7-12 Reading

Reading is a part of all classes in the middle and high school years. Students read textbooks, articles, summaries, lab reports, novels, Internet resources, reference materials, and so much more. Students read in content area classes to learn new information, they read in English class to appreciate literature, and they read in other classes to bring shared knowledge to classroom discussions and/or projects.

Good Readers...

What do good readers do? Good readers read for a specific purpose in order to be able to determine what is important. Good readers know how to identify their confusion when reading is not making sense. And good readers know how to apply strategies to their reading in order understand what’s being read. Several strategies that can help struggling readers include: rereading, making connections between your own life and the text, asking questions about what you’re reading, writing about what you’ve read, visualizing what you are reading; and adjusting your reading rate.

HOW FAMILIES CAN HELP AT HOME

	Be aware of your child’s reading ability and seek additional support for them if they are struggling to make sense of what they read.
	Read at home and have your child see you as a reader.
	Have books in the home.
	Visit the local library regularly and encourage your child to check out books of interest.
	Show interest in your child’s reading assignments for school.
	Ask your child questions about what they are reading. Perhaps even read the same book and talk about your thoughts, wonders and questions periodically throughout the book.
	If your child struggles with reading, seek additional help for them—it is not too late!

RESOURCES

	Curriculum Night
	Parent Conferences
	Whatcom County Libraries
	JH/HS Library

Internet

JH/HS Library Webpage at http://www.mtbaker.wednet.edu/library/