How can I help my child if he/she is struggling with reading?
- Before your child reads a book, he/she should: do a picture walk, make connections with the pictures (What does this story remind him/her of? What is happening in the pictures?), and make predictions about what the story will be about. This sets a purpose for reading ~ to confirm or revise predictions.
- Try echo reading. The parent reads a page or paragraph aloud, and the child immediately reads it back.
- Try choral reading. The parent and child reads text aloud at the same time.
- Try shared reading. The parent and child each takes a turn reading a page or paragraph aloud.
- Have your child get into the practice of stating who/what each page or paragraph is about after it is read. Comprehension is even more important than decoding (or reading) the words.
- Kindergarteners through Level F (mid 1st grade) should be pointing to each word with 1:1 correspondence.
- Be sure your child is learning to recognize sight words/phrases automatically.
- Have your child practice chunks in words for instant word recognition.
- For books at your child’s level visit your public library or contact myself or your child's classroom teacher.
- Have your child follow along to books on tape or CD.
- If your child is stuck on a word, he/she should figure out the word on his/her own. Say the beginning letter sound, look for chunks he/she may know, sound it out, skip it, read on, go back, ask what would look right, sound right, make sense?
- KEEP READING. Children learn to read by reading.
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