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About Us

Leader of the South Bay

SLK Learning Center has locations in Rancho Palos Verdes and Torrance and employs a highly successful, systematic approach to education which has proven SLK a leader among South Bay academic tutoring organizations and test prep centers.

Promoting Literacy at Home: Making Reading Fun and Memorable

 

1. Read with your child.

If you have a young, emergent reader, it is especially important to set aside time to read with your child. Sit close and have your child(ren) make predictions as you read together. You may want to begin by asking what they think the story is about by the title alone, and continue from there. Have a short discussion about the characters—what makes each one complex, for example. Moreover, take periodic breaks. Pause for questions; clarify difficult vocabulary; etc. When young readers feel involved in the reading process, they’re more inclined to become active participants both inside and outside the classroom because they feel validated and connected to the activity of reading.

2. Set aside time for silent, group reading.

Twenty minutes is a fair amount of time to set aside for independent reading. Turn off the TV. Put the computer in sleep mode. Silence cell phones. Sit down together in a shared space for communal motivation, and start reading! Whether it’s a book for leisure and fun or a book assigned for class, reading takes center stage during this time. For all you know, twenty minutes could turn to forty or fifty, and some good conversations will come out of it! Enjoy the peace and quiet—and importantly, the togetherness!

3. Choose books with film adaptations.

Amazing books have been made into (arguably) pretty amazing films—The Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling), To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee), Holes (Louis Sachar), A Raisin in the Sun (Lorraine Hansberry), Beloved (Toni Morrison), Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White), Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte), The Lord of the Rings series (J.R.R. Tolkien), The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum), The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgsons Burnett), James and the Giant Peach (Roald Dahl), The Time Machine (H.G. Wells), Twelfth Night (William Shakespeare), Mrs. Dalloway (Virginia Woolf), Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), The Swiss Family Robison (Johann David Wyss), The Joy Luck Club (Amy Tan), and The Percy Jackson series (Rick Riordan), among numerous, numerous others. Reading books with film adaptations could spark motivation for reluctant readers, and it’s also a great way to critique and compare genres. It also gives readers new ways to interpret and talk about the text. Plus, you may consider not only reading the books as a family, but also watching the movies together. It’s a win-win!