Dear Parent/Guardians,

     What if there were ONE thing you could do that would absolutely improve your child’s ability in school? What if it were free? Well, there is! Research has shown that the single most important activity for building the knowledge for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children. Jim Trelease, national reading expert and author of The Read-Aloud Handbook, states that by reading aloud to your child you "condition the child to associate reading with pleasure, create background knowledge, and provide a reading role model." I hear many parents say, "Sure, I know I should read to my child, but who has time?!" What if I told you it would only take 15 minutes a day? Surely you can afford that!
     The Northside 30-hour Reading Club is designed to increase student enthusiasm for reading. Here’s how it works: Each child (grades K-1) will receive a reading log. Every time you read to your child for at least 15 minutes, or your child reads for 15 minutes at home (not during school hours), you or your child can record the title and number of minutes on a reading log. Each reading log is designed to record 3 hours worth of reading. There is NO RUSH for students to turn reading logs in. One reading log every few weeks will get them to their final goal. If you choose to read a harder chapter book to your child (ex. Harry Potter), just count the number of minutes you read to them.
     Please sign the reading log.  Turning in reading logs which are inaccurate will not make your child a better reader and will teach them to be dishonest, so please make sure you verify what your child is reading. Ask them questions about what they’ve read or listened to, and make sure they understand what they’re reading. The student then returns the reading log to the library on their library checkout day and will receive a reward (listed below). For each 3 hour reading log, the student will receive the following rewards:
 

Click here to download a Reading Log 

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