Ms. Kelley Hensley

    Do you want to read faster? Do you actually enjoy it when your read? How about improve your ability to remember what you read? All of these things happen naturally when you increase how well you read.

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     One of the best ways to improve your reading is simply to practice. Your brain becomes familiar with the way sentences are put together and can predict words or structures that are coming next. You memorize word lengths, vowel patterns, even the writing styles of your favorite writers without ever realizing it. Babies have been doing it since the beginning of language; it is built in to the way we communicate with other humans.

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On this page you will find lots of places to practice your reading. Some will be easy. Some may feel difficult at first. The important thing is to find a good place to start and to keep going.

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Ms. Hensley’s Cheats:

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*Don’t just listen to the stories, but actually track the words as the audio plays. This is how you memorize those word patterns that improve your writing and spelling without all of the spelling lists and phonics lessons. If the resources do not have words for you to follow, look for options to add subtitles.

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*Stop and recap. After every couple of paragraphs or pages, stop and remind yourself what happened in that section. Especially if it is a long non-fiction article, this helps me remember what I have read when I get all the way to the end. It is also my secret trick for articles I think are boring. If I know I have to talk about what I’ve read, I’ll even write these recaps as notes.

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*Social Butterfly? Make reading social too! For some people the idea of sitting alone, being still, and reading by yourself seems like a horrible idea when all they want to do is talk to people. So get the best of both worlds:

1. -Read to a younger sibling or friend. You can build their skills too. (It is a great baby sitter’s trick too.)

2. -Read to a grandparent or another family member that you love to spend time with. I grew up reading to my grandpa.

3. -Read to the dog. Just think no more embarrassing stumbles when you read aloud in class if you practice. Reading out loud is a very different skill than reading to yourself and pets love the sound of your voice and a good head rub.

4. -Read the same book as your friend. Some of my best reads came from friends who described them to me first. If you read the book at the same time, you can talk about the adventures, how you would handle the main character’s problems, and all of your favorite funny scenes with your

5. -Shanghai (kidnap) the dishes! That’s right you heard me. Sometimes parents or family can be very busy and it is hard to get time to sit down and read with them. But, most people do have time to listen to you read while they do something else. Grab them while they do the dishes, fold the laundry, or clean the bathroom and share a story you think you both would like. I love having someone read or talk to me while I do these things because they are not so boring any more.

For parents who want to help, there are more tips to help with reading here.