How many minutes should a fifth grader read?

How many minutes should a fifth grader read each day? That question comes up a lot in the first couple of weeks of school...

Most fifth graders would like the number to be...HMMM...like 5 minutes a day. Sorry kiddos, the correct answer is more like 40-45!

According to the former president of the International Reading Association, Richard Allington, in his book about struggling readers, there is a direct relationship between reading volume and reading test scores. For example...a fifth grader that reads an average of 40 minutes per day is likely to score in the 90th percentile on reading assessments. They read an average of 2,357,000 words in a year. A fifth grader who reads and average of 13 minutes a day is likely to be near the 10th percentile on the same test, and read only 51,000 words per year.

That is a HUGE difference! Where do you want to be (students)? Where do you want your kids to be (parents)? Practice makes perfect, in sports, occupations, and yes...reading!

Let's get ready to excel in reading my soon to be fifth graders!