Supporting your reader Bridge Learns Allison Gullingsrud Bridge Learns Parent Night 2016
According to the National Education Association, having kids read a lot is one of the crucial components of becoming a good reader. Young readers need to become practiced at recognizing letters and sounds. The only way to get good at it is to practice This also means you must read to your child even if they can read independently. One idea is having a Family book
How can you support? Read TO your child daily Read WITH your child daily Take the time to talk about books Create a positive learning environment with established routines Children who are read to daily and read daily tend to do better in school. Talking about books, looking at pictures, asking questions can help to improve social skills in students.
Consider making a book box for your child at home It can sometimes seem overwhelming to choose from so many books so keeping a pile that you change out each week can help. Keep books everywhere! Books in your car, books in your kitchen, books by the bath tub! It is GREAT to have kids read the same books over and over so don t feel worried if you child wants to repeat a text they already know. This will help build their fluency.
A place to read. Think about where you read. You probably read somewhere cozy! Think about making a cozy space for your child to read.
A place to get books. Change out books, as your child grows and changes as a reader grows their books should change too. Consider making a weekly trip to your local library.
My child brings home (or chooses) books that are too easy/hard What do i do?? What is a good fit book? How do i find one?
Don t rely on book levels instead... Often books are labeled as easy readers or level 1 these books are actually way harder and might cause your child to be frustrated. Even if books have a level there is a huge range within a level.
You can... Partner with you child s teacher if you need support in finding good fit books. Take a sneak peek with your child. This means flipping through the book and reading a page of two. Taking a sneak peek is the best way to get a feel for the book. If you child stumbles on a few words that is good! You don t want them to rush right through! However, your child should know MOST the words. The same rule goes for comprehension, even if you child can decode the text they should be able to recall information and speak thoughtfully about the text. Read a page and check, can they understand it?
Easy = Independent Can read every word easily Understands completely Instructional = Needs Guidance Reads most words easily General understanding Hard = Frustration Struggles with many words Difficulty understanding Good Fit Books These are the 3 levels of texts. You will help your child grow the most when they are reading at their instructional level. If you child is eager to read chapter books, consider making those books part of your reading to your child. That way they can still get a chance to read the text and enjoy the content!
High Interest Books Ask your child? Is this something you want to read? Interest is so important, your child will be more engaged if they are excited about the books. Give choices, Do you want to read this book about cats, or this book about the farm!?
Comprehension Readers don t learn phonics first then learn to comprehend. Instead they happen simontanisoly! If you can build their comprehension it will help them decode words. Always ask, does that make sense?
Does saying, SOUND IT OUT work?? My kid seems to know a word one day, then forgets the next. What should i do?
Sound it out Many words can t be sounded out. My, the, what...etc What if they don t know all the sounds? Instead Provide wait time Use picture clues Make the first sound Chunk the word Does it make sense? or What would make sense? Could it be? Your child doesn t need to know all their letters and letter sounds before they read! Your child will learn them best through texts. For example, Oh wow! You read the word cat.. What letter does cat end with? Can you make that sound? Give wait time! Your child might need more time to figure out a word. Count to 6 slowly in your head before jumping in with prompts. Another great prompt is, check it! this can help your child self monitor as they read. Praise the skills, I noticed you checked the picture! Great! instead You are such a good reader, you read that page
Drilling with flashcards? It takes time to build new words You need to find the balance between context and isolation Exposure to 5-10 (depending on age) Practice in ways that support reading and writing Reading is not about calling out words! Practice words as you are reading. The more you can practice in context the better! For example, if you see the word could, after your child reads that word, have them write it on a sticky note and each time it shows up they can put a tally mark by it!
How can I support my child s comprehension?? My child doesn t seem to remember what they are reading. What should i do?
Background Knowledge Building connections before reading is so important! Talk about the book through the reading, don t wait until the end Model through think alouds in your own reading. This may feel silly but your child will learn from what you do. I am thinking. This part is funny because I am wondering This reminds me of
Before Background knowledge Take a sneak peek Make predictions During Ask questions Make Predictions Make Connections Write things down! After Act it out Retell Character feelings Questions? Read it again! You can t just read the whole text and then ask, tell me everything that happened
Doesn t have to be from a book!
Ties back to high interest piece
If you want kids to want to read Thank you! Then read amazing books aloud day. every single @agullingsrud agullingsrud@sch.ci.lexington.ma.us www.mrsgullingsrud.weebly.com