Lap Reading and Baggie Books

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Lap Reading and Baggie Books Two wonderful ways
to give your child a giftthe joy of reading!

• As a teacher of young children, I am often asked
  by parentsWhat can I do at home to help my
  child learn to read and write? In Jim
  Treleases book, The Read Aloud Handbook, he
  sites research stating that children who begin
  school knowing how to read have not been given
  formal reading instruction at home, but instead
  have been enriched with reading as a medium that
  provided comfort, entertainment, and meaning.
  Research over the past 25 years has shown four
  common factors present in the homes of all
  emergent readers
• The child is read to daily.
• A wide variety of printed materials are available
  in the home.
• Paper, pencils, and crayons are provided for the
  child to explore written representation and
  communication.
• The people in the childs home stimulate interest
  in reading and writing.
• (For example, modeling reading and writing,
  asking and answering questions, giving praise and
  encouragement for attempts/approximations, taking
  the child to the library frequently or buying
  books, writing stories that the child dictates,
  and displaying the childs written work in a
  prominent place)
• These factors do not require special training,
  workbooks, or structured phonics programs.
  However they do require books, a lap on which to
  snuggle, and a parent who is willing to spend
  time with a child in settings that promote the
  joy, purpose, and excitement of reading and
  writing.
• Throughout the rest of the school year, your
  child will be bringing home a weekly BAGGIE
  BOOK to share with you. Baggie books are mostly
  emergent level books designed to encourage
  independent reading through predictable and
  patterned text that directly corresponds to the
  pictures.

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Some children begin by retelling the story
using only the pictures. Some children pay more
attention to the print and are beginning to
develop one-to-correspondence by pointing to the
words. Some children use a combination of
strategies including beginning sounds and some
sight words to read the text. All of these
stages are appropriate for Kindergarten
readers. Along with Baggie Books, it is
important to continue reading a variety of rich
childrens literature from your personal library
or from the public library. Baggie books
supplement lap-reading experiences that you
already do, but do not replace them. While
emergent level books allow children to read
independently and successfully, they still need
the joy of listening and discussing stories that
are beyond their independent levels. Guidelines
for reading Baggie Books 1. Go on a book walk
together. Look at the pictures and discuss
unfamiliar vocabulary before reading. 2. Read
the book to and/or with your child the first
time, modeling concepts about print
(directionality, one-to-one matching, etc.) 3.
Encourage your child to read (or retell) the book
to you. 4. As you read, discuss the ways you
figure out unfamiliar words. (Does that make
sense? Can the picture help us? What sound does
it start with? Does the beginning letter make
that sound?) 5. Record the title (one time)
and tally the number of times you read the book
together on the recording sheet in the
baggie. 6. Encourage your child to read his/her
baggie book with a variety of family members
throughout the week. 7. Your child will select
a new baggie book at least one time each week.
Keep it to read and reread for at least two
nights before returning it to school. Thank you!