Building A Lifelong Reader
- Explore Books at a Bookstore or the Library
Look for new topics and books that interest your child
- Pick "Good Fit" Books
A book that is just right for your child to:
1. Set a purpose for reading
2. Be interested in the topic
3. Read most of the words (Your child should not miss more than 5 words on a page if reading independently)
4. Understand what he or she is reading
5. Be able to retell the story
- Read, Read and Read Some More
Make sure to have your child read for 20 minutes each day.
Students can read read independently, aloud to an adult or with a partner
- Ask Questions
2. Discuss characters
3. Identify the main idea or the problem
4. Identify the genre
5. Retell the story
6. Discuss the moral of the story or lesson learned
For Beginning Readers:
- Point out and read "environmental print": signs, cereal boxes, logos, store names, etc.
- Memorize sight words (these often have irregular spellings)
- Visualize the story in your head
- Make predictions and ask questions about the text
- When you come to an unknown word:
-Skip the word, read the res of the sentence and go back to the beginning of the sentence-what word would make sense?
-Break the word into parts
-Use letter sounds to figure out the word (Using "phonics" alone to decode unknown words is a low-level skill)
-Try a different vowel sound ("flip the sound")
For Advanced Readers:
- Notice interesting , new vocabulary; try using the new words in your conversations
- Read with good expression
- Explore non-fiction books, noting the text features (tables, diagrams, text boxes and bold print)
- Try other genres: folktales, legends, biographies, fairy tales
- Compare and contrast books or two different versions of the same story
- Make personal connections to literature; "This reminds me of..."
- Explore other titles by the same author
Parents Lead by Example
- Take the time to read as a parent. Children will observe that you value reading and they will too. Let your child see you reading a book, magazine, newspaper, cookbook, etc.
Make Reading Fun!