Does your primary school child ever come home with a book that is too easy or too difficult? And you are not too sure how to help them?
Encouraging children to choose their own books makes them a better reader. Guiding them how to choose a book that is targeted at their learning level will help them make better reading choices.
Educators often refer to these books as ‘Just Right Books’.
A ‘just right’ book is a book that is not too hard, not too easy, but just right for the child’s reading level. It is important that children learn the process of choosing their own books, because as they grow up and learn, their interests and ‘just right’ books will change!
Encouraging your child to choose ‘just right’ books is important, as the more ‘just right’ books a child reads the better reader he or she will become!
Primary school students, who are beginner readers, can be easily distracted by big words where they need to use reading strategies to decode or sound out words. These young readers can rely on font size, number of words on page, and the pictures to help determine if the book is just right.
The Five Finger Rule applies to intermediate readers. These children have just started to read short novels and chapter books. They will no longer be on decodable readers.
Five Finger Rule:
- Choose a book that looks interesting.
- Read the title, author, and read the back.
- Read the first page, with one hand up!
- Hold a finger up for every unknown or tricky word.
- If at the end of the page 0-1 fingers are up it’s too easy; 2-3 fingers are up it’s just right; 4-5 fingers are up it’s probably too hard.
To make the most out of this reading strategy, it is important to chat to your child about the book they have chosen. Ask them why they have chosen the book and ask if they used the Five Finger Rule. If they have chosen the wrong book, guide them to pick another appropriate book.
Does your child need extra help with their reading skills? We have a team of qualified teachers who tutor on the Gold Coast who would love to help support your child in reading. Get in touch with our friendly admin team, who would love to chat to you about your child’s learning!
