Why We Read
Early this term, I wrote a bit about the importance of reading, and in fact, I can't think of a reason to stop talking about it.  The reality is, there is little in life that works without reading.  And when life needs a little ironing out, reading makes for a good escape while things settle down.  At school, reading takes many guises, and this is a purposeful decision on the part of educators.  

Reading is taught both explicitly and by repeated exposure.  When teachers conduct guided reading, they are doing more than listening to students read. They work with students to learn more about how the author has constructed the text and why those decisions have been made.  They also talk with students about the purpose of the text and who it has been written for.  When students know these things, they are more able to consider why certain information is in the text, and what perhaps has been left out.  This is called critical literacy.

Essential knowledge for students when understanding texts is their vocabulary.  It is widely accepted that the more we read, the better our vocabulary is.  Being able to pronounce words that we read is only part of the picture.  Great readers also know what the words mean.  Excellent readers use the words that they learn in their own writing.  You can help at home in many ways to build vocabulary knowledge.  These ideas come from Reading Rockets.

Engage your child in conversations every day.  If possible, include new and interesting words in your conversation. 

• Read to your child each day.  When the book contains a new or interesting word, pause and define the word for your child. After you're done reading, engage your child in a conversation about the book.
• Help build word knowledge by classifying and grouping objects or pictures while naming them.
• Help build your child's understanding of lanugage by playing verbal games and telling jokes and stories.
• Encourage your child to read on his own.  The more children read, the more words they encounter and learn. 

A good understanding of vocabulary allows us to enjoy word play such as this from Alice in Wonderland:

"And how many hours a day did you do lessons?" said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.

"Ten hours the first day," said the Mock Turtle: "nine the next, and so on."

"What a curious plan!" exclaimed Alice.

"That's the reason they're called lessons," the Gryphon remarked: "because they lessen from day to day".