5th Grade Readers
Strong reading and critical thinking skills are vitally important as your 5th grader begins transitioning into the world of middle school. This year, your child is expected to analyze a variety of different texts, including both fiction and non-fiction texts on diverse topics and subjects. Additionally, your child will be expected to understand how to interpret, evaluate and use evidence from the text. Reading comprehension is another key focus in fifth grade. As a 5th grader, your child needs more opportunities for rigorous reading and deep discussions which include drawing conclusions based on text, analyzing texts for point of view and purpose, and identifying the techniques used by authors to achieve their purpose. More complex skills will be learned while engaging in more sophisticated reading material.
Your 5th grader should be spending more time reading longer chapter books, as well as nonfiction books and texts. As the complexity of the books increases your child’s reading stamina will also need to increase. Your child should be able to actively read while they seek out certain information. This means anchoring their understanding of the material in context, using prior knowledge, and being able to quickly discern the main idea and key details. In addition, fifth graders need to be able to identify and use the different types of structural features within a text. This could include but is not limited to recognizing the main idea and supporting details in a passage. Additionally, he/she can use headings, captions, italics and boldface type, illustrations, diagrams, and so on to facilitate understanding of a text.
This year, your child is expected to analyze a variety of different texts, including both fiction and non-fiction texts on diverse topics and subjects.
By the end of fifth grade, your child is expected to be an engaged masterful reader and able to:
- Find main ideas and supporting details using more advanced reading comprehension strategies (like inference).
- Summarize what's been read through writing or speaking
- Synthesize information from two texts.
- Think analytically and give specific examples from the text
- Interpret information from charts, images, videos, timelines and diagrams.
- Compare and contrast the information that's being read.
- Proficiently read at grade level five in both fiction and nonfiction texts.
- Learn new vocabulary words using context clues and word analysis skills to understand words in more complex texts.
- Use the Internet to access and research information.
- Discuss text with peers, family, and friends using sophisticated discussion techniques to foster collaboration, and greater understanding while defending positions of text analysis.
Developing reading mastery takes time and practice. Students need to gain knowledge, become familiar with reading strategies, and receive feedback from parents, knowledgeable teachers, and others.
Our Book Club is a great place for your fifth grader to become an engaged reader while mastering reading with comprehension, decoding multisyllabic words, reading more fluently, developing a robust vocabulary, and discussing great chapter books with other kids. Get on our waitlist today, for information about our upcoming classes.
READING WITH COMPREHENSION and READING ENGAGEMENT
Fifth grade is also a critical year for increased stamina with a variety of text structures and comprehension development.
Fifth grade is also a critical year for increased reading stamina with a variety of text structures and comprehension development. Becoming an engaged and independent reader requires learning how to make meaning from text and how to demonstrate understanding of what is read by putting it into your own words through discussion and written summarization. Your Fifth grader should be able to provide detailed summaries of what they read, make meaningful connections while reading, and justify their personal points of view about stories and nonfiction texts.
A common frustration among parents is that their children are simply decoding words but not understanding their reading. Their children have yet to understand that reading is an interactive process between them, the author, and the text which is satisfying and rewarding. Reading comprehension is essentially what your child does throughout interactions and engagement with a book. Readers with good comprehension are always thinking strategically and skillfully throughout the reading. They visualize the characters and settings while creating mind-movies of the book in their heads. They make connections to characters, and plot development and constantly wonder about what will happen next as one event after another occurs. Reading engagement is a big part of comprehension and what makes reading fun to do.
How To Master Reading Comprehension
A common question I receive from parents is, “How can I help improve my child’s comprehension and ensure they are “getting it?” In other words, how can I help make sure my child understands what he/she reads and how can I assess their progress as a reader?
The #1 way for comprehension to improve and become mastered is for your child to read a lot.
Additionally, your child needs to receive daily direct reading comprehension strategy and skill instruction. Listening to thinking aloud read alouds, reading daily, and discussing books he or she reads, is the best way for your child to develop comprehension skills.
Monarch Literacy 5th Grade Book Club Classes
Our fun strategy and skills-based book club classes are designed to show your child that reading is fun, interactive, and engaging while helping him or her improve/master comprehension.
By the end of our session, your child will want to read more and enthusiastically select “just right” books to enjoy, independently.
Enrolling in this book club will give your child a huge reading advantage. Your child will be able to:
- observe/learn word attack strategies for decoding multi-syllabic words.
- actively read and discuss a great selection of diverse chapter books with peers.
- receive direct and explicit instruction of reading comprehension strategies and skills modeled throughout each session with a skillful teacher.
- develop independent reading reasons and become motivated to read more.
- develop a positive attitude about the joy and benefits of reading.
If you have any questions and would like to discuss your child’s participation in class or reading development, set up a discovery call today.
