SOL for Families
About the Reading SOL
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Grade 3 takes the test over two days.
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Grades 4 and 5 take the test in one day.
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You can see sample questions on the Virginia TestNav website.
Easy Ways to Help at Home
- Use materials you have at home—books, articles, even directions.
- Keep it short and simple.
- Ask a couple of questions and let your child do most of the talking!
- Reading the same text again builds understanding and confidence.
To summarize a text, use these prompts:
- SOMEBODY: Who is the main character?
- WANTED: What did the main character want?
- BUT: What was the problem?
- SO: How did the main character try to solve the problem?
- THEN: How does the story end?
Questions You Can Ask
For Stories (Fiction)
- What is happening in the story? Why does it matter?
- What problem does the character have? How do they solve it?
- How does the character change? What do they learn?
For Informational Text
- What is this text about?
- What is the main idea? What are the important details?
- Why did the author write this? What did you learn?
One Powerful Habit
Ask:
"What in the text makes you think that?"
This helps your child use evidence, which is a big part of the test.
