Reading literature (fiction) allows students to learn about other lives and times that relate to their own personal experiences. In this strand, students will ask and answer questions about key details (characters, setting, plot), along with retelling what they have read. Literature (fiction) helps readers learn important life lessons through the lives of the characters, comparing their own experiences with the experiences of the characters they read about. Reading
literature (fiction) allows us to learn to appreciate the beauty of the language, and to be articulate speakers and writers.
Continued work on reading comprehension standards will heighten student abilities to read more age appripriate literature (fiction) text. Teachers use assessment and observation to determine if students are ready to progress
to more challenging reading selections. Each child is unique, so be flexible, and trust your judgment as you assist your child. Together teachers and parents can help students make better choices when selecting books to read. Our youngest
readers benefit from rereading text and text with high repetition. Although levels of reading determined through observation and assessment are valuable, caution is important in not confining children to a text level. Young readers can progress
through levels of text quickly, but not all children progress at the same pace, which is expected. Increasing the frequency of reading is the highest predictor of success at any grade level. Building a child’s confidence, through successful experiences
with reading, will encourage that desire to read more. Developing successful, life-long readers is our ultimate goal.
How to Help Your Child At Home with the Literature Strand:
Read to your child often, and let him/her read books to you
Ask questions about what is being read
Go beyond just naming the character and setting, have your child describe the characters and settings with details(ex. "What character traits did the characters have?" (kind, mean, creative, patient, messy)? How do you know?)
Have your child retell a story they have read with the beginning, middle and end
Re-read favorite books to build fluency, comprehension and confidence
Discuss favorite stories together and talk about the characters and messages the author is trying to teach or lessons the characters learned in the story
Read aloud frequently. Children love to listen to stories that are more complicated than they can read on their own.
Don't forget - poetry can be a great read aloud
Make regular visits to a public library to select literature (fiction) reading material
Strands are larger groups of related standards. The Strand Grade is a calculation of all the related standards. Click on the standard name below each strand to access the learning targets and proficiency scales for
each strand's related standards.
Grade 1
