Reading to Learn: Upper Elementary Reading Skills

Encourage these signs of progress in your independent reader.

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Reading to Learn: Upper Elementary Reading Skills

The main goal in grades 3 to 5 is for children to become enthusiastic, independent readers who can use their skills to learn new material in all subjects — from history to math. Put simply, children focus on learning to read through 2nd grade. After that, they "read to learn," as well as read for pleasure.

The National Research Council, the National Reading Panel, and the National Institute for Literacy identified these skills as key for kids to become strong, independent readers who enjoy reading:

1. Fluency: Fluent readers recognize words automatically so they can focus their attention on making connections among the ideas and their background knowledge.
Reading milestones:

  • Instant recognition of words
  • Reading out loud with expression
  • Reading quickly and accurately

2. Comprehension: To get the most out of reading, your child needs to read with a purpose — whether she's reading directions to a game, a textbook to learn about the first Thanksgiving, or a mystery for fun.
Reading milestones:

  • Putting events in sequence
  • Articulating the main idea
  • Summarizing a story orally or in writing

3. Spelling and writing: The focus in the upper grades is learning to spell correctly and write more sophisticated compositions with organized paragraphs and correct punctuation.
Milestones:

  • Using a dictionary to look up words he doesn't know
  • Researching and composing a simple report using a variety of sources
  • Revising compositions with help from his teacher to make them more clear and understandable

4. Vocabulary: Your child still needs to be aware of subtle differences in speech sounds that distinguish words from one another, such as "goal" and "gold," "fresh" and "flesh." She also needs to learn prefixes and suffixes to master new words.
Reading milestones:

  • Figuring out word meanings from clues in the text
  • Using synonyms and antonyms
  • Using different parts of speech correctly, including nouns, verbs, and adjectives
Books | Collections and Libraries | Boxed Set
Amelia Bedelia Chapter Books Boxed Set
Amelia Bedelia is all boxed up?literally! The Amelia Bedelia Boxed Set features the first four titles in the New York Times-bestselling chapter book series: Amelia Bedelia Means Business, Amelia Bedelia Unleashed, Amelia Bedelia Road Trip! and Amelia Bedelia Goes Wild! Short, fast-paced chapters, tons of friends and funny situations, and black-and-white illustrations by Lynne Avril on every page make the Amelia Bedelia chapter books an ideal choice for readers of the Ivy + Bean, Magic Tree House, and Judy Moody books. Each book features a guide to the idioms introduced in the story. A sticker sheet with more than 50 exclusive Amelia Bedelia stickers is also included in the box. The Amelia Bedelia chapter book boxed set makes a great gift and a wonderful way to introduce newly independent readers to a favorite character.

Contributors:

Herman Parish was in the fourth grade when his aunt, Peggy Parish, wrote the first book about Amelia Bedelia, the literal-minded housekeeper. After Peggy passed away in 1988, Herman continued the classic character, writing about Amelia Bedelia in more than 30 new books. In addition to her exploits as a housekeeper, there are now stories about Amelia Bedelia as a young girl in picture books, beginning readers, and a new series of chapter books that have become national bestsellers. You can visit him online at www.ameliabedeliabooks.com.

Lynne Avril is the illustrator of more than fifty books for children, including Amelia Bedelia?s First Day of School and the other titles in the young Amelia Bedelia series. She grew up in Montana and now makes her home in Arizona. You can visit her online at www.lynneavril.com.

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GRADES
1 - 5
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Reading Comprehension
Language Arts
Literacy
Milestones & Expectations
Age 10
Age 9
Age 8
Reading
Spelling
Independent Reading
Writing
Fluency
Vocabulary
Reading Comprehension