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Stuck in a rut with your reader? Do the book then movie combo! Popcorn, anyone?

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Best Children's Books That Are Movies (46 books)

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46 books based on 22 votes: Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, The Sleeping Beauty by C.S. Evans, The H...

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ReadWriteThink- Flled with endless resources & game

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ReadWriteThink- Flled with endless resources & game

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ReadWriteThink Parent & Afterschool Resources - ReadWriteThink

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Looking for engaging ways to introduce your child to reading or to encourage your teen to write? Need some age-appropriate book suggestions or rainy day activities? The materials here are your answer-all of them created by experts to be fun, educational, and easy to use outside of school.

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NEW! In this special Reading Rockets video series, experts answer real questions from families about reading and how to support their children at home.
See the video Q&A >

NEW! In this special Reading Rockets video series, experts answer real questions from families about wrting and how to support their children at home.
See the video Q&A >

Our PBS series explores reading and writing development in young children. The programs feature top reading experts, best practices in the classroom, support for struggling learners and how parents can help their kids succeed.
Watch our shows online >

Early literacy (birth to pre-K)

Connecting with your child's school

Helping your struggling reader

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NEW! In this special Reading Rockets video series, experts answer real questions from families about reading and how to support their children at home. See the video Q&A > NEW! In this special Reading Rockets video series, experts answer real questions from families about wrting and how to support their children at home.

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When I was a kid, the very best day of the week was Sunday. My dad left the house in the morning, only to return with an armload of newspapers-including the color comics section in all its glory. The funnies, as they were then called, were my paradise. They sparked a passion in me that still burns today. Not yet a strong reader, I adored the challenge of deciphering the letters suspended in each white speech balloon. With help from my father, I figured out how to sound out the words and make sense of each story.

That was how I first learned to read and to think outside the box-and how your child can, too. Each strip's three or four panels make up a world small enough for young children to explore from start to finish in just a few minutes. They're compact "educational" gems!

Comic strips, like their cousins graphic novels and comic books, are more accepted today by educators as tools for helping children master literacy. The funny, silly, clever, and touching story lines in each short strip draw eager readers in. Just a few words per frame is all it takes for a comic strip's characters to reveal a complete story. They don't require long sentences or paragraphs to relate a captivating tale or a powerful message.

Getting your kids into comic strips is easy. Just pick up a newspaper or visit a comic strip website like gocomics.com. Then, you can extend the educational value by helping them create a strip of their own. Some kids need only a blank piece of paper and pencil to churn out box after box. For those who need a prompt, you can enjoy the fun of creating one together. You'll be surprised how easy it is. Try these ideas:

Draw a row of story boxes or print one from the Internet- try printablepaper.net. A few large boxes is best at first. Your child can work up to a grid when s"he's ready for a longer sequence.

Brainstorm with your young cartoonist. Will the characters be humans or animals? What emotions might they display-happiness, sadness, anger? Where does the story take place?

Think about real-life situations to depict, such as a joke Dad told yesterday or a wacky thing that happened on the way to school. Move on to fantasy if your child wishes.

You can either draw by hand or use a free online comic strip generator (like my site, makebeliefscomix.com).

Once your child has gotten in the swing of things, you'll probably find that her vocabulary expands as she searches for new words to help her characters express themselves. Older kids might use comic strips as a terrific way to grasp classroom lessons. Summarizing the Boston Tea Party, for instance, with simple images and text is as memorable as it is fun. Comics are also a great way to record family memories for scrapbooks.

From a comic-loving kid, I grew up to become a journalist, newspaper editor, and author of a number of books that aim to help young writers find their creative voice. Your little one may not turn into a word fanatic like I did, but reading and creating comic strips might inspire an interest in other reading material, art, humor, or history. All you need is a spark.

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How Comic Strips Help Kids Read and Learn

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When I was a kid, the very best day of the week was Sunday. My dad left the house in the morning, only to return with an armload of newspapers-including the color comics section in all its glory. The funnies, as they were then called, were my paradise.

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Improve students' writing skills with these 25 ways to motivate young writers.

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As with my previous list, 51 must-read picture books, I took great pains to ensure this was not a duplicate of all the other "best chapter books of all time" book list. You do not need another list to tell you Charlotte's Web is one of the best books ever written and that your kids must read it before they grow up.

My criteria for this must read chapter books for kids book list was two-fold:

1. The book must not be a well-known book outside of the book-obsessed community, of which I am a card-carrying member.

2. The book must appeal to kids and not just their book-snob parents, a group of which I am the president and founder.

3. The whole of the list must embrace a wide variety of diverse life experiences and book genres.

Now, before you send me comments about how could I possibly have forgotten your favorite book ( I get those comments all the time, people!) remember, there is no way to make a comprehensive book list, and that was not my aim. I do, however, feel that if you go down this list of must-read chapter books, your kids will have a GREAT time reading! (Note: book titles are affiliate links.)
Be sure to also visit: 51 (out of the box) Must read picture books 62 Essential books for families to read aloud
The index of all my book lists!

Must Read Chapter Books ages 5 and up
Not every child is ready to read these books at age 5-and that is normal. And these are all must read chapter books that kids older than 5 will like!
More: See all my early chapter book lists.

My Happy Life (series) by Rose Lagercrantz, illustrated by Eva Eriksson. A sweet and realistic Swedish import about a girl who finds joy even amongst life's setbacks.

Freddie Ramos Takes Off (series)by Jaqueline Jules. Freddie receives a mysterious package containing shoes which give him super fast skills.

Bunjitsu Bunny (series) by John Himmelman. Delightfully humorous short stories about a bunny with serious martial arts skills. Mixed in is a dose of philosophy.

Super Duper Teddy (series) by Johanna Hurwitz. 4 year old Teddy gets to take on some big kid responsibilities.

Ellen Tebbits by Beverly Cleary. Ellen has a new friend, Austine, but can she keep from messing up her new relationship?

Emil and the Great Escape (series) by Astrid Lindgren. Clever Emil has humorous adventurous in rural Sweden.

The Magician's Boy by Susan Cooper. A magician's assistant gets a crash course on magic when he gets thrown into the Land of Stories on a journey to find St. George.

Dory Fantasmagory (series) by Abby Hanlon. An absolutely hilarious series about a girl with an overactive imagination.

The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle. The Gigglers set in motion a super stinky prank and the kids and their dog must thwart it.

Beans on the Roof by Betsy Byers. Anna is up on the roof writing a poem for a contest, and soon her whole family is composing poetry together.

Must Read Chapter Books ages 7 and up

These are some of my top chapter books every child should be reading - on their own or even as a read aloud! More: see all my chapter book lists

Gertie's Leap of Greatness by Kate Beasley, illustrated Jillian Tamaki. Move over Ramona and Clementine, there is a new spunky girl in town.

The Night Fairy by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Angela Barrett. When a fairy loses her wings she must survive the night in a world full of danger and discovery.

Year of the Dog (series) by Grace Lin. Pacy navigates friends, school, family and Chinese New Year as she discovers what it means to be herself.

8 Class Pets + 1 Squirrel ÷ 1 Dog = Chaos (series) by Vivian Vande. A laugh-out-loud tale of the chaos created when a squirrel runs through an elementary school.

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Eric Rohmann. In Saint Bartholemew's church, a group of mice comes up with a clever way to thwart an extermination plan.

by Avi. A charismatic mouse decides to set out on to see the world.

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins (series) by R. A. Spratt. An outrageously ridiculous nanny ( she's a pig!) has some unorthodox ideas about how to raise children.

Confessions of an Imaginary Friend: A Memoir by Jacques Papier by Michelle Cuevas. In this unusual, hilarious and intriguing book, the narrator learns he is actually an imaginary friend and must find his purpose.

The Spiderwick Chronicles by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black. Three children discover a magical field guide that changes their lives.

Because of Mr. Terrupt (series) by Rob Buyea. Told with alternating narratives, this story follows the experience of a group of fifth graders as they learn how to be more accepting of themselves and of each other.

Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan. This funny and touching story of an Indian immigrant adjusting to middle school and a boy who recently lost his best friend due to a move is told in alternating voices.

The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. The first book in a series about a Native American family in the 19th century.

by Alex Gino. A 5th grade girl struggles with her gender identity and how to explain it to her friends and family.

The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth, illustrated by Raoul Vitale. A quiet book about a Japanese man and his cat. Interspersed with poetry, the text is imbued with Buddhist teachings.

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom (series) by Christopher Healy. Fairy tales get turned upside-down in this hilarious series in which princes and princesses set out to make a name for themselves.

Rickshaw Girl by Mitali Perkins, illustrated by Jamie Hogan. Naima figures out a way to earn money for her family in Bangladesh.

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis. Spunky and immensely likable Deza struggles through the Great Depression when she, her mother and brother set off to find her father after he disappears.

The Family Fletcher (series) by Dana Alison Levy. A hilarious tale in which a diverse family, both in personality and ethnicity, navigates the perils of family life and school.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech. Jack learns how to express himself with the help of a sensitive teacher, his dog and poetry.

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman. An uppity prince and his whipping boy become embroiled in a kidnapping plot with comic results.

Under the Egg byLaura Marx Fitzgerald. Theodora roams around New York City to solve the puzzle of a mysterious painting left to her by her grandfather.

How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell. A classic tale about a disgusting dare.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (series) by Grace Lin. This is most likely on all the "Best Books for Kids" lists, but most of the parents I talk to have never heard of it so I feel compelled to include it!

Must Read Chapter Books ages 9 and up

In this section of my must read middle grade books I've made sure to include some timeless classic books and some more contemporary novels. More: see all my middle grade book lists

Eyes of the Amaryllis by Natalie Babbitt. A rather haunting but classic tale about a girl waiting with her grandmother for a message from the sea. This book will stick with your kids forever.

Surviving the Applewhites by Stephanie S. Tolan. A very funny story about a misfit theatrical family and the rebel foster kid who comes to stay with them.

The Best Man by Richard Peck. This author is well known for his book, A Long Way From Chicago, but this newest release from him about a boy learning about the men he considers his role models.

The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Shane W. Evans. A verse novel about Amira who faces war horrors in Sudan.

The Apothecary (series) by Maile Meloy. A suspenseful, thrilling series set during the Cold War. Two friends seek to uncover the mystery surrounding an apothecary's book.

Fish in A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Ally is skilled at hiding her inability to read, but a sensitive teacher and a diagnosis gives her a fresh start.

by Matthew J. Kirby. Solveig and her siblings are trapped, along with the king's guard, a group of warriors known as the berserkers in a fortress during a winter storm. Solveig attempts to uncover the traitor amongst them.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. A coming of age story in which Esperanza and her family fall on hard times in Mexico during the Great Depression and immigrate to California.

Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff. After a terrible accident Trent is suffering from guilt. An unlikely friendship with a rather mysterious girl helps him to move on.

Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk. A compelling story. Annabelle befriends the local hermit and must stand up to bullies to do the right thing.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. Dashti, a servant to a princess locked in a tower narrates her imprisonment, correspondence with a prince and her eventual escape and journey to the nearby kingdom.

A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park. An absolutely fascinating story set in medieval Korea about an orphan who becomes a potter's apprentice.

As Brave as You by Jason Reynolds. 11 year old Genie and his brother travel from Brooklyn to rural Virginia to spend the summer with their grandparents.

It Ain't So Awful Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas. In 1970s California a young Iranian immigrant figures out how to be American without rejecting her heritage. Both funny and moving.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. An incredibly moving story about a girl breaking out of the confines of her disability.

Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin. A surprisingly funny tale of a boy who starts to doubt the authority of the USSR in the time of Stalin.

Masterpiece by Elise Broach, illustrated by Kelly Murphy. An artistically talented beetle and a boy solve an art mystery.

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley.Ada and her younger brother Jamie, escape a cruel mother when they are evacuated to the English countryside during WWII.
Want to keep up with our famous Monday book lists? Subscribe to our newsletter. Other book lists in this series:
And if you absolutely must have a standard list of the top 100 books, you can check out this terrific list at SLJ, which I would certainly agree are also essential chapter books for kids!

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51 Must Read Chapter Books for Kids (Not Your Typical Book List)

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As with my previous list, 51 must-read picture books, I took great pains to ensure this was not a duplicate of all the other "best chapter books of all time" book list. You do not need another list to tell you Charlotte's Web is one of the best books ever written and that your kids must read it before they grow up.

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101 Things to Do When Kids Say 'I'm Bored'

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'I'm bored.' Kids love saying it; parents hate hearing it. Banish boredom forever with these 101 kid-tested fun activities. "I'm bored!" No matter whether you're a parent, babysitter or nanny, chances are good that you're all too familiar with this phrase. The question is: How do you handle it?

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I get a lot of parents asking how they could help their kids with spelling this could be a good resource.

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It just takes 3 things to raise a reader

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It just takes 3 things to raise a reader

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My kids love to read. Me, not so much. I kind of faded in high school and college made me hate reading with a passion. I think I literally took a full year off reading anything other then magazines. I was just so tired of WORDS. Anyway, I have come up with 3 things that I think have produced lifelong readers in my kids.

1. Library. Library, library, library. Every 3 weeks (or whatever works for you), put it on your calendar. Make sure you go. Will you love it? Not likely. Figure out how many books you can reasonably allow them to get and then go for it. Make sure you include non fictions in their reading too!

2. Read to them. Reading is a basic part of our daily routine from about 1 year of age on. They know that nap/bedtime comes after they read. The end. There is no easier way to spend time with your kids then to read to them. Start early, keep it going. I actually read Farmer Boy to my boys over last summer. I can't say they were thrilled with it, but I would REALLY like to get a book that we could all read together and enjoy!

3. Encorporate into your day. My kids forego naptimes at about 3, but they still have quiet time that is about an hour of JUST books. We have a LOT of books at our house, probably about 10 shelves so that helps, besides what we get at the library. Have your kids around books. They will open then and devour them. Goodwill is a great place to get books. There's still plenty of use out of a used book.

If your child suffers from a lack of reading, or enjoying reading, I really think these 3 things will help them. There is always SOMETHING at the library that they will enjoy. Let them pick it. They can have ANY book there, it's like going to the store without having to pay! Befriend the librarian, tell them what your child likes and I bet they can find a book for them.

Reading. It's what productive humans do. I must say I tend to fall asleep reading now, but I read a LOT at work, I have to read for PTO and I'm constantly reading to make myself a better person. Your kids will thank you for it.

Check out my other reading steps:

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My kids love to read. Me, not so much. I kind of faded in high school and college made me hate reading with a passion. I think I literally took a full year off reading anything other then magazines. I was just so tired of WORDS.

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*This post is continually updated and maintained with current links and information! 🙂

Do you ever find yourself a bit confused at all the literacy terms there are out there for reading and writing? I know I totally did when I was first introduced to them. Today, I hope to shed a little light on many of the literacy terms you may find in your curriculum or while searching on a website/blog. I'm organizing them by category and then each term will be listed and defined in alphabetical order. If I have an example, I'll link to that as well (to prevent this post from getting too long). There is also a FREE printable version included at the bottom of this post. Hang on because here we go!

General Literacy Terms

balanced literacy - A term used to describe a reading program that integrates several reading methods so that you're not leaning too heavily on one side of teaching. For example, a balanced program integrates reading AND writing as well as phonics AND sight words. It's not an either/or. All are included.

- A language processing issue that can make it difficult for the student to: 1) Hear sounds in words {see phonological awareness below}, 2) recognize "known" words quickly, affecting fluency, 3) figure out unknown words, 4) spell, and 5) comprehend text. {Read more HERE or visit my Struggling Readers Pinterest board for multiple articles about dyslexia.}

emergent reader - A child who has learned the basics, like letters and their sounds and is ready to begin the early stages of reading. My Reading the Alphabet curriculum was created for my early emergent reader.

- Understanding the relationship between written letters and the sound(s) that they make

pre-reader - A child that does not fully understand that print has meaning. For example, a pre-reader does not fully understand the relationship between the written letter and that it makes a sound (phonics)

- Reading SAW for was or spelling with a b instead of a d. Reversals are VERY common in early literacy {K-2nd grade} and do not necessarily mean the child is dyslexic. {Read more HERE}

sight words - A sight word is any word that a child has learned by sight. While the most common sight words can be found in Fry's list as well as the Dolch word list, a child's name could also be considered a sight word for that particular child. {Read more: Teaching of Sight Words, When Sight Words Just Don't Stick}

Phonological Awareness Terms

phoneme blending - The ability to take the small sounds (phonemes) in a word and blend them together to make a word. For example, if you said, "/k/-/a/-/t/", with the three sounds separated a bit, can you your child blend them together a little quicker to know it was the word cat?

phoneme isolation - The ability to isolate a certain sound in a word. For example, I can ask my child, "What sound do you hear at the beginning of mop? This requires the child to isolate one sound and pull it out from the word: /m/. See our beginning and ending letter sound sorting activity. It helps kids isolate phonemes.

phoneme manipulation - The ability to "play" with sounds in a word by blending, isolating, and/or segmenting them. For example: "If you take the /m/ off of man and put a /p/ on the front, what word would it make?" (answer: pan). Doing this requires the child to isolate the m sound, separated it from the word, add the /p/ and then blend the word back together. The easiest stage of phoneme manipulation is with the initial or first sound of the word (like the example I just gave). Harder examples include: asking the child to change man into mat (take off the last sound, add a different sound) or man into mutt (take off the middle sound, add a different vowel sound).

phoneme segmentation - the ability to take the entire word and break it into separate phonemes (or small sounds). For example, if the child wants to spell frog, can he separate the sounds /f/-/r/-/o/-/g/ and write a letter to represent each one? Beginning spellers typically hear and spell the first and/or last sounds before moving to the middle sounds. This is a normal part of spelling development. I have a free printable pack for phoneme segmentation here.

phonological awareness- The ability to hear sounds within a word. This is the larger umbrella under which phonemic awareness falls. My Reading the Alphabet curriculum focuses a lot with phonological awareness and beginning phonemic awareness, as these are the building blocks for reading.

rhyming words- a part of phonological awareness. Two words that begin differently, but have a similar sound at the end. For example: play, day, sleigh, weigh, stay, etc. Note: rhyming words are not always spelled the same.

- a part of phonological awareness. I call these the "big parts" of a word with younger kids. For example, words like cat, mop, and fun only have one big part (or syllable), while words like button, able, and under have two. {Read more HERE} You can also see how we counted syllables with LEGO bricks here.

Phonics Terms

ambiguous vowels - These are vowel combinations that can make more than one sound, like the oo in book and moon OR sounds that can be represented by more than one vowel combination, like the sound of /ah/ in tall, caught, or cost.

blend (consonant)- A blend is when you take two letters, put them together (side-by-side) in a word, and you hear both sounds. A few examples include: bl, gr, st, or nd. Set 4 of my BOB Book printables has a lot of work with blends. The image you see above comes from that set. I also have a FREE Blend BINGO game I created to help kids play with blends.

consonant - Consonants include the letters: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, and z (although some of these letters can act as vowels, too). Consonants are frequently referred to just with the letter C in curriculum and on sites.

decode - The ability to look at letters and figure out the "code" of the letters so that it makes a word.

digraph (consonant) - A consonant digraph is when you take two letters, put them together (side-by-side) in a word, and you hear only one sound. Examples include: ch, gn (less common), sh, th, wh, wr.

digraph (vowel) - Two vowels found side-by-side in a word that make one sound (unless you are from the south and you can make these vowel digraphs into 3 or 4 sounds). Examples include: ai, ee, oa, or, aw.

inflected endings - Endings put on the end of base words such as: -s, -es, -ed, or -ing.

- A vowel that makes it's sound of its letter name. For example, in the word cat, the a does not make the letter name sound, but in the word name, it does. In spelling instruction, long vowels are typically taught after short vowels because, although its easier to hear the vowel sounds, the spelling patterns are less predictable than short vowel patterns.

phonogram - See phoneme in the section above

prefix- A group of letters before a (base) word that changes the word's meaning. Some common examples are: un-, de-, in-, non-, or ex-. Prefixes have meanings themselves, too. For example, un- means not. If the meaning of the word doesn't change, it is not considered a prefix. For example, in the word uncle, the un- is not a prefix, but a part of the word itself.

r-controlled vowels - Vowels followed by an r that "control" them. They are often referred to as bossy r vowels. The five most common r-controlled vowel combinations are ar, er, ir, or, and ur.

- The part of the word that comes after the onset. Many rimes are predictable, meaning they are usually spelled the same. The words play, day, jay, and gray all share the same rime: ay. For this reason, I love to have kids spell and read using word families (or rimes). {Read my recent guest post HERE}

short vowel - Short vowels do not make their letter name sounds like long vowels. Vowels are typically pronounced with their short sound when there is only one vowel in the word or syllable and it is followed by one or more consonants. While there are some exceptions to this (like told or truth), most words do follow this generalization. Examples of short vowel words include: well, hot, sand, or six.

suffix- Letters put on the end of a (base) word that changes its meaning. Examples include, but are not limited to -ed, -ly, -ful, or -less.

syllable juncture - The point at which two syllables come together in a word. Studying various kinds of syllable junctures helps readers understand how to decode/read words. For example, sample is divided between the m and p while robot is divided between the first o and the b. The division of the syllables affects vowel sounds within the syllables.

word families- Words that rhyme and have rimes that are spelled the same. They have different onsets (beginning letters), but the same rime (word chunks). An example of this are the words dog, frog, log, clog, etc. Emergent readers are prime candidates for learning phonics by way of word families! {Read more HERE}.

- The study of word patterns in the English language. Instead of teaching phonics as a list of isolated rules (that are so often broken), phonics is taught by looking at and analyzing words that are spelled similarly and coming up with generalizations that apply to that group of similar words. For example, why don't give, love and have contain long vowels? These words aren't rule breakers! When studied as a group, students realize there's a generalization for them. {Read more about word study HERE}.

Fluency Terms

accuracy (word)- The ability to read the word correctly the first time. Word accuracy is important for fluency and comprehension.

automatic - When a reader can look at a word and read it within one second of seeing it. Word automaticity is important for fluency and comprehension.

echo reading - The adult reads a portion of the text with fluency first, then the child copies the adult

expression - Another term used for prosody {see below}

intonation - Using the sound of your voice to convey meaning. For example, your voice inflects up a bit at the end of asking a question {a part of prosody}.

prosody - using your voice to express the meaning of the text. Prosody includes things like: intonation, grouping words together in meaningful phrases, or using the punctuation to group words together. When someone reads with prosody, it sounds more like they are talking rather than reading.

reading rate (words per minute) - How quickly did the child read the passage? A simple way to calculate words per minute is to take the number of words in the passage and multiply it by 60. Divide that number by the actual time in seconds it took for the child to read that passage. So if the passage was 200 words long, and Samantha read it in 2 minutes, her words per minute would be 100 words per minute. And just a side note: reading quickly isn't always a good thing if kids are more focused on how fast they can read versus the meaning of the text.

self-corrections - When a child goes back and corrects a mistake in her reading.

silent reading - When a child reads silently to himself. Younger children tend to whisper read instead of reading in complete silence. Silent reading is a part of balanced literacy. Books that the child reads during silent reading should primarily be books that he can read with independence (for example, books that the child has already read with you).

Comprehension Terms

Bloom's Taxonomy - A way to classify different kinds of thinking. Bloom's starts out at the basic level (knowledge) and moves up into higher order thinking, like synthesis and evaluation.

context (in context) - When reading is done in context, it is done within the text. Words are kept in their context. Instead of pulling individual words out for study, words are figured out by using the context of the sentence or passage.

explicit questions - Questions that directly come from the text, the reader can go back and find the answer word-for-word. These kinds of questions would be on the lowest level of Bloom's Taxonomy.

fiction - A story or text that is made up. Fiction can be realistic or fantasy. (I hesitate to say that fiction is "not true", because lots of fiction does include facts, like historical fiction.)

main idea - The way I always describe main idea to kids is: What is the story ALL about? Main idea does not include small details, but the big picture and can usually be summed up in one or two sentences.

non-fiction - Text that is not made up and is based on facts. Non-fiction includes more than a science or history book. A recipe is non-fiction. The ingredients on the cereal box are non-fiction. The rules to a card game are non-fiction.

picture walk (preview)- This is an activity done before reading takes place. The reader looks through the pictures of the text and predicts what he or she thinks is happening. This is a great way to activate prior knowledge and to give the child a purpose in reading. Students using non-fiction texts can preview the text by looking at the table of contents, charts, or photographs to predict what the text will be about.

prior knowledge (background knowledge)- Also known as schema. What does the reader already know about the subject before even reading the text. Comprehension is much easier if the reader has prior knowledge of the subject before reading. You can read more about that HERE. If the child does not have the prior knowledge, the adult can build prior knowledge by making learning hands-on and tangible.

retell/summarize - When a child retells what happened in the story, she is including only the important parts of the story. Retelling requires the reader to determine what's important/not important from the text and retell it in a way that makes sense to the listener. {Read more about Teaching Young Readers How to Summarize or Using Fiction Text Structure to Retell}. Summarizing non-fiction can get even trickier {refer to text features/text structure below}

story elements - Story elements are the basic features that make a story be a story such as characters, setting, problem, and solution. These story elements work together to form the plot.

text features and text structure - Text features and text structures go hand-in-hand in helping young readers know what is important and not so important to the text. There is A LOT of meat with text features and text structure, so you may want to read my two articles: Fiction Story Elements and Text Structure & Non-Fiction Text Features and Text Structures. You may also be interested in my 5 day series on Teaching Text Structure (with BOTH fiction and non-fiction information AND FREE printable organizers!}

theme - The theme is what the author wants you to walk away with from the text. Often the author wants readers to learn a lesson for life such as be kind or act responsibly. Fables are a great medium for teaching theme, as fables all have a moral or lesson to be learned.

Writing Terms

conventional spelling- Spelling words the correct way.

copy work - Asking a child to copy words, phrases, or sentences to practice grammar, handwriting, and/or phonics skills. Many people will select passages from a text that the adult and child just read together as copy work. Once the child copies the work, he is supposed to read it aloud to practice fluency as well.

handwriting - Letter formation or writing. All young writers should begin writing their letters from the top down instead of the bottom up when making vertical strokes. Right-handed children should also drag their pencil from left to writing when making horizontal strokes while left-handed children should drag their pencil from right to left. Forming letters this way facilitates dragging the pencil versus pushing the pencil to write.

invented spelling- When a child does not spell the word conventionally, but makes up a spelling of the word instead. I love invented spellings because they tell you so much about what a writer understands about how words work. {See how we use invented spelling HERE and read my article Invented Spelling: The GOOD, the Bad, and the Ugly here}

writing process- This is my favorite way to teach writing: as a process. This approach encourages kids to engage with writing like real authors do. It includes brainstorming ideas, writing rough drafts, revising, editing, publishing, and sharing work. If you have a primary-age student, you will WANT to read all the simple lesson ideas shared by The Measured Mom and I during a 12-week writing series called, Simple Writing Lessons.

writing prompts - Any time an adult gives the child his subject for writing. Writing prompts can be effective for giving young writers a springboard for more writing. They can also be effective for controlling vocabulary. For example, if your child was working on the sight word like, you might give him a prompt to practice that new word, such as "I like...", and he completes the sentence. If you'd like some creative writing prompts for each month of the year, you can purchase the bundle pack HERE.

For more FAQ, please feel free to visit my FAQ post for parents.

Want a printable copy of all these literacy terms and definitions? Click HERE or on the image above.

Stay connected to This Reading Mama so you don't miss a thing:

~Becky

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This post is continually updated and maintained with current links and information! 🙂 Do you ever find yourself a bit confused at all the literacy terms there are out there for reading and writing? I know I totally did when I was first introduced to them.

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Visit our COVID-19 Recovery pages for updates and recommended resources.

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Audio books have surged in popularity in recent years, enabled by their ease of use and advancements in smart phones. Gone are the days of numbered cassettes and bulky players. Technology has created more opportunities to listen to good books.

But not everyone believes listening to books is a good thing -- biases in favor of reading run deep, and those who listen are often accused of "cheating." There's a common perception that listening doesn't require the same amount of work to reach understanding as reading does.

The debate can come to the fore of the classroom, where audio books can be a valuable tool for learning. Listening is a critical component of Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts, as is reading. To help teachers and students (and perhaps audio book listeners who get pulled into these debates), professor Daniel Willingham, author of Raising Kids Who Read, explains the difference in how the brain processes listening vs. reading. In his blog post, he answers the question he gets all the time, is listening to audio books cheating?

Listening to an audio book might be considered cheating if the act of decoding were the point; audio books allow you to seem to have decoded without doing so. But if appreciating the language and the story is the point, it's not. Comparing audio books to cheating is like meeting a friend at Disneyland and saying "you took a bus here? I drove myself, you big cheater." The point is getting to and enjoying the destination. The point is not how you traveled.

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Listening Isn't Cheating: How Audio Books Can Help Us Learn

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Audio books have surged in popularity in recent years, enabled by their ease of use and advancements in smart phones. Gone are the days of numbered cassettes and bulky players. Technology has created more opportunities to listen to good books.

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Ways a Parent/Guardian Can Help With Reading

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Ways a Parent/Guardian Can Help With Reading

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I've always been an avid reader. I used to spend chilly winter weekend days like today curled up in my favorite chair, coffee in one hand and a book in the other.

I don't get time to read much now that I have kids of my own, but I need to make sure I'm still taking time to read - not just because it's something I love to do, but because I want my kids to see reading as something that is an enjoyable part of every day life. Whether I'm reading the newspaper, a magazine or a book - or even blog posts online - I want to talk with my kids about what I'm reading that I find interesting and point out things that I think would be of interest to them.

My kids are just starting to learn to read, but I imagine that someday we'll be able to spend a perfect winter day curled up on the couch together, each reading something we love.
Printable pdf version Check out the version for primary!

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Ways a Parent Can Help a Child with Reading

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I've always been an avid reader. I used to spend chilly winter weekend days like today curled up in my favorite chair, coffee in one hand and a book in the other.

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ten facts parents should know about reading

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thirty do's to remember when reading aloud

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a dozen don'ts to remember when reading aloud

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why some read a lot and some read very little

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Description of the free brochures for parents, written by Jim Trelease, about reading.

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Fine motor activities have always been put on a back burner in this house, until recently.

Which is probably a good thing.

Gross motor skills should come before fine motor skills.

Those big muscles help the little muscles!

MORE ACTIVITIES YOU MIGHT LIKE

But wow! What a difference a year makes!

You gotta try these cutting activities to build fine motor skills as well as learn to use scissors!

Last year, Henry wouldn't sit still, or have any desire to do anything that didn't involve a lot of running around. We were really into activities that promoted his gross motor skills at that time.

But recently, Henry's taken a turn and likes to focus on some of these littler things. He loves to cut especially.

Now that's he's interested in these fine motor activities, what can we do?

I've gathered up some inspiration.

Some materials that promote fine motor skills... and click the link (or look below) to find a fine motor activity to do with them!

Get the Fine Motor Go-To List printable here.

Materials that promote fine motor skills:

Play with these kinds of materials and your child will be working on fine motor skills without even realizing it!

Now that you have some materials to grab and have on hand to work on fine motor skill, put them to use with some of the activities that promote them!

These activities can be done with a great variety of materials, so don't just limit yourself to what's above, but instead use it as inpsiration!

If you're struggling for younger kids to work on their fine motor skills, you may want to look into our fine motor activities for toddlers suggestions.

Activities that promote fine motor skills

Certain types of activities work on fine motor skills in ways that strengthen fingers, works on hand eye coordination and helps with their precision.

Get a quick print of these materials and what to do with them here, or click the image below.

You will find even more activities for fine motor skills... these 32 activities are focused on objects that help strengthen a child's hand grip.

Stock up on these fine motor materials, here are some handy affiliate links to get you started: Plastic Sewing Needles for Kids, Colorful Buttons, Eye Droppers, Fiskars Pointed Scissors, Marbles, Beads.
Before really focusing in on fine motor skills, get the kids moving and using their gross motor skills first!

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Promote Fine Motor Skills with 30 Materials & Activities | hands on : as we grow

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Fine motor activities have always been put on a back burner in this house, until recently. Which is probably a good thing. Gross motor skills should come before fine motor skills. Those big muscles help the little muscles! MORE ACTIVITIES YOU MIGHT LIKE But wow! What a difference a year makes!

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Martha Stewart and Lauren McGrath discuss organizing a homework workstation.

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These Top Free Reading Apps are a fun way for K-5 students to practice their reading skills! These definitely can come in handy during reading workshop, reading time at home, tutoring sessions, long road trips, etc. These apps provide practice with sight words, phonics, grammar, and more. I especially love the storybook apps where interactive stories are narrated. This will help struggling readers build fluency while they follow along. I like to use these in my tutoring sessions because sometimes they are just a bit more exciting than me reading to my students :)

1. Sight Words - This app is great practice for reading sight words. The student listens to the word being read, and then has to touch the word that matches from the choices given. Word lists are provided, but you can also add your own words and even record your voice reading them!

2. ABCmouse.com - These are fun stories that are read out loud with high quality narration and music. These are great for beginning readers!

3. VTech: What's That Noise - Here is a storybook app about Rufus the dog moving to a new city. This fun app is engaging with colorful animations on each page. It also has reading questions too!

4. Grammar Wonderland (Elementary) - Practice using nouns, adjectives, verbs, and more in this fun app! These colorful and interactive games will definitely keep kids entertained. Also, check out Grammar Wonderland (Primary) for the same kinds of fun games for younger learners.

5. Aesop for Children - This app provides over 140 classic fables accompanied by illustrations and interactive animations. There is no read-aloud option, so for young readers an adult would need to narrate. The animations are really simple, but it's still a great way to read fables!

6. Phonics Genius - This app is loaded with over 6,000 professionally recorded words that are grouped into 225 phonics categories. It is designed to help students recognize and distinguish words by sounds. Great practice!

7. Grammar Jammers Primary Edition - This one is so fun! There are catchy animated songs and rhymes to make learning about nouns, verbs, sentences, etc. way more entertaining. Students then can practice their skills after hearing the songs. (There are also elementary and middle editions available, but those aren't free.)

8. Sparklefish - If you like Mad Libs, you will love this app! You can record words in your own voice for playback in funny ad-lib stories. Endless fun!

9. Disney Storytime - This app comes with 3 free Disney stories! (The rest of the stories you have to buy.) Students can read by themselves or have the option of narration. Many kids love Disney, so these are great for any reluctant readers.

10. StoryChimes - Enjoy the classic tales of the Three Little Pigs and The Ugly Duckling with beautiful illustrations, sound, and music. Just note that there are ads in these apps. To get them ad free you have to purchase them. Other free stories:

Do you like free apps? I sure do! Be sure to check out these posts:
Free Sight Word Apps Free Elementary Language Arts Apps Best Tools To Level Books
Also be sure to follow my Literacy Apps Pinterest board that I will keep adding to!

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Top Free Reading Apps - Rachel K Tutoring Blog

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These Top Free Reading Apps are a fun way for K-5 students to practice their reading skills! These definitely can come in handy during reading workshop, reading time at home, tutoring sessions, long road trips, etc. These apps provide practice with sight words, phonics, grammar, and more.