Books, Books, and More Books

Fifth graders are reading more fluently and thinking more deeply about what they’re reading from textbooks and novels. This year the children will be strengthening their reading comprehension skills with expressing their own points of views with a variety of topics, characters, and learn to read harder and more complex words. Fifth grade reading usually involves looking at elements of a book’s plot, including the setup, rising action, climax, and resolution. Your child will learn to analyze characters and settings, as well as recognize the author’s purpose for writing. 

The children still love to read with someone! Chapter books can be overwhelming, so find a series that your child would be interested in and make it fun. You can take turns reading with your child and then build up to your child reading a chapter independently. You and your child can ask each other questions about the book to check for comprehension and the thoughts you both have about the book and characters. Also, you and your child can look up unknown words to build vocabulary skills. Fifth grade reading skills involve understanding vocabulary by learning about prefixes/suffixes, root words, antonyms/synonyms, and word relationships.