Dear Parents,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you may know, this term your 4th grade student in the Bilingual Program will read their first Reading Program novel: The<\/em> Diary of a Wimpy Kid<\/em> by Jeff Kinney. This will not be an adapted or abridged text, but rather the original work of American young adult literature. We\u2019d like to give you some background about the novel, mention the benefits and challenges from the students\u2019 point of view, and also make suggestions for how you could help..<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reading in any language expands the mind and helps us explore vital topics and real-life situations, all the while allowing students to develop their comprehension skills, critical thinking capabilities and complexity of thought both in general and also in that specific language. Indeed, research indicates that reading skills directly relate to future academic and professional success. It can help students gain a deeper understanding of context and why characters \u2013 and people \u2013 make the choices they do. Reading also helps build independence and self-confidence and has a positive effect on the development of empathy as well as concentration. Finally, reading is a major resource for using and understanding language \u2013 including grammatical structure, lexical knowledge and writing skills. Not only can students pick up new words, but reading them in an authentic context can also help students understand the subtle nuances of the lexis that was chosen by the author. The same is true when we process the plot and character development through the linguistic structures employed by the author \u2013 helping students understand a variety of uses \u201cin the linguistic wild\u201d, as it were. All in all, reading in any language develops skills that are essential for each student\u2019s continuing studies and life in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Diary of a Wimpy Kid<\/em>\u00a0series has been popular among students around the world for over a decade and was recognized with the Blue Peter Book Award in 2012. Jeff Kinney uses not only his words but also sketches to immerse children in the middle school world of Greg Heffley and friends. Through hilarious mishaps we get to know each of the boys as they make their way through their first year of middle school. This graphic novel was chosen as a fun and engaging introduction to the Reading Program that your students will participate in during the remainder of primary school and even our Bilingual High School Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jeff Kinney has a special talent for combining his art and writing to truly engage children. The main character, Greg Heffley, is not an overly sympathetic character, which allows readers to make their own judgements about his actions, friendships, and loyalty. The story, coupled with the drawings, helps students new to novels in English to comprehend the plot even if every word is not one hundred percent clear. Our students can easily relate to the growing \u201cpains\u201d faced by the characters in the novel, because they often face similar situations as they near the end of lower school and are on the verge of gaining more independence as upper school students. It can also help students grow in empathy, as they see how the actions of our main character affect those around him, both positively and negatively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With this being their first full novel in the Reading Program, it is essential that your student keep up with the assigned reading and any homework that may accompany it. If a student gets behind, it will make it difficult for them to understand the activities that will be done in class. As with any new novel, it may take some time for students to get into the habit of slowing down to make sure they understand what\u2019s taking place. As a parent, it would be wonderful if you were to sit down and read with your child or have him\/her read to you and pause to ask questions to gauge comprehension, though the assignment accompanying the reading will provide needed guidance, too. There will be some focus on vocabulary as well, but this doesn\u2019t mean that students are expected to know every single new word. Instead we seek to help our students learn how to use context to both learn new words and also follow \u2013 and enjoy \u2013 the story.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please let us know if you have further questions. We would like to thank you for your support in helping your child keep up with his or her chapter-by-chapter reading assignments at home. Finally, we hope your son or daughter learns from this novel and, most importantly, enjoys reading it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Best regards: Anthony Laudadio, Head of Education \u2013 Primary & High Schools<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dear Parents, As you may know, this term your 4th grade student in the Bilingual Program will read their first Reading Program novel: The Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. This will not be an adapted or abridged text, but rather the original work of American young adult literature. We\u2019d like to give you some background […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7387","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy is it important for my child to read in English?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Why was this novel chosen?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are the benefits of this novel?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are some of the challenges? \/ How can I as a parent help?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n