On a regular basis your son or daughter will be bringing home books to share. Here are some ways to guide them as they read or you read to them.
General:
-Select books that you’ll enjoy and that will spark your child’s interest.
-Encourage and acknowledge your child’s comments and questions.
-Share personal reactions.
-Relate concepts to life experiences.
Before Reading:
-Look at the cover and title. Ask your child to describe the cover and tell what the book might be about.
-Read the dedication to see if it gives any clues to the story or why the author wrote the book.
-Preview the pictures and imagine what the story will be about.
During Reading:
-Determine where and when the story took place.
-Discuss who the characters are and how they are related.
-Discuss the problem the main character is facing.
-Stop at a high suspense point in the story. Ask your child to predict what will happen next.
-Ask why he or she thinks that will happen. Is there a clue from the story?
-Define new words as they arise, or have him/her use context clues to determine meanings.
-Vary your reading aloud techniques.
*Echo/choral reading
*Parent reads a paragraph, child reads a paragraph
*Parent reads a page, child reads a page
*Parent reads a sentence, but stops at a word or phrase the child knows.
*Parent and child use different voices and gestures to portray different characters
After Reading:
-Discuss whether or not the story turned out as your child predicted.
-Ask if your child liked the story. Why or why not?
-Talk about your favorite part.
-Formulate opinions about the characters.
“What did you like/dislike about the character(s)?”
“How would you act toward the main character if he/she was your friend?”
“If you were the main character, what would you have done when…?”
-Together, imagine ways you could change the story (or write a sequel) if you were the author.
-Role play the parts of an interviewer and a character and find out the character’s motives.
-Take time to look at the details in the pictures and retell the story.