Summer Literacy Connections
Rising Grade 4
Dear Families,
It has been a wonderful year, full of learning and fun! Our children have
worked incredibly hard and have grown tremendously as learners. We
are proud of all the progress they have made during the school year.
As the school year winds down, we encourage you to plan for a summer
of reading with your children. Research has shown that children who
read during the summer months sustain reading gains made during the
school year. Additionally, it is helpful to revisit skills that may otherwise
be forgotten over the summer months.
Of course, summer is a time for vacations, camp and pursuing new
interests. However, we would like to provide families with some
suggestions for summer academic work. On the following pages you will
find information on:
1. Selecting a Just Right Book
2. Engaging your Readers – Literal/Inferential Comprehension Prompts
3. Responding to Reading – Ideas/Suggestions for Kid Blogging about Book
4. Parent Guide to Writing Mechanics
5. Thirsty for More? Links to online summer workbooks
Again, we respect your vacation time and the need in the summer for
children to play and have fun. The activities and suggestions on the
following pages are recommended, but remain optional.
Have a safe, healthy and happy summer!
How To Help Your Child Pick a
Just Right Book
Children become good readers one book at a time. But how do you help a child choose the
right books? You don’t have to be an expert in reading levels to guide a child to books that
entertain, enlighten, and challenge (without overwhelming).
You may be accustomed to choosing books for the children in your life. But did you know
that selecting a book is a useful skill that a child can and should learn? Choosing a book
independently teaches a child that we seek books for different reasons. With some simple
strategies, you can help a child to be a savvy book selector. You also can help him or her
choose books that are neither too easy nor too hard.
What is Your Purpose?
As early as you can, introduce the idea that we read for a purpose, even if that purpose is
pure enjoyment.
Ask
What type of book are you looking for today—and why?
Are you looking for fiction (made up) or nonfiction (factual)?
Ask them to explain their choice.
SAY YES
Give the child authority over choosing books to read. Say “yes” as often as you can. A book
that the child wants to read is the one you want to take home. Don’t worry if a book seems
short, too easy, or has pictures. Graphic novels (stories told in comic book frames) are a
great way to hook a reluctant reader. Looking at pictures is a perfectly acceptable way to
read a book.
IF YOUR CHILD CHOOSES BOOKS THAT ARE TOO CHALLENGING
If the child really wants to read something you know is beyond his or her ability, solve it by
reading it aloud together. You can take turns reading and define unfamiliar words as you go.
That way the child will avoid the frustration and enjoy the added bonus of your company! You
can also purchase or borrow books on audio!
USE THE 5 FINGER RULE
When your child chooses a book, open the book to a random page and have them put out their
five fingers. Have your child read aloud the page to you. For each word that cannot be
decoded, have them put a finger down. If all five fingers are down by the end of the page, the
book is most likely too challenging for the child to read independently.
In school, we learn how to
choose a book using the
I-PICK acronym.
I-Pick Just Right Books
I
P
I
C
K
choose a book
urpose – Why do I want to read this book?
nterest – Does it interest me?
omprehend – Do I understand what I’m
reading?
now – Do I know most of the words?
(5 finger rule!)
Engaging Your
Readers
As your child becomes more a more confident reader, they
will shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”. It
becomes very important in 3
rd
and 4
th
grade for students to
have a literal and inferential understanding of both fiction
and nonfiction texts.
Literal
Prompts
A literal question asks the reader to recall facts
explicitly stated in the text. Students should be able to
locate answer in text with increasing proficiency in the
upper elementary grades. Help them practice this skill
by asking “Where did you find that?” or “Prove it”
Who are the characters? Who is the main/secondary characters?
What is the setting? How does the setting change over the story?
When does the story take place?
What happened first? second? last? (RETELL/RECOUNT)
What does the main character look like?
Where in the book would you find _______?
*Any question that can be answered directly in the text is considered a “literal
question”. Often these questions start with who, what, when, and where.
Who is telling the story? From what point of view?
What is the problem?
What is the solution?
How do the character solve the problem?
What did you learn in this book? (Nonfiction)
Engaging Your
Readers
As your child becomes more a more confident reader, they
will shift from “learning to read” to “reading to learn”. It
becomes very important in 3
rd
and 4
th
grade for students to
have a literal and inferential understanding of both fiction
and nonfiction texts.
Inferential/
deductive
Prompts
An inferential or deductive question asks the reader to
go beyond the text to answer a question. The answer
is often implied, but the reader must prove his or her
response by using evidence from the text. These
questions are typically more challenging for students
to answer.
In general, asking WHY or HOW questions will help!
What is the main idea of this text? (nonfiction)
What lesson did the character learn?
How did the character feel when _________?
Why did the character feel ___________?
What made the character do that? Why do you think?
Explain why the characters acted in the way that they did?
What do you think ________ means?
How would the story have changed if __________?
How is __________ similar to ________? How is_______ different than
__________?
What was the turning point?
What were the motives behind __________?
What are some other possible outcomes?
What might have caused _________?
Does this text remind you of another text or something else?
What is the moral of the story?
How does the setting impact the story?
Responding To
Reading
The 3
rd
grade teachers have set up blogs for children to post their
responses to reading over the summer. Below you will find some
ideas and suggestions for creating a blog post about summer reading.
Every blog post should include the title, author and genre of the
book.
Fiction Prompts
1. What was your favorite part of the story? Why was this part important?
2. How did the main character change in the story?
3. What lesson did the character learn in the story?
4. Does this book (or a part of the book) remind you of another book? Explain
the similarities between the two books.
5. Does this book (or a part of the book) remind you of someone or something
in your life? Explain why/how.
6. What was the unique about the way the author wrote the book?
7. Describe the main character. What are some character traits that describe
him or her? Be sure to use evidence from the book!
8. What was the setting? How does the setting impact the story?
9. What was the problem? How was the problem solved?
10. How are you similar or different to the main character? Use at least 2
reasons to describe your thinking.
Nonfiction Prompts
1. What new or interesting information did you learn in this book?
2. Describe two nonfiction text features that you noticed. How did they help
you understand the topic?
3. What was the main idea of the book? What did the author want you to
learn?
4. What is something unique about this nonfiction book?
5. Why do you think the author chose the title? Is it a good title? Why or why
not? If not, come up with an alternate title.
Resources to Help Your Child with Writing Mechanics
As students learn how to write, they must internalize rules for spelling,
punctuation, capitalization and grammar so that they can communicate
their ideas clearly and efficiently.
My child has a hard time remembering and/or using the rules for punctuation
T
I
P
S
Resources
T
I
P
S
Resources
My child has a hard time remembering and/or using the rules for capitalization
Online Game: Extreme Sentence Surgeons http://mrnussbaum.com/xsurgeons-play
Online Interactive Work: Proofreading Makes Perfect
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/language_arts/pmp/interactive_guide/g03/g03home.ht
m
Online Game: Big Babies Paragraphs http://www.topmarks.co.uk/Flash.aspx?e=spelling-
grammar04
• Provide students with a list or paragraph of completed sentences with no
capital letters. Have students correct which letters should be capitalized.
Sentences from books, magazines, or even comic strips can be used.
• Provide students with an editing checklist that includes the rules for
capitalization (beginning of sentence, proper nouns, etc.)
• Have child read a familiar story, but before he or she begins. instruct them to
replace all punctuation with a funny sound. This will help children learn to
look for punctuation as they are reading aloud.
• Deliberately leave out punctuation marks when you are writing emails or
letters to friends/family and have children read and add in punctuation.
Disclaimer: ALWAYS check before you send it J
Online Game: Magical Capitals http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/grammar/capitals.htm
Online Game: Blown Away http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/game/en29punc-game-blown-away
Online Game: Play Your Caps Righthttp://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/game/en29punc-game-play-
your-caps-right
Using sensory approaches to practicing spelling words can help
some students. For example, tracing spelling words in sand or
salt. Some students may enjoy usng magnetic or felt letters to
spell words. This can help students practice spelling words
without having the added demand of writing them on paper.
Using sensory approaches to practicing spelling words can help
some students. For example, tracing spelling words in sand or
salt. Some students may enjoy using magnetic or felt letters to
spell words. This can help students practice spelling wordithout
having the added demand of writing them on paper.
T
I
P
S
Resources
http/spell/
T
I
P
S
Resources
My child frequently misspells words while writing stories, essays or other independent work
My child struggles to remember and/or apply grammar rules, such as noun-verb agreement, when writing
• Have your student keep a personal dictionary or word wall close to where they do their
homework each night. Help them add the correct spelling of words and hold them accountable
for spelling these words correctly on homework.
• Familiarize students with how to use spell-check on word processing programs
Online Game: Fun Brain Spell Check http://www.funbrain.com/spell/
Online Game: Princess Presto’s Spelling Bee http://pbskids.org/games/spelling/
Online Quiz: Grammar Blast http://www.eduplace.com/kids/hme/k_5/quizzes/
Online Quizzes: Grammar Gold
http://www.harcourtschool.com/menus/preview/harcourt_language/goforgold.html#G3
Free Printables http://www.greatschools.org/worksheets/fourth-grade/writing/
• Have students read work out loud and prompt errors with “Does that sound right?” If your child
cannot identify her/her error, present with choices and say “Does it sound right this way or this
way?”
• Visit Scholastic for some fun ideas to integrate grammar into your day
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/scholastic-parents-raise-reader/2-ways-to-help-kids-fall-
love-grammar
• Use favorite picture or chapter books to highlight different grammar concepts (adjectives, verbs,
etc.) to hold interest longer
Online Games and Practice: Spelling City http://www.spellingcity.com/
Spelling City can also be downloaded as an app for your tablet!
Online Games: Kidspell http://www.kidsspell.com/
