Reading Ideas for Summer Part 3 by BECKY at Tales of Beauty for Ashes

One of my favorite thing to do in the classroom was 

 Reading Response Letters.

It was an amazing way to get the kids to read, write and respond to what they are reading about. It also helped me see if they were truly comprehending what they were learning.

Something you can do with your child this summer, to get them to enjoy reading more, is start your own reading response notebook.

You are going to need: 

-A journal 

-A pen 

-Time

The last one was the hardest part in the classroom. When you have 70 students to write letters to, each week, it gets a little overwhelming.

Luckily you probably don't have 70 kids.

It would be great if you wrote the first letter. 
Here is a great example:

Dear Benjamin (or whatever your child's name is),>

This summer, I want to know all about what you are reading. I would also love to share my reading with you.

(Give your child some reasons why you want to do this; to help them grow in their reading, to spend more time with them, whatever.)

Currently, I am reading (tell them the book you are reading. If it is 50 Shades of Gray or something of the like, then maybe you should pick another book to share about - my opinion).

I am excited to hear all about the book you are reading. (Ask them a question or two: what is your favorite part so far? Who is your favorite character?) For a list of questions, go to this post.

From, Mommy (or whoever)

Then, you will probably need to tell your child a time you want a response by. Some kids are going to run to their room as soon as they get your letter and write you back. Others are going to run outside and play and forget about it. I suggest giving them a week to get back to you. If you need to, this might be a good time to add a reward. If they write you back by this time next week, go out for ice cream. This is a sneaky reward, because while at ice cream, you can talk all about what's in the journal!

Keep this up weekly and (this is probably the hardest part) 

DON'T DROP THE BALL!! 

You are the adult, you HAVE to keep up with this. 

 Make it a priority.

Here was my class blog with examples of student letters, to give you an idea what to expect. These are my fourth graders, so your child might be writing more or less depending on their developmental level.

I look forward to hearing how it goes. 

 *If you did this, please comment and let me know your thoughts! As always, email me if you have any questions.*

Previous Posts in this series: 

Summer Reading Series Part 1 

Summer Reading Series Part 2

Becky, I want to 

thank you for sharing 

SUMMER READING SERIES PART 3.

I hope my viewers enjoy this series 

as much as I do.