1. Reading Toolbox

2. This year you will receive your own reading toolbox! Each month you will receive a new tool. We will be completing activities at school using the strategies from each tool. The tools will have helpful hints to work on a specific reading strategies at home. Each month you should record the times that you have used your tool on your reading calendars.

3. Predicting

4. Predicting (Looking Ahead) What do you think will happen next? Why do you think so? How do you think the story will end?

5. Predicting Family Note Your child will be bringing home a reading “toolbox” this year. One tool will be added to the toolbox at a time. Each tool will represent a reading strategy. The first tool is the flashlight. The flashlight is used for predicting (looking ahead). Your child should use the flashlight four times this month at home and share their predictions with an adult. Each time the tool is used have your child put an F (for flashlight) onto the September Reading Minutes chart on the correct date. By the end of third grade your child will have a toolbox full of tools and a collection of strategies to help them to be successful readers.

6. Visualizing

7. Visualizing (Creating a Clear Picture) What do you see while reading? What do you feel while reading? What do you hear while reading? What do you taste while reading? What do you smell while reading?

8. Visualizing Family Note The tool for the month of October is a pair of safety goggles. The safety goggles are used for visualizing or creating a clear picture. Your child should use the goggles four times this month at home and discuss what is happening in the story with an adult. Visualization encompasses all senses not just what they are seeing but what the story might be helping them to feel, smell, hear or even taste. Each time the tool is used have your child put a G (for goggles) onto the October Reading Minutes chart on the correct date. Occasional use of the flashlight from last month can continue to promote good predicting!

9. Monitoring Comprehension

10. Monitoring Comprehension (Measuring Your Understanding) Does what I am reading making sense? Do I need to reread? If I am stuck, can I use the other words? Is this a good book for me right now?

11. Monitoring Comprehension Family Note The tool for the month of November is a tape measure. The tape measure is used to make the reader more accountable for what they are reading. This is something all good readers do! This month your child should be concentrating on becoming aware of times that they needed to measure their comprehension (use the tape measure) while reading. They should discuss this with you at home. Each time the tool is used and discussed, have your child put a TM (for tape measure) onto the November Reading Minutes chart on the correct date. Occasional use of the flashlight and the goggles from previous months can continue to promote good reading comprehension!

12. Monitoring Comprehension Strategies from the Family Note Some things they might be doing while monitoring their comprehension Rereading a sentence to get a better meaning Rereading a sentence to self correct a word Using the context to understand an unfamiliar word Find familiar words within an unfamiliar word Break the word into chunks Use picture clues Asking another person for clarification Making a decision if the chosen book is a good fit for now

13. Making Connections

14. Making Connections (Pulling Out Past Experiences) Does it make you think of other book you read? That is a text to text connection. Does it make you think of something going on in your life? That is a text to self connection. Does it make you think about something going on in the news? That is a text to world connection.

15. Making Connections Family Note The crowbar is used when the students “pull out” past experiences and use them to make connections to what they are currently reading. Your child should refer to the crowbar each time they make a connection. Have your child put a C (for crowbar) onto the December Reading Minutes chart on the correct date. Occasional use of the flashlight, goggles and the tape measure will continue to promote good reading comprehension! The tool for the month of December is a crowbar.

16. Survey

17. Survey (Look things over before you get started) Non Fiction Text Labels Captions Pronunciation Guides Table of Contents Glossary Cutaways Index Maps Types of Print Comparisons Diagrams Close-ups Fiction Text Title Cover Jacket Summaries Chapter Titles Pictures

18. Survey Family Note The tool for the month of January is a blueprint. The blueprint is used to survey (or look over) the text before reading. Your child should use the blueprint each time they begin a new book. This helps them to activate prior knowledge and help them to make predictions about what they will be reading. Have your child put a B (for blueprint) onto the January Reading Minutes chart on the correct date each time they start a new book and use the blueprint. Occasional use of the flashlight, goggles, tape measure or crowbar will continue to promote good reading comprehension!

19. Questioning

20. Questioning (Turning My Thinking) The QAR Reading Model tells us that there are four types of questions. In the Book-Right There In the Book-Think and Search In My Head-On My Own In My Head-Author and Me

21. Questioning (In the Book-Right There) The information is found in one place in the text Questions usually start with who, where, how many, when, what kind. Ex. Where was Little Red Riding Hood going?

22. Questioning (In the Book-Think and Search) The students will have to search in several places in the text to find the answer The questions might be like this: –What type of person was the character? –What caused the problem? Ex. How did Little Red Riding Hood know her grandma was a wolf?

23. Questioning (In My Head-On My Own) The answers aren’t found in the text. They are answered by using background knowledge. The questions might be like this: –Do you know…? –Have you ever…? –What is it like…? Ex. What do you know about wolves?

24. Questioning (In My Head-Author and Me) Answered are completed by using the information in the text as well as information not in the text. The questions might be like this: –What do you think would happen if…? –Would you agree that…? Ex. Do you think Little Red Riding Hood will go to her grandma’s house alone again? Why?

25. Questioning Family Note The tools for the month of February are screwdrivers. The screwdrivers are used for questioning. There are four screwdrivers, one for each for type of question. Your child should try to use each screwdriver at least once this month. Use these in the most convenient way for your family. Your child might develop questions and share their responses with you. You may develop one of each type of question and have your child answer it. If you are reading along with your child, you may informally ask questions and have your child tell you which type of question you asked. Have your child put an s (for screwdriver) onto the February Reading Minutes chart. Occasional use of the flashlight, goggles, tape measure, crowbar or the blueprint will continue to promote good reading comprehension!

26. Summarizing

27. Summarizing (Putting It All Together) What is the main idea Nonfiction What is the main topic? What are three facts about the main topic? Fiction What is the main idea? Who are the main characters? What was the problem in the story? Was the problem solved? How?

28. Summarizing Parent Note The tool for the month of March is the hammer. The hammer is used for summarizing or “putting it all together”. Summarizing can be done at the end of each reading session or at the end of a book. Each time the tool is used, have your child put an H (for hammer) onto the March Reading Minutes chart on the correct date. Occasional use of the flashlight, goggles, tape measure, crowbar or the blueprint will continue to promote good reading comprehension!