One of the most priceless gifts we can give our children is to encourage them, not only to learn to read … but to love to read!
Effortless reading fluency stimulates your child’s imagination and curiosity, and powers up her confidence and self-esteem. If she can slay a whole book, then she can do just about anything!
Reading Between the Lines
Many complex skills are embedded in a good story. Here are a few:
- Decoding unfamiliar texts
- Absorbing new vocabulary
- Igniting the imagination
- Discovering the world
- And let’s not forget the giggle factor while expanding our kids’ young minds. Discovering that reading is pleasurable is perhaps the most awesome hidden gem!
The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow
The ultimate reward of mastering the art of reading is success in school … and beyond. Confident, fearless readers are able to use their reading skills to navigate the spectrum of boundless imagination and endless information.
Their world suddenly becomes a global village of interconnectivity and inspiration.
After all, once your kid can accurately decode multisyllable words that sound like they are spelled (you know, those orthographically regular words such as discombobulation or specificity), then the world is definitely their oyster!
What to Expect of Your 7-Year-Old
In the story, How to Blow Your Nose, Jessica is 7 years old.
She was unable to blow her nose, but you can bet she had already developed some impressive reading skills.
Here is an overview of the reading skills that are typical for a 7-year-old. Remember that kids develop at varying speeds, so not every 7-year-old will be at the same point.
And that is perfectly okay. So generally, a 7-year-old:
- Identifies an increasing number of words by sight.
- Uses letter-sound knowledge to sound out unknown words.
- Accurately reads many irregularly spelled words.
- Reads with greater fluency
- Notices when a text doesn’t make sense, and begins to use strategies such as rereading, and figuring out the context, to understand it.
- Recalls facts and details of texts.
- Poses possible answers to how, why, and what-if questions.
- Discusses similarities in characters and events across stories.
Let’s Stimulate Some Discussion
How to Blow Your Nose offers a great opportunity for kids, along with their parents and teachers, to dig deep into the story and answer some probing questions.
- Can you think of any possible reasons that might explain why Jessica sneezed a lot?
Maybe she had an allergy issue.
- What exactly was Jessica unable to do that prevented her from blowing her nose effectively?
She couldn’t keep her mouth shut and blow through her nose at the same time.
- In your opinion, did Jess’ sneezing problem prevent her from having friends? Provide some evidence to back up your response.
Not at all. She had a little neighborhood crew, and they played together all the time.
- Would you agree that Jessica enjoyed a warm relationship with her Granna? Give 3 reasons why you think so.
Yes. Granna helped to brush her hair; Granna gave her a slime kit for Christmas and taught her how to make slime; Granna patiently explained how to blow your nose.
- Circle any of these words to describe Daniel’s personality. More than one may apply:
Mischievous / serious / playful / shy / sad
Mischievous / playful.
- Do you think mean is an appropriate word to describe him?
It might seem that way, but he was really just trying to be funny.
- Oftentimes, something good and positive can come out of a bad experience. In Jess’ case:
- What was the bad experience?
Her uncontrollable sneezing when she smelled the stinkweed.
- What would you saywas the worst-case scenario that might have happened?
She might have looked super gross and dribbled all over their slime cakes.
- How did Jessica decide to react to this disaster?
She decided to take matters into her own hands once and for all, and to practice blowing her nose again and again until she nailed it.
- What does that say about her personality?
She is determined and gritty and knows when to say Enough is Enough!
- Does the ending of the story make you want to cry or smile? Explain why.
There is no right or wrong answer here. This is simply to express YOUR unique opinion!
Moving On to the Next Chapter
As reading picture book stories becomes more and more of a treasured pastime, your child will effortlessly transition from learning to read to reading to learn.
And, as you gain a better understanding of what it takes to learn to read, you are now confidently positioned to inspire your child to grow – and thrive – as a reader, a learner … and a thinker!
Barbara Ann Elder Kids' Books 