Below are a few strategies that you can use to help support your child's reading at home. When students receive support both in school and at home, they can become the best readers possible!
1.) Encourage your child to ask himself/herself these questions while reading...
-Before Reading
What do I think this book is about?
What do I predict might happen?
What do I already know about this topic or story?
-During Reading
Does what I am reading make sense?
Do I understand the meanings of the words?
Can I picture what is happening in my mind?
-After Reading
Were the predictions I made correct?
Did I learn something that I did not know already?
Can I retell the story or share the information in a summary?
2.) Have your child read out loud to you. If he or she makes a mistake....
-Ask your child, "Does that make sense? Does that sound right? Does that look right?" rather than telling him or her the word.
-Encourage your child to break unfamiliar words into parts ("chunks") in order to figure it out on their own. They can cover up parts up the word as they do this.
-Read aloud to your child to provide him or her with a model of fluent reading, then have your child read the same passage aloud to you.
-If your child seems to read at a slow pace or without much expression, encourage him or her to read the same passages more than once.
-Ask your child to guess the meaning of unfamiliar words by using context clues (clues that are around the word in the same sentence or paragraph.)
-Discuss the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words.
3.) Ask these questions after your child reads....
-Does your story (or a specific event in the story) remind you of anything that has happened in your life/in the world/in another book you've read?
-Was there a problem in your story tonight? Why was that a problem?
-What was the most interesting or surprising part of your story? Why?
-What do you think is the most important part of your story? Why?
-What do you think the author is trying to tell you in this story? Why is that important?
*After your child gives a response, always follow up with, "What makes you say/think that?"
Thank you for continuing to support your children at home!
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