To motivate and monitor my second graders' reading at home, I ask them to keep a reading calendar and a personal list of books they have read. Following is the letter I send home with my students:

Dear Parent(s),

The most important component to developing as a reader is doing lots of reading. To support your efforts at encouraging your child to read daily, I am sending home each month a reading calendar. Your child should read in your presence for at least 20 minutes a day from a book, or books, at his/her easy reading level. When your child is finished reading, he is to bring the calendar to you. Please put your initials on the date

Your child has been told to enter his own book title on his reading list. He can enter the kind of book (non-fiction, sports, mystery, magazine, folktale, etc.). To simply put the beginning letter of the type of book is sufficient. I am only interested in seeing that your child reads a variety of kinds of books. Reading a variety of genres helps your child develop as a reader.If your child reads the same book on another day, he does not have to reenter it.

When the month is over, please have your child bring his calendar and book list to me for recognition and a small prize.

Thank you so much for your support! I am enjoying working with your child and I look forward to talking with you about his/her progress.

Sincerely yours,

Leslie Schreiber, CBS Reading Specialist