10 Ways to Engage Elementary Students with Reading

How to Engage Elementary Students with Reading

Reading is a skill developed through the activities and experiences of daily life. Many children learn to read by themselves. However, some children need reading help from their parents or other adults. The following are ten ways to engage elementary school students in reading.

1. Begin the Lesson with an Interesting Fact About the Topic

One way to engage elementary students in reading is to begin the lesson with an interesting fact about the topic. For example, if you are teaching about dinosaurs, you might start by talking about a fact related to dinosaurs.

You might talk about how long they lived or how they looked. You may also want to talk about other facts that relate to dinosaurs.

2. Start with a Picture

Another way of engaging elementary students in reading is by starting with a picture. For example, if you teach about farm animals, draw a picture of each animal and have your students identify it and write its name on their papers and the board.

As you go through your lesson plan for the day, have each student add one more picture to their documents or an additional word or phrase to the board.

3. Have Students Clap or Give a Sound as They Read

Another way of doing this is by having students clap or give a sound as they read. For example, you might say, “Clap your hands if you know what this word means.” Or, you might have them say “Good” as they read, or you might have them make noises when they are reading. This is a fun way to engage students in reading, and it helps to develop their listening skills as well.

4. Read Aloud and Do Story Problems

This is also a good way to engage elementary students in reading. For example, you might say, “Let’s read the story about the cow, Henry.” Then have your students read the story aloud and do some of the problems that follow it. You can also have them read the book or chapter and do some of the same problems at home.

5. Have Students Identify a Book Character

This is an excellent way to engage students in reading. A book character is a fictional person who appears in the book. Students are asked to identify the character in various books. This is an excellent way to engage students in reading.

6. Have Students Identify Story Elements

Story elements are parts of stories that help tell the story and make it interesting for readers. These include characters, setting, plot, theme, and subplots. By identifying these story elements, students can begin to understand how stories work and how they affect their reading.

7. Help Students Identify Story Questions

Students can get involved with a reading by asking questions about what will happen next during their read-aloud or class discussions about books they have read. For example, you might offer a selection of picture books about perseverance to your younger students and have a discussion about the themes and how the pictures made them feel. This is a good way to engage students in reading and it helps them to become more independent readers.

10 Ways to Engage Elementary Students With Reading

8. Have Students Share What They Have Learned

Many children love to share what they have learned and are eager to tell others about their experiences. At the beginning of the school day, students share what they have learned from the day before.

This is a great way to get students to articulate and put into their own words what they already know. It also helps them focus and remember important things that happened during the day.

9. Set Reading Goals for Your Children

You might read the same books to your child every day, or read different books each day. You might ask your child to read a certain number of pages a day, or a certain number of pages. The goal should be reasonable, and it should be challenging enough so that children can do it.

10. Have Students Create Reading Logs

This can be a fun way for students to record their daily reading activities. Students can make a log with the title, author, and book title. They can also include the number of pages read and how many times they read each day.

Closing Thought

As children grow, they will soon be enticed by social media and various forms of online entertainment.  Therefore, it is vitally important to engage students with reading as early as possible.  If you are working with children in a classroom, you should know that they are more than capable of reading and being enthusiastic about it. You can help them by creating an environment where they can feel safe, supported, and encouraged to read. Teachers should provide students with the various resources needed to be successful readers.

If you have younger kids in your family that are not yet in school.  Discover why preschool is good for your child.

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