Children in the Early Intervention Program and the Language Arts Support
Program will be bringing home books to read to an adult, at least four times
a week. These books are meant to be at an easy reading level. This reading
practice is meant to increase the readers' fluency and make them feel
positive about their reading ability. Below are some suggestions on
how to approach the reading of these books.
During the Reading of the Daily Books
1. Pre-Reading - Talk, Think and Question.
*Before reading the book, read the title and predict what it will be about.
Walk through the book page by page discussing what is seen in the pictures.
Guide your child to see the story line the author is presenting. At this
time, if you notice any challenging vocabulary, talk about it. Try to relate
it to personal experiences so that it will be meaningful to your child. You
may also want to point out familiar sight words.
2. During-Reading Strategies
*If your child is starting to read, let him/her read the book to you or read
it together. Provide support and encouragement that will make him/her a more
independent reader. When there is a "challenging" word give your child wait
time of 5 to 10 seconds and see what he/she attempts to do to help
him/herself. If your child is still "stuck" on the word, use prompts that
will develop "word solving strategies."
Examples:
*Look at the picture.
*Skip the word, read on and then go back. Then ask, "Now
what do you think it is?"
*Look at the beginning sound.
*Can you cover up part of the word?
*Do you see any smaller words inside this word?
*What would make sense there?
*If these are unsuccessful, tell your child the word.
When a word has been misread, try to encourage self-corrections. Say to your
child:
Something wasn't quite right.
See if you can find it.
You're nearly right. Try again.
3. Rereading
*When the book is finished, it is always a good idea to reread it. This
helps to increase fluency and provides review of sight words.
4. After Reading
*Talk about the book. What did you like best? Who were the characters? What
happened first? What was the last thing the character did? What was your
favorite part? Where did the story take place or what was the setting? Why
do you think the character did that? Would you do that or would you do
something different?
