Helping Your Child Explore New Books & Genres

I want to take a moment to share some important information about how you can check what kinds of books your child is reading and how to help them explore different genres.

Library Day – Every Thursday!

Each Thursday, our class visits the media center to check out new books. It’s important that students use this opportunity to read a variety of books rather than selecting the same type each time. Exploring different genres helps them grow as readers and expand their knowledge!

Some of the genres they should be reading include:

✔️ Mystery

✔️ Realistic Fiction

✔️ Historical Fiction

✔️ Biographies

✔️ Science Nonfiction

✔️ Social Studies Nonfiction

✔️ Spanish Books

✔️ Poetry

✔️ Adventure

✔️ Fantasy

✔️ Horror

Checking the Book’s Reading Level

To ensure your child is reading at the appropriate level, have them check the Accelerated Reader (AR) sticker on the back of the book. This sticker shows the book’s grade level. At this point in the year, students should be reading books at a 4th or 5th grade level. You can ask your child to show you the sticker to confirm they are selecting books within this range.

In addition to library books, students are also allowed to check out one book per week from my classroom. These books have their reading level written on the top right corner.

For example:

📚 4.1  = 4th Grade, Beginning of Year

📚 5.2 = 5th Grade, Beginning of Year

📚 5.9 = 5th Grade, End of Year (Almost 6th Grade)

Encouraging Variety in Book Selection

If your child is bringing home the same type of book every week, encourage them to branch out! Here are some ways to help:

🔹 If they always pick graphic novels, suggest a chapter book 

(adventure, realistic fiction, or fantasy).

🔹 If they only read about dinosaurs, encourage a book about space, animals, or another

science topic.

🔹 If they always choose fiction books, suggest nonfiction.

The goal is for students to read different types of books each week and read at home for at least 20 minutes every night. This will help them finish their book in time to check out a new one the following Thursday!

Thank you for supporting your child’s reading journey. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!

Happy Reading!