Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.

1. Am I supposed to help with my child's take home book?
2. How long does my child have to complete their book and worksheet?
3. Does my fifth grader have to finish his entire chapter book in a week?
4. My child hates to read. Is there any motivation to get him going?
5. Can my child do MORE than what's expected each week?
6. My child has trouble sitting still. How do you help him?
7. How do you decide which students need this help?

Am I supposed to help with my child's take home book?

     It's great if you can help!!  In fact, if you can't, but you wish you 
could, why not enlist the help of an older sibling or a grandparent or even a 
neighbor.  The students who come to see me struggle with reading and/or 
writing, so the more help they can get from others, the better.  Of course, 
this doesn't mean that someone else is doing the work for them.  It just 
means that someone is standing by -- should they need help.  
     For instance, if your child is reading their book, and they get stuck on 
a word, let them try to figure it out on their own first.  They can try 
sounding it out or looking at the pictures for clues.  They can also look at 
the sentences around the unfamiliar word for more clues.  If, after all that, 
they still can't get the word, then it would be great if you could help them 
with it.  
    As your child reads, ask them questions to see how well they're 
comprehending the text.  Ask them things like, "Why do you think she/he is 
angry/happy?"  "Why do you think she/he did that?"
     WHAT you ask them doesn't really matter too much, so don't worry.  The 
important thing is that you get them talking about what they're reading.

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How long does my child have to complete their book and worksheet?

     Ideally, each child should be completing a book and a worksheet each 
week. This includes handing it in, conferencing with me about what may be 
incorrect, and making corrections.

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Does my fifth grader have to finish his entire chapter book in a week?

     No.  Fifth graders are expected to read two chapters a week in their 
chapter books.  They also need to complete the two pages in their packets 
that correspond to those chapters.  In addition, they need to make 
corrections on any incorrect answers from previous chapters.

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My child hates to read. Is there any motivation to get him going?

     I understand that the children who come to see me struggle with reading, 
and they generally dislike it as a result.  That's why I've built many 
rewards into the program.  I've got a prize box chock full of things that 
fourth and fifth graders just love to win.  I also have a large supply of 
candy bars that children in this age group just love.  
     Fourth graders earn a prize or candy bar (their choice) when they've 
accumulated five stickers.  They earn a sticker everytime they read a book 
and complete the worksheet, including corrections.  We keep track of 
everyone's progress on a "sticker chart" that hangs on our classroom wall.  
That, in itself, is a fabulous motivator.  Many students run right to that 
chart when they come into the reading room.  Everyone always wants to know 
who's in the lead.
     Fifth graders earn a prize or a candy bar (their choice) everytime they 
finish a chapter book and complete the packet that goes with it (including 
corrections).  As with the fourth graders, progress is tracked on 
the "sticker chart."

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Can my child do MORE than what's expected each week?

     Of course!!  More power to him/her!!  Some children are very 
competitive, and they're competing with each other to stay in the lead on our 
sticker chart.  Believe it or not, I've got some students who are doing FIVE 
books a week!!  (Hopefully, they won't get any cavities from all the candy 
bars they're earning!)  
     In fact, I've got two fifth graders who amazed all of us recently.  One 
of them read his entire chapter book, AND COMPLETED HIS ENTIRE PACKET in ONE 
EVENING!!!  Another one did the same thing but took ONLY THREE DAYS!!!  
     Athough I stress with my students that reading is not a race, I do 
encourage them to read, read, read as much as they can.  This is the one sure 
thing that will help them become better readers and writers.

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My child has trouble sitting still. How do you help him?

     Your child is not alone.  Because so many children have trouble sitting 
still, I make my sessions with them as interactive as possible.  They are up 
and down frequently.  They sit on the floor in the hall writing stories with 
each other on huge chart paper.  They sit on the floor with each other 
sequencing the story with sentence strips.  They play all kinds of vocabulary 
games using flash cards, post its,  and chart paper.  They also get to take 
turns using the pointer and playing teacher.  We also do readers theater, 
which everyone loves. In addition, children who have enough stickers on the 
sticker chart get to play games during Fun Friday.

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How do you decide which students need this help?

Some students who come to see me were recommended by their teachers.  This 
means that their teacher noticed they weren't reading or writing on grade 
level.  
     State assessments are also used as indicators of which students would 
benefit from extra reading assistance.  Students can earn a score of 1, 2, 3, 
or 4 on a state assessment.  Students who earn a score of 1 or 2 are seen for 
extra help.  
     Occasionally, a student comes from another district, and there are no 
state test scores to consult.  In cases like these, if we suspect a student 
is struggling with reading, we test them with the Woodcock Reading Mastery 
Test.  If the results indicate that they are reading below grade level, they 
are placed into the program.

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