Season After Season, Lets Keep Your Children Reading!

Creating Lifelong Readers

Things To Keep In Mind About Reading

What is reading?
Reading is a transaction between the text and a reader. In other words, we read for communication and meaning. It is okay to make mistakes! Learning to read is a process.

Try not to correct your child . . . it could be discouraging for them.

It does not matter what language you read in, as long as you read. Any reading material is good reading material. Reading is a fun and enjoyable experience!

Make Time to Read

Find opportunities to read!
Read aloud. Buy books for your child (Of their choice). Have your child read to younger children (Siblings, cousins, friends, etc).

Visit the library.

Have your child carry a book when running errands. Read signs and billboards while driving and shopping.

Have your child read you instructions while cooking and baking.

Make it a family effort!

Modeling
It is important that you are a reading role model for your child!
Show your child that you enjoy reading, too. Show your child that reading is for fun! It is not necessarily school work.

Read with expression.

Choose to read a book instead of watching television. Have books, magazines, and any reading materials available around the house (Food labels can be used for reading!).

Read Aloud to Your Child

Why should you read aloud to your child? 1. You become a reading role model. 2. Children are learning new information.

3. Reading aloud helps children build background knowledge.

4. You are helping your child with comprehension and fluency.

Read Aloud to Your Child (Contd)

5. You are helping your child create good grammar. 6. Reading aloud makes them interested in more books. 7. When you read aloud to your child, they begin associating reading with something pleasurable, and will want to read on their own.

8. The English you read to your child in books is much different than that of television. By reading aloud, you are giving your child the opportunity to hear proper English.

Pick Predictable Books

Children enjoy reading book that they feel they can successfully read. Find books that have . . .
. . . Rhymes . . . Repetition (Similes/Metaphors)

. . . Pictures that provide hints.

Before Reading . . .
Look at the pictures- What does your child notice about the pictures? Make predictions- What does your child/you think will happen in the story? Ask your child what he/she already knows about the storyDoes your child know who the characters are or where the story takes place?

Before Reading . . . (Contd)

Make connections- Does the book remind your child of any books that he/she has read? Does the book remind your child about anything he/she has experienced? If you know anything about the subject of the book, share that information with your child. It will help them better understand the story. Sound excited and anxious about reading . . . Your excitement can be contagious!

While Reading . . .
Encourage your child to ask questions and make comments about what he/she has read. Ask you child questions about the story. Encourage your child to look at pictures.

Help your child make connections.

Encourage your child to make predictions.

While Reading . . . (Contd)

Have your child reread sentences that may not make sense.

Encourage your child to look back at previous pages to make more sense of the story (if needed).
Ask your child to retell the story.

Ask your child how they felt about the story. Did they, or didnt they, like the story?

Things To Do When Your Child Gets Stuck On A Word

(Strategies for Decoding Words)
Tell your child to:
Look at the pictures to find clues.
Think about what would make sense. What would fit here based on what you read? Read chunks of the words (Mon-day). Look at the meaningful parts of the word. Does the sentence make sense without the word? Reread. Try again.

Look at the first letter.

Sound it out.

What does your childs mistakes tell you about their reading? (Cueing Systems)
Most likely, your child understands what he/she is reading if the incorrect word they use looks similar to the correct word and still makes sense in the sentence. Example: The book reads: The girl was talking to her friends. Your child reads: The girl was walking to her friends. This tells you that your child understands what he/she is reading (comprehension). Although the word is wrong it looks similar and still makes sense. Much of the letters look similar (visually correct) and walk would still make sense in the sentence (syntactically correct). These miscues are not an issue if they occur from time to time.

What does your childs mistakes tell you about their reading? (Cuing Systems) Contd
Most likely your child does not understand what he/she is reading if the incorrect word they use does not look similar to the correct word and does not make sense in the sentence. Example: The book reads: He ate an apple for lunch. Your child reads: He ate an apple for laugh. This suggests that your child does not understand what is happening in the story (lack of comprehension). The two words do not look the same (visually incorrect). Laugh does not make sense or mean the same thing as lunch (syntactically/semantically incorrect). The book may be too difficult for your child.

Fountas and Pinnells Levels:

You have a big influence on your childs reading. By using these strategies, you will help your child become a stronger reader. Together, we can make sure that your child is reading season after season! Lifelong learner & reader, Cassie Barrett