reviewing a story, studying, or even sharing with one another.

6. Add notes to the text as you read. Ask your child to make notes within the text to remember key characters or themes or reinforce any new lessons they encounter as they read.

7. Access your eBooks across multiple devices. Many eBooks are accessible across devices, including your e-reader, smart phone, tablet, and even home computer, allowing your child to have a book available to them wherever you go.

8. Learn about eBooks that read the text aloud. Some eBooks and e-readers support features that read the book aloud while the text highlights, reinforcing word recognition and pronunciation for young readers.

9. Carry and read multiple books at once. With eBooks, you can carry many books with you without the weight of a heavy backpack or bag.

10. Tackle that lengthy novel. The size of a book can discourage children (and event adults!) from picking up a longer form novel. With eBooks, your child can dive right in without the intimidation factor of a big novel.

11. Encourage struggling readers. Children who may be reading at a level below their grade may be self-conscious carrying books that are different than their peers. With eBooks, these children do not have to feel excluded by advertising their reading level.

Grades 3–5

Grab a pencil and paper. Call out a letter and count how many compound words each person can write in 90 seconds.

Read the same book your child is reading. Take time to discuss the plot, vocabulary, and characters in a daily or weekly “book chat”.

Have your child prepare a dish for dinner using a favorite family recipe.

Listen to audio books together in the car or after dinner.

On a piece of paper, write one sentence to start a story. Pass the paper back and forth, with each person adding a line until the story is complete. Then ask your child stand up and read the story out loud to the group.

Start a vocabulary box. Pick a word of the day, write it down, and put it in the box. See who can use the word the most during the day. At the end of a month or more, pull the words out of the box to review and celebrate what you’ve learned!

Read a newspaper or magazine article about a foreign country together. Talk about the people involved and where the article took place. Use your computer, smartphone or tablet to learn more about the land and its people.

Have your child write a letter to his or her favorite relative. Demonstrate how to address the envelope; then take a field trip to the mailbox or post office to send it off!

Set up silent reading time: you read while your child reads. Take turns summarizing what you read for each other.

Make some flash cards with new vocabulary words to practice with your child.

Plan a virtual vacation. Pick a country and help your child research its cultural activities, sports, and foods. Visit the library together to get cookbooks with recipes from the country, and cook them together.

Take a Reading Expedition Activity ListUse these activities with the Expedition Gameboard. Each day select a new activity to try with your child. Mark off the activities you have completed.

Grades 3–5

Reading skills are critical for student success. Research shows that reading is best taught through a balanced literacy approach that includes instruction in five specific areas sometimes called “domains”:

Phonological awareness involves the ability to identify and manipulate sounds in spoken language.

Phonics refers to the relationships between sounds and letters.

Fluency means the ability to recognize words automatically, group words to gain meaning, and read orally with expression.

Comprehension is the ability to engage with, understand, and respond to a text.

Vocabulary includes learning the meaning of specific words as well as developing word-learning strategies, such as knowing the meanings of word parts and using context clues and dictionaries to find the meaning of unknown words.

Schools help develop children’s skills in each of these areas through a variety of activities during the school day, including teacher modeling of reading strategies, large- and small-group guided reading, and independent reading practice.

Your help at home is critical. Most parents know that talking and singing to babies and reading to toddlers and pre-schoolers are important. However, your job does not end when children enter school. An ongoing partnership between your family and your child’s school will best support his or her growth. You don’t have to be a literacy expert to help your child become a successful reader and learner. What matters most is your interest, involvement, and concern for your child’s literacy skills.

Tips for reading with your child: • Help improve your child’s fluency. Invite your child to read his or her writing out loud to other family members. Ask questions about your child’s word choices and ideas. • Make reading for fun a part of your child’s daily routine. Set aside quiet time, with no phones, games, or other distractions, when your child can read for pleasure. • Talk about the news together. Pick one story in the news, read it together, and discuss with your child what it means. • Encourage storytelling. Help your child find a picture from a newspaper or magazine, cut it out, paste it on paper, and write a story about it.

For more information on supporting student success, or to find out how to join PTA, visit PTA.org.

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