Reading
Toolbox
This year you will receive your
own reading toolbox!
• Each month you will receive a new tool.
• We will be completing activities at school
using the strategies from each tool.
• The tools will have helpful hints to work on
a specific reading strategies at home.
• Each month you should record the times
that you have used your tool on your
reading calendars.
Predicting
Predicting (Looking Ahead)
• What do you think will happen next?
• Why do you think so?
• How do you think the story will end?
Predicting Family Note
Your child will be bringing home a reading “toolbox” this year.
One tool will be added to the toolbox at a time. Each tool will
represent a reading strategy. The first tool is the flashlight. The
flashlight is used for predicting (looking ahead). Your child
should use the flashlight four times this month at home and
share their predictions with an adult. Each time the tool is used
have your child put an F (for flashlight) onto the September
Reading Minutes chart on the correct date. By the end of third
grade your child will have a toolbox full of tools and a collection
of strategies to help them to be successful readers.
Visualizing
Visualizing (Creating a Clear
Picture)
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What do you see while reading?
What do you feel while reading?
What do you hear while reading?
What do you taste while reading?
What do you smell while reading?
Visualizing Family Note
The tool for the month of October is a pair of safety
goggles. The safety goggles are used for visualizing or creating
a clear picture. Your child should use the goggles four times
this month at home and discuss what is happening in the story
with an adult. Visualization encompasses all senses not just
what they are seeing but what the story might be helping them
to feel, smell, hear or even taste. Each time the tool is used
have your child put a G (for goggles) onto the October Reading
Minutes chart on the correct date. Occasional use of the
flashlight from last month can continue to promote good
predicting!
Monitoring
Comprehension
Monitoring Comprehension
(Measuring Your Understanding)
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Does what I am reading making sense?
Do I need to reread?
If I am stuck, can I use the other words?
Is this a good book for me right now?
Monitoring Comprehension
Family Note
The tool for the month of November is a tape measure. The
tape measure is used to make the reader more accountable for
what they are reading. This is something all good readers do!
This month your child should be concentrating on becoming
aware of times that they needed to measure their
comprehension (use the tape measure) while reading. They
should discuss this with you at home. Each time the tool is used
and discussed, have your child put a TM (for tape measure)
onto the November Reading Minutes chart on the correct date.
Occasional use of the flashlight and the goggles from
previous months can continue to promote good reading
comprehension!
Monitoring Comprehension
Strategies from the Family Note
Some things they might be doing while monitoring their
comprehension
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Rereading a sentence to get a better meaning
Rereading a sentence to self correct a word
Using the context to understand an unfamiliar word
Find familiar words within an unfamiliar word
Break the word into chunks
Use picture clues
Asking another person for clarification
Making a decision if the chosen book is a good fit for now
Making Connections
Making Connections (Pulling
Out Past Experiences)
• Does it make you think of other book you
read? That is a text to text connection.
• Does it make you think of something going
on in your life? That is a text to self
connection.
• Does it make you think about something
going on in the news? That is a text to
world connection.
Making Connections Family
Note
The crowbar is used when the students “pull out”
past experiences and use them to make connections
to what they are currently reading. Your child should refer to the
crowbar each time they make a connection. Have your child put
a C (for crowbar) onto the December Reading Minutes chart on
the correct date. Occasional use of the flashlight, goggles and
the tape measure will continue to promote good reading
comprehension!
The tool for the month of December is a crowbar.
Survey
Survey (Look things over before
you get started)
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Non Fiction Text
Labels
Captions
Pronunciation Guides
Table of Contents
Glossary
Cutaways
Index
Maps
Types of Print
Comparisons
Diagrams
Close-ups
Fiction Text
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Title
Cover
Jacket Summaries
Chapter Titles
Pictures
Survey Family Note
The tool for the month of January is a blueprint. The
blueprint is used to survey (or look over) the text before
reading. Your child should use the blueprint each time
they begin a new book. This helps them to activate prior knowledge
and help them to make predictions about what they will be reading.
Have your child put a B (for blueprint) onto the January Reading
Minutes chart on the correct date each time they start a new book and
use the blueprint. Occasional use of the flashlight, goggles, tape
measure or crowbar will continue to promote good reading
comprehension!
Questioning
Questioning (Turning My
Thinking)
The QAR Reading Model tells us that there
are four types of questions.
• In the Book-Right There
• In the Book-Think and Search
• In My Head-On My Own
• In My Head-Author and Me
Questioning (In the Book-Right
There)
• The information is found in one place in the
text
• Questions usually start with who, where,
how many, when, what kind.
• Ex. Where was Little Red Riding Hood
going?
Questioning (In the Book-Think
and Search)
• The students will have to search in several
places in the text to find the answer
• The questions might be like this:
– What type of person was the character?
– What caused the problem?
• Ex. How did Little Red Riding Hood know
her grandma was a wolf?
Questioning (In My Head-On My
Own)
• The answers aren’t found in the text. They
are answered by using background
knowledge.
• The questions might be like this:
– Do you know…?
– Have you ever…?
– What is it like…?
• Ex. What do you know about wolves?
Questioning (In My Head-Author
and Me)
• Answered are completed by using the
information in the text as well as information
not in the text.
• The questions might be like this:
– What do you think would happen if…?
– Would you agree that…?
• Ex. Do you think Little Red Riding Hood will
go to her grandma’s house alone again? Why?
Questioning Family Note
The tools for the month of February are screwdrivers. The
screwdrivers are used for questioning. There are four
screwdrivers, one for each for type of question. Your child
should try to use each screwdriver at least once this month.
Use these in the most convenient way for your family. Your child
might develop questions and share their responses with you.
You may develop one of each type of question and have your
child answer it. If you are reading along with your child, you
may informally ask questions and have your child tell you which
type of question you asked. Have your child put an s (for
screwdriver) onto the February Reading Minutes chart.
Occasional use of the flashlight, goggles, tape measure,
crowbar or the blueprint will continue to promote good reading
comprehension!
Summarizing
Summarizing (Putting It All
Together)
What is the main idea
Nonfiction
• What is the main
topic?
• What are three facts
about the main topic?
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Fiction
What is the main idea?
Who are the main
characters?
What was the problem
in the story?
Was the problem
solved? How?
Summarizing Parent Note
The tool for the month of March is the hammer. The hammer
is used for summarizing or “putting it all together”. Summarizing
can be done at the end of each reading session or at the end of
a book. Each time the tool is used, have your child put an H (for
hammer) onto the March Reading Minutes chart on the correct
date. Occasional use of the flashlight, goggles, tape measure,
crowbar or the blueprint will continue to promote good reading
comprehension!