Choosing the Just Right Books
Your child should be reading books that are as our American Reading Company says are, "Fun,fast, and easy." You should make sure that the book is not too hard, not too easy, but just right.
Tips for Reading with a Beginning Reader
Complete a picture walk before reading the book. Flip through the book with your child and allow them to look at the pictures to get an idea of what is going to happen in the story. Use the pictures to make a prediction about what may happen in the book. Questions that you can ask are...
Begin reading and help your child with tracking print. Tracking print is when you point to each word as you read it aloud. Model how to track print using the left to right progression. Tracking print allows you to see if your child is reading the words correctly. It will help them to learn new words by seeing them and hearing them when others read aloud. They can use their finger, a pencil or any type of pointer to track print. You can read a word or a sentence and have your child repeat it. Take turns reading each page. As you are reading talk about the story and ask questions.
After reading ask more questions to see if they comprehend the story.
Then reread the story. Have you ever had a book that your child wants to read over and over again? Encourage repeated reading! Repeated reading helps your child build fluency and confidence.
- What do you think might happen in this story?
- What do you think the problem might be?
- Where do you think the setting of the story is?
- Do you know anything about this topic?
- Does this story remind you of any other stories?
- What are you wondering?
- What does the title tell you about the story?
Begin reading and help your child with tracking print. Tracking print is when you point to each word as you read it aloud. Model how to track print using the left to right progression. Tracking print allows you to see if your child is reading the words correctly. It will help them to learn new words by seeing them and hearing them when others read aloud. They can use their finger, a pencil or any type of pointer to track print. You can read a word or a sentence and have your child repeat it. Take turns reading each page. As you are reading talk about the story and ask questions.
- What do you think will happen next?
- Who is in the story?
- Where is the story taking place?
- What can you tell me about the story so far?
- Do you have any questions about the story?
- Why do you think the character did that?
- What would you have done?
- How do you feel about the story so far?
After reading ask more questions to see if they comprehend the story.
- What happened when....?
- What happened after.....?
- What was the problem/solution in the story?
- Why do you think the author wrote this book?
- What was your favorite part of the story?
- What will happen next?
- What did you learn by reading?
Then reread the story. Have you ever had a book that your child wants to read over and over again? Encourage repeated reading! Repeated reading helps your child build fluency and confidence.
Strategies on Sounding a Word Out
When your child has a difficult word to read they will need to have a tool box of strategies to help them figure out that word. Here are some strategies that teachers use in the classroom to help your child.
- Look for little words in bigger words to help you sound it out.
- Stretch the word out slowly. Say the sounds together to say the word.
- Try a different vowel sound.
- Skip the word read the rest of the sentence and go back.
- If the word does not make sense point it out and ask the child to go back and read it again. Soon they will learn to complete this strategy on their own.