Positive, Powerful, Productive - How to help your child with reading at home.LET'S MAKE READING POWERFUL - PROMPTING QUESTIONS WITH KEY READING STRATEGY IN PARENTHESES
1. Oh man, that was an exciting part. What do you think is going to happen next? (Predicting) 2. Why do you the character made that choice? I sure wouldn't have done that. (Character Analysis) 3. Wow! I wish I could crawl inside the story at this part. Don't you? What do you think we'd see and hear? (Visualizing) 4. What do you think the author is trying to say/teach us here? Is s(he) doing a good job at it? (Synthesizing - themes, messages) 5. Hmm, this has me thinking about life. It reminds me of a time when...Do you ever think of your own life when you're reading? Let me tell you what I am thinking and see if you agree.(Making Connections, Evaluating) 6. What makes you think you're right about that? (Text Evidence) 7. Hang on. Did you catch that? I think that was a hint. Did you just figure something out? (Inferring) 8. Will you remind me what happened in the previous chapter/paragraph? (Summarizing) Credit: Michael Friermood |
Rigor |
Rigor is developed when a child is able to naturally utilize the above key elements of reading. When this occurs, a child's stamina will increase and the love of reading will follow. Otherwise, fatigue will set in when a child is struggling to make sense of reading (decoding, comprehending, analyzing) which ultimately leads to a lack of motivation to read.
Audio books are excellent for students who are still learning to read at grade level. Choral reading where the child is reading along aloud with the parent is another effective strategy - one that should be incorporated into reading time as much as possible. Whether it's audio books or choral reading, this will provide you an opportunity to model what good readers do. |
More helpful ideas to make reading positive and productive |
The Set-Up
Turn off all distractions in the house, or put on some classical instrumental music. Sit next to each other. Take turns reading one page at a time. When you read, model strong phrasing and expression. When your child reads, listen to the story and ask prompting questions as needed. Allow your child to attempt difficult words. Help explain new vocabulary - don't assume. Approach as a Fellow Reader Try to avoid too many corrections or judgments. Enjoy the book as two readers. Read a Variety Choose short texts like picture books, poems, and magazine articles. Choose a chapter book that you and your child save to only read when you are together. Think Out Loud Pause to think out loud by saying what you were thinking when you read that part of the text. This is called metacognition - the awareness of your inner thoughts about the reading and reflecting on it. Encourage Conversation Pause during and after reading to discuss predictions, reactions, opinions, and feelings. Credit: Michael Friermood |