Grades 6–8 Reading Activities

As you talk with your child about the different books he reads, encourage him to think about the reasons that the authors write. Finding out about the authors of books can help open your child's reading experience. When your child has found a book that he really likes, help him think about how the author of this book might have written it. Ask him to consider such questions as the following: What does he particularly like about this author’s book? How would he describe the way the author writes? How might you figure out where the original idea for the book came from? And, how might you learn about the author’s writing process?

	A library and a library card

Plan a trip to your neighborhood library to learn more about your child’s favorite authors. When you get to the library, you might do the following:

	Find two books written by this author. Use the publication page to find out when each book was written. Which was first? Are there connections between the two books? Are they part of a series? You might also find a list inside one of the books of everything the author has written.

Look for background information on the author. The Internet is a good source for this information. Ask the children’s librarian about reference materials on children’s literature. Help your child research both the author (through biographical information) and the author’s books (by reading book reviews). Discuss with your child how another author would go about writing a review. Ask such questions as, “If you were going to review a book, what would you think about as you read the book?” “What do you think the author of the reviewed book thought about the review?”

	If you are researching a living author, try to find an address where you can write the author. Encourage your child to do so. Quite often children’s authors receive letters from their fans, and they frequently write back! (You can also hear these authors read their works at local libraries and bookstores.)

As your child starts to think about the authors behind the books he reads, he will begin to consider the idea of author’s purpose. Author’s purpose can mean the author’s motive for writing, the author’s unique point of view on a topic, or the author’s opinions. Your child will gain a richer understanding of what he reads by having interesting and revealing information about the authors and their writing processes.

 Grades 6–8 Reading Activities