Great Strategies to Use At Home When Reading With Your Child
Remember to spend time reading with your
child-- it's a gift that will last a lifetime
These are strategies to use when reading with your child to
encourage growth in his/her fluency and comprehension.
Before Reading Strategies
-Set a Purpose for Reading
Think if you will you be reading to find out what happens in a story or to learn specific information.
-Preview the Text
Look at the title, pictures, captions under pictures, headings, bold-faced print and other graphics.
-Activate Background Knowledge
Think about what you already know about the content of what you will read.
Predict
Think what might happen in the story, what words may be used, or what information the text mightcontain.
During Reading
-Discuss what is happening in the pictures, and identify important
vocabulary.
- It’s important to model fluent reading to your child. Use plenty of expression in your voice. Your child will understand better and will begin to copy it during his/her reading.
-Watch for frustration; if your child does not know a word, try one of these strategies:
- Have him/her skip the word and read to the end of the sentence and then go back and try to figure out the word that would make sense in the sentence (use context clues).
- Help him/her try to sound it out.
- If there are pictures in the book, direct your child to the picture that will offer him/her a clue.
- Give him/her the word before frustration sets in. Tolerance for these strategies will depend on the individual child.
-After reading the title and browsing the first page or two, what do you think the story is about?
-How do you think _________ feels right now? Why? (Insert the character’s name in the blank).
-Where does the story take place?
-What do you predict will happen next?
-How do you think the story will end?
After Reading Strategies
-What happened in the story?
-If there was a problem in the story, how was it solved?
-Did your prediction come true?
-What did you like/dislike about the book?
-How did the story make you feel?
-If you could change something about the story, what would it be? Why?