Booktime!

Introducing .  . . Booktime!

November 5, 2018

Dear Families,

This past Monday, your child brought home his/her book packet  to read with you. “Booktime” is when the children will read “just right” books at their independent level.  The purpose of this home/school connection is to provide your child with additional opportunities to read familiar stories with you.  This practice will help the children continue to develop important reading strategies and fluency.

You will find that the books in your child’s packet (for the most part) will be ones that he/she can read with minimal adult support.  My goal for this program is that all children are reading at their independent level, which means that they are reading with strong decoding skills, fluency and comprehension.

The packet contains a handout listing reading strategies that will help your child if he/she encounters difficulties.  I encourage you to keep this list in the packet for your ongoing reference.

**The schedule will be as follows: Children bring book packets home on Monday and return them promptly on Friday.  They should practice reading these books at home throughout the week.  The children will add new books to their packets every Monday, so it is very important that they be returned on Friday.  Poem notebooks will continue to be sent home on Friday and returned on Monday.  

What can you do to help?

The following are ways in which you can support this program:

1. Listen to your child practice reading the books that are sent home.
   
   
2. Be sure the books are returned to school every Friday.
   
   
3. Please protect the books, as paperback books are fragile.  The books should be placed in the packet for return to school.  I would like to keep the books in good condition – protected from leaky thermos bottles, etc. and I appreciate your help with this.  The replacement cost for a lost or damaged book is $5.00.
   
   

We are fortunate to have these reading materials for instructional purposes and are glad to share them with you.  As always, your comments and questions are welcome. I hope you enjoy Booktime with your child. Happy Reading!

Allison Pollock