How can I help my child who is a beginning reader? I have heard this from so many parents and grandparents, that I decided to give everyone some prompts to use with beginning readers.
Think back to how you learned to read. It was 1981, and I was sitting in a circle listening to all the "good readers" read from the basal reader and counting the sentences to figure out which one would be mine. I'd practice it so when I read aloud, I sounded like the "good readers." I never sounded like the other kids. It's probably because I was never allowed to read more than one sentence at a time in first grade. Good grief; no wonder I couldn't gain any traction in reading! I was told to sound out the words. Just sound them out, and put them together. What does that mean? Well, trust me, I was trying to sound out the words, and it wasn't working. Fast forward to the present day. Kids are reading on their own, all around the room. We give students time with books, and lots of different strategies, because just one strategy isn't going to work for everyone all the time! We tell our beginning readers to get their mouth ready and look at the picture for a word that makes sense. Yes, we tell them to look at the picture! The pictures are full of great information to help you understand the story. Take time to look at those pictures. It tells how the character is feeling, gives you clues to what will happen next, and helps our youngest readers figure out unknown words. We tell them to skip the word. What? Skip a word? Yes, you can skip it, as long as you go back and get a running start. Sometimes this helps students figure out an unknown word, and when they use that strategy and are successful, they beam! They are so excited that they could do something else to figure it out, instead of just sitting there on a word and waiting for lightning to strike! We tell them to find a little word. Lots of times big words are just little words put together. If you can find the little word, it can help you figure out the big word. These are strategies we teach from the very beginning, and it can be used with older readers as well. They will need these reminders when they are tackling a longer word in a text. The most important thing to remember is to read, read, read. Time with a book, either an actual paper copy or one on the iPad, will help your child become a better reader. So, enjoy your Thanksgiving, and sit together to read a good book!
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We have been working hard in RTI on reading strategies. We have learned the following strategies: *Add new information to your background knowledge *Ask a question *Get an image in your head *Make connections *Predictions *LOL!! All RTI students in grades 3-5 have learned the hand motions for these strategies. If your child is in one of my RTI groups, ask him or her about these hand motions. We have been using sticky notes like crazy to mark our thinking while we are reading. A general rule of thumb is to mark something on each two page spread. If you are doing that, then you are thinking while you're reading. If you don't have a sticky note before you turn the page, you need to reread and really think about what you're learning, imagining the characters doing, or thinking about what might happen next. |
AuthorMy name is Laura Coffin, and I am the reading specialist at Lake Placid Elementary School. I have a BA from William Smith College and a M.Ed. in Reading from Lesley University. I also hold a Wilson Language Level I certification. I teach reading, writing and spelling strategies to help all students! Follow me on twitter @lgaetacoffin Archives
December 2017
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