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Want Better Test Scores? Read. Read. Read.Reading, without a doubt, can help your child do better on standardized tests. In fact, according to the American Library Association (ALA), there is a significant link between daily independent reading and success in school.
Reading Diverse Topics Can Help Children:
- Increase test scores by reading non-fiction
- Develop a love of learning and books
- Understand complex concepts
- Explore new ideas and cultures
- Increase empathy and understanding for others
- Improve problem-solving skills
- Foster creativity
Reading Improves Grammar, Vocabulary Development, and World Knowledge
- Gain greater content knowledge.
Students who read on their own have better overall reading skills according to the ALA.
- Improve test results.
There's a direct correlation between children who read more outside of school and test results.
- Improve reading comprehension skills.
Independent reading improves children's reading comprehension among other skills according to multiple studies.
Quick Tip: Children who choose to read books and other materials on their own achieve the best results. Of course, reading also has a host of other benefits for children.
FOR PARENTS
How Can You Help Your Child Become a Better Reader?
To help your child become a better reader, follow these helpful tips:
For babies and preschoolers:
1. Read to your children.
The good news is that reading to your child does not have to be a time-consuming or tedious task. A few pages before bed or class can make a significant impact. It's more important to instill long-term reading habits than it is to spend hours each day reading to your kids.
2. Read from a range of distinct genres.
While reading fictional books to kids is a good start, it’s important to read from other genres. In this way, your child can realize his/her fullest potential by helping them to expand their vocabularies, content knowledge, and conceptual understanding of the world around them.
For older children:
1. Keep a wide variety of reading materials in your home.
This includes books, magazines, comics, and newspapers - preferably in varied genres. The Intellectual Bookshop offers a wide selection of pre-selected bookstacks at different reading and grade levels if you need help with this.
For both young and older children:
1. Read aloud to your child at bedtime or after dinner
This may mean making sure that there are no distractions and limiting screen time. It's also important to encourage your child to read aloud so that they can practice their reading fluency and expression. Finally, discuss the books that your child is reading with him/her. Ask questions about the characters and plot, and look for opportunities to connect the stories to their own lives.
2. Set an Example: What Are You Reading?
One of the best ways to encourage your child to read is to set an example. If you read every day, your child is likely to follow suit. And don't forget - reading doesn't have to be a solitary activity! There are plenty of great books out there waiting to be explored with someone else.
Quick Tip — how we can help! Our done-for-you system of carefully curated bookstacks can increase your child’s vocabulary in the short term and your child’s test scores in the long term. All they have to do is read the books!
Discover some amazing bookstacks that both you and your child can enjoy. Remember there are bookstacks available for all age levels and reading abilities.
FOR EDUCATORS
You know that independent reading can help your students significantly. But how do you instil a love of reading in your classroom?
Encourage independent reading in your class by:
- Reading books out loud.
- Having a designated independent reading time for both the teacher and the students.
- Asking students what they read over the weekend.
- Suggesting new reading resources like magazines, daily online articles, or even creating a class blog on school events.
- Asking them to record what they have read via a list or on a blog.
- Hosting a friendly reading "competition"with tangible rewards.
- Setting overall high reading goals for your class. Remember to make these goals realistic if learning loss is an issue with your class. They can then reach these goals through independent reading time.
Want to boost your class's test scores and overall class rankings? We carefully curated a complete Leveled Reader Personalized Student Library for your classroom. Purchase a personalized library based on each of your student's reading levels with 26 different levels (A-Z) to choose from!
