We appreciate the participation of librarians and other library staff in connecting patrons with opportunities to help their children practice reading and writing skills!
The following collection of resources has been curated from our full offering of evidence-based literacy resources. We choose resources that are applicable for home use and do not require an extensive amount of accompanying instruction.
These resources can be freely printed and distributed at any library, linked on library websites, shared via library social media, and distributed in any other way. They could also be used for librarian- or volunteer-led activities in the library.
Games and Activities
Creating a Book Recommendation Video
This guide provides sentence starters for students in fourth grade and older to formulate thoughts and opinions about a book which they can convey verbally for a book recommendation video. Filming tips for teachers are also provided. Videos can be posted for friends to see. Videos like these can be a way to motivate students to read and create something meaningful and useful.
Creating a Book Recommendation Video
Paraphrase Game
Players describe nouns so that other players can guess them. This game provides practice using paraphrasing strategies, which are helpful when a speaker is struggling to use an unknown word.
Word Match Game
Players match nouns and adjectives to expand their vocabulary and practice other literacy skills including morpheme awareness, making connections to background knowledge, and social connections. Directions for how to play the game and templates to make your own cards are included.
Reading Graphic Organizers
Asking Questions of Readers in the Lower Grades (Pre-Kindergarten-Fourth Grade)
This organizer helps readers develop comprehension skills by learning how to ask questions and look for the answers in a text.
Asking Questions of Readers in the Lower Grades (Pre-Kindergarten-Fourth Grade) graphic organizer
Asking Questions of Readers in the Upper Grades (Fifth Grade and Up)
This organizer helps readers develop comprehension skills by learning how to ask questions and look for the answers in a text.
Asking Questions of Readers in the Upper Grades (Fifth Grade and Up) graphic organizer
Book vs. Movie - Compare and Contrast
This graphic organizer helps children organize their thoughts about the similarities and differences between a book and a movie telling the same story. Comparing books and their movie adaptations can help motivate students to read and dig deeper into some elements of the text.
Book vs. Movie - Compare and Contrast
Writing Prompts
Responding to these creative fiction and nonfiction writing prompts can help children and teens keep their literacy skills sharp. Each set includes 10 total prompts that encourage responders to draw from Common Core ELA Writing Standards skills. Tips for including reflection and providing teacher or caregiver feedback are also included.
Fall Writing Prompts
Grades K-2 Summer Writing Prompts
Grades 3-5 Summer Writing Prompts
Grades 6-8 Summer Writing Prompts
Grades 9-12 Summer Writing Prompts
Summer Writing Prompts
Grades K-2 Fall Writing Prompts
Grades 3-5 Fall Writing Prompts
Grades 6-8 Fall Writing Prompts
Grades 9-12 Fall Writing Prompts
Bookmarks and Book Inserts
CROWD
CROWD is used to remember the types of basic questions to ask to facilitate dialogic reading: completion, recall, open-ended, “wh” questions, and distancing.
IDEA
The IDEA strategy uses four key components drawn from research that caregivers can easily implement to teach and practice literacy skills when reading to children at home.
Interactive Reading Guide Book Inserts
This guide can be put in every book at home or in the classroom library to help plan new vocabulary and questions you want to include when reading with children in order to facilitate dialogic reading.
Set of Interactive Reading Guide Book Inserts
Look, Listen, and Think
Help young readers when they encounter unfamiliar words by helping them to look, listen, and think about the words with these questions.
Set of Look, Listen, and Think bookmarks
PEER
PEER questions are meant to encourage deeper responses about a text during dialogic reading, leading to a conversation beyond one-word answers.