She should know how to read and understand them and how to apply the information she reads.

Graphics are a key part of textbooks and are often included on tests. Here are ways you can help your child practice reading and understanding graphics:

Read maps often and talk about them with your child. Point out features, such as the difference between highways and secondary roads or major cities and smaller cities. Show her how to read the map’s legend and use it to figure out the distance between two points. When your child is comfortable, make her the family navigator for long and short trips.

Use the newspaper. Ask your child to read a story that contains a graphic. Afterward, ask her what information the graphic was intended to highlight. If she had been in charge of graphics, what would she have created to go with the story?

Make charts. Ask your child to keep a record of something, such as how she spends her after-school time, for a month. She could track hours spent doing homework, reading, watching TV, seeing friends and doing chores. At the end of the month, the chart will show a “picture” of her activities.

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