Austin Road Principal Bryan Gilligan, Fulmar Road Principal Gary Chadwick and Lakeview Assistant Principal Leigh Galione recently invited elementary school parents to a special literacy event at Austin Road Elementary School. During the event, literacy coaches Daniella Morgante and Vanessa Staviski shared valuable strategies for supporting young readers at home.
Morgante and Staviski emphasized the importance of helping children choose “just right” books that are neither too easy nor too difficult but offer a slight challenge to foster growth.
They explained that a book might be too hard for a child if:
The child isn’t interested in the subject matter.
The content is difficult to understand or unfamiliar.
The child struggles to remember key story details.
The reading is choppy and lacks expression.
The child frequently gets stuck on words.
On the other hand, a “just right” book for a young reader should be:
Engaging and new to the child.
Have an interesting topic or storyline.
Comprehensible, with most of the story or content easily understood.
Readable, with the child able to recognize most words and grasp their meanings.
Memorable, allowing the child to retell major events or facts.
To further support parents, Morgante and Staviski provided a series of helpful guidelines focused on making reading a fun and effective experience. They recommended parents help children by doing the following:
Establishing a dedicated reading area at home.
Spending time reading aloud together.
Asking children open-ended questions about the story.
Having conversations about the book.
Praising their efforts by celebrating their reading achievements.
Establishing a daily reading time.
Modeling reading behavior by showing your child that you love to read.
Helping young readers tackle unfamiliar words in their story.
Connecting reading to other interests and make reading fun.
Choosing “just right” books.