What Parents Can Do to Support Reading at Home…
Sign my child up for a library card and visit the public library regularly
Encourage my child to read “just right” books nightly.
Read aloud to my child daily.
Talk to my child about what we have read together or what he/she has read alone.
Know what [first, second, third] grade reading sounds like.
Know how my child is doing compared to grade level expectations.
Practice grade level high frequency words at home.
Give my child opportunities to write for real purposes; e.g. grocery list, thank you card, a letter, a note to a friend…
Contact my child’s teacher to ask questions, make comments when I notice the progress my child is making, or when I’m concerned.
Parents with children in grades 1-5 please be sure not only to orally ask your
child these questions but make sure they respond to them using written expression to help them practice this skill for the Connecticut Mastery Test.
Sample Questions to ask
Who were the characters?
Where did this story take place?
What was the problem?
What was the solution? (CMT Strand A2)
If you could re-name this story what would you call it? Why? Use details from the story to support your answer. (CMT Strand A1 and A3)
Do the characters in the story remind you of another book or someone you know? Use details from the story to support your response. (CMT Strand C1/C2)
If you were__________ would you have liked _________? Explain why or why not using details from the story.(CMT Strand C1/C2)
Which part of the story was the most interesting or surprising? (CMT Strand C2)
Chose a simile from the story and explain why the author used that simile.
(CMT Strand D1)
Pretend you are the main character of the story. Write a journal entry that could have appeared in your journal. (CMT Strand D2)
Compare and contrast two characters using a venn-diagram. (CMT Strand B1)
Why do you think that the author chose to include _______? (CMT Strand B2)
Do you think ______can be described as_______? Why / why not? (CMT Strand B3)