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As the school years winds up, many parents may be headed into tackling homework, and parent-teacher conferences. Maintaining their child’s reading skills at home takes time and support. This is especially vital for parents of struggling readers. The good news is that you do not need to be a literacy expert to help. Anyone can help a child improve their reading comprehension and fluency by using just a few of these simple strategies.  Create a Consistent Reading HabitReading is similar to learning other skills. The more a child practices, the better they get. And the best way to make practice consistent is to form a habit. Establishing a daily reading habit—no matter how small—can help struggling readers build fluency and confidence. Here are some ideas to build a reading habit:
To help build the habit, ReadWorks developed the Article-A-Day™ routine. Each day, children read one short, high-interest nonfiction article and briefly reflect on it. These articles are designed to take just 10 minutes a day, making it quick and easy for parents and their children. Try It: Start a daily Article-A-Day routine with ReadWorks to build vocabulary and comprehension. ReadWorks is completely free and you can choose to assign the article to them for access on their computer or device, or to print the article. Use Scaffolding to Support Reading GrowthScaffolding is an instructional approach where you offer support as your child learns a new skill, then gradually step back as they gain confidence. When it comes to reading, scaffolding helps struggling readers tackle challenging texts without becoming overwhelmed. At home, scaffolding might look like:
Try It: Use ReadWorks question sets and reading comprehension worksheets to guide comprehension.  Focus on Sight Words to Build FluencyMany readers benefit from strengthening their recognition of common sight words—words that often can’t be sounded out easily and appear frequently in texts. Mastering these words can make reading smoother and more automatic. Here’s a short breakdown of common sight words, which are grouped by type:
Try It: Explore ReadWorks' full library of content for younger readers.  Let Children Choose What They ReadGiving students the chance to choose something that truly interests them—whether it's sports, fantasy, or science—can make a big difference in how they approach reading. What matters most is that they’re engaged with texts that feel enjoyable and accessible. All that leads to one question. What does your child like reading? Here are a few ideas to figure that out:
Try It: Try ReadWorks Reading Mindset Snapshot. It's a quick survey for students to complete that helps you choose what they might like to read from our library! Supporting your child's reading at home this summer doesn't have to be complicated. A few simple strategies can make a big difference. Even short, consistent efforts can help struggling readers build confidence and make steady progress.
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The school year is in full swing, and our team is excited to share upcoming webinars, opportunities for student authors, and our latest annual impact report. The generosity of our donors makes our ongoing work possible - thank you.
ReadWorks’ Free Webinars: With a wealth of resources on the ReadWorks platform, our free webinars help educators learn more about the tools and strategies that can help their students learn to read. We offer both live and on-demand opportunities to learn about the power of ReadWorks. This month, we offer:
These are a great way to learn how to unlock the power of ReadWorks! Dive Deeper into ReadWorks’ Latest News & Content
 At Ladera Palma Elementary School, I teach a 4th grade class in a Spanish dual language immersion program. Our students come from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, with many identifying as English Learners. They are vibrant, curious, and deeply capable—but often face barriers to grade-level reading proficiency due to limited access to appropriately leveled, culturally relevant, and bilingual materials. As a fourth-year teacher committed to equity, I’m always looking for ways to close opportunity gaps, especially when it comes to literacy. Our school’s Theory of Action focuses on teaching students to read closely, participate in evidence-based collaborative conversations, and apply academic language in writing across content areas. I knew I needed materials that would support these instructional goals—without requiring paid licenses or expensive add-ons. That’s when I turned to ReadWorks. Free, High-Quality Solution for My Student David At the start of the year, I noticed a troubling trend: many of my students were reading below grade level in English, and even those who were stronger in Spanish had difficulty accessing academic texts in either language. The result? Students struggled with confidence and participation, and our class discussions lacked the depth we were aiming for. One student, "David," stood out. A sweet and chatty child, he was reluctant to engage with any complex text. He would often skim, guess, or simply avoid reading tasks altogether. David wasn’t alone—many of my students were developing decoding skills but lacked the background knowledge, vocabulary, and stamina to understand what they were reading. As a teacher in a Title I school, I didn’t have a budget for a leveled classroom library or paid platforms. I needed a free, high-quality solution—and fast. I began using ReadWorks' Article-A-Day routine as a daily warm-up. This simple shift transformed our classroom energy. The articles were short, engaging, and accessible—and best of all, they built background knowledge in manageable chunks. Students started to look forward to them. I also began using ReadWorks’ Paired Texts in Spanish and English, which was a game changer for our dual language goals. These helped us build bi-literacy skills while keeping content consistent across languages. To support students like David, I used the “StepReads” and audio support features to scaffold comprehension. He could listen, follow along, and reread independently. The comprehension questions, both multiple choice and short response, helped him build confidence in using text evidence—one of our school’s key learning targets. I also created small reading groups using ReadWorks’ search filters to select texts by topic, grade level, and Lexile. I was able to differentiate instruction easily—giving each group something that met their current level, but still challenged them to grow. “Did you know hurricanes lose power over land? It’s in paragraph three!” - David Within weeks, I saw a dramatic shift in student engagement. David began raising his hand to share facts from the Article-A-Day series, proudly pointing out evidence in the text. One day, after reading about extreme weather, he turned to a classmate and said, “Did you know hurricanes lose power over land? It’s in paragraph three!” It was a breakthrough—not just in reading comprehension, but in his academic confidence. Spanish-English Paired Texts for My Student Luisa Students like Luisa, an English Learner who previously hesitated to speak during discussions, began using ReadWorks texts to prepare her ideas in advance. She grew comfortable using sentence frames and quoting from the article during our partner talks and writing tasks. ReadWorks gave her the structure and support to find her voice. The Spanish-English Paired Texts also helped students make meaningful connections between languages. After reading about César Chávez in both English and Spanish, students noticed how vocabulary shifted across contexts and discussed why certain ideas resonated more in one language than the other. These are the kinds of rich, reflective conversations we hadn’t been able to achieve before. By mid-year, reading comprehension scores in my classroom had improved noticeably. Students were not only answering questions correctly—they were asking their own questions, citing evidence, and thinking critically about texts. Our classroom culture became one of readers who were engaged, curious, and proud of their growth. We also incorporated ReadWorks into writing, science, and social studies, using articles as springboards for informative writing, discussions about current events, and cross-curricular projects. Students were developing not just reading skills, but the habits of learners who engage with the world through text. "By mid-year, reading comprehension scores in my classroom had improved noticeably. Students were not only answering questions correctly—they were asking their own questions, citing evidence, and thinking critically about texts." - Alexis  Student Potential is Unlimited, Even when Resources are LimitedAnd the best part? All of this was made possible without any cost. ReadWorks leveled the playing field for my students. It gave me the tools to differentiate instruction, build vocabulary, and support bi-literacy—all while staying aligned with research-based practices. In a school where resources are limited but student potential is unlimited, ReadWorks helped bridge the gap. It allowed me to meet students where they were and guide them forward, one article at a time. My students felt seen, supported, and capable—and that changed everything. Thank you, ReadWorks, for helping my students discover their voices as readers and thinkers. Your resources aren’t just keeping literacy instruction evidence-based and free—they’re keeping it equitable, empowering, and full of possibility.  Written by: Alexis Jaimes - 4th grade teacher - CaliforniaThank you so much to Alexis for submitting this story to our Impact Story Collection Contest—it was selected as a finalist! We are truly grateful for the time it took to write and share both these words and the wonderful images from this fun classroom.  By the time October rolls around, you’ve probably noticed two things: your students are buzzing with Halloween excitement, and your lesson plans could use something fresh to keep that energy focused. You might be scouring the internet for fun Halloween reading worksheets to use as bell ringers, early finisher activities, or homework during October. But let’s be real…those crossword puzzles and coloring pages might be cute, but they just don’t offer enough academic value. With the right resources, you can harness that spooky-season energy and turn it into meaningful literacy practice for grades 3–6. Finding materials that are both fun and academically rigorous isn’t always easy, especially when you’re juggling planning, grading, and everything in between. We’re here to help! Instead of spending hours hunting for new, spooky content, ReadWorks is happy to share a curated list of 25+ free, high-quality Halloween articles…all designed to save you prep time while building vocabulary, comprehension, and critical thinking. If you’ve been searching for engaging, rigorous, and classroom-ready content for October, these articles and Halloween reading worksheets are exactly what you need. → Want to access all 25+ Halloween Reading Resources for grades 3-6 in one convenient place? Grab the FREE bundle here.
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