Help Your Child Become aReader…

…and Enjoy the Experience!

(Created by Erin Madara, LDT-C and Lauren Feldman, LDT-C)

What is Reading?The “Essential Five”

What does my child need to learn?How can my child best learn?

Conduct a Needs Assessment: Talk to the teacher, the team, the child.

Conduct a Learning Style Assessment: For

yourself and your child.

Know that a balanced approach to teaching reading incorporates both implicit and explicit instruction.

Balanced Approach to Reading

IMPLICIT Instruction• Some children learn to

read regardless of reading instruction

• Able to recognize patterns and words as a whole

• Student masters the task of reading intuitively by analyzing words, phrases, and sentences, based on prior knowledge

• 70% of children learn to read implicitly

EXPLICIT Instruction• Method of learning

through direct instruction• Each sound and symbol

is taught in isolation (as a discrete unit) until children can manipulate the sounds and symbols to create words and sentences independently

• Sequential format: Review and Consistent Practice (encode/decode)

• 30% of children require direct instruction.

Incorporate ALL Learning Pathways

• VISUAL: Seeing

• AUDITORY: Hearing

• KINESTHETIC/TACTILE: Moving/Touching

-Tap into the strength and strengthen the weaker modalities -Students: adaptable, flexible, successful

• Explicit Instruction is dependent upon learning style

• Develop an awareness of how your child learns and how you teach.

• Goal: To help your child become a confident, independent, knowledgeable reader with strategies to fall back on in school and in life to ensure success.

Learning Styles and Strategies

~~Motivating Reading in the Home~~

~~ Create a Reading Culture~~~ Atmosphere ~• Quiet reading time• Model “reading behavior”• Designated times and places for

reading• Ensure books are accessible and

clearly printed• Subscribe to a magazine of interest• Books as gifts

~ You and Your Child ~• Read aloud to your child• Read a chapter at bedtime• Show interest in books your child is

reading• Discuss books together• Keep track of the books your child

has read• Library or bookstore trips

~~~ Appropriate Reading Material~~~

~ Reading Level ~• Books for quiet reading• Book to be read aloud

~ Reading Content ~• Child’s affinity level• Novel topics• Variety of topics

What Good Readers Do

Have a purpose for reading.

Looking for information, learning a topic, completing an assignment, or just trying to relax.

Reading speed can be adjusted depending on purpose.

Think about what they already know.

Comprehension can be increased if your child thinks about what is being read and relates it to what he or she already knows.

Make sure they understand what they read.

Children should be able to “see” what they are reading.

They should ask themselves questions.

They should re-read a sentence or paragraph if they do not understand.

Good readers also…

Talk about their reading with others.

Use dictionaries to look up words they do not know.

Look at pictures when possible.

Predict what will happen next and then read to see if they were correct.

Use textbook features to check their own comprehension.

Your child should notice chapter headings, subheadings, boldface words, and words in italics.

Draw conclusions about what they read.

This can be done after every paragraph, page, or chapter.

It is often helpful for students to write this information down for later reference.

Need practice and encouragement.

Your child should always have a book in progress.

Take turns reading aloud to each other.

Talk about the book to make this a special time together.

Use the “Five Finger Rule”

• Choose a book.

• Open to a page in the middle of the book.

• Begin reading.

• Count on your finger every word not known.

• Once you reach the fifth finger, the book

is too hard.

• Guide your child to another book.

Reading Strategies

Highlight important

information

Record thinking on Post-

Its

Interactive notebook (two-

column note-taking)

Other Comprehension Strategies

Sociogram- Visual representation

Tape record readings

Use story chart organizers

Reading Comprehension Questions* Fiction Books

• Name and describe a character in the book.

• Where did the story take place?

• What character are you most like? Why?

• What was the problem in the story?

• How did they solve the problem?

• Tell a different way the story could have ended?

Non-Fiction Books

• Tell in your own words what the story was about.

• Describe where and when the story took place.

• Draw and label one scene.

Paraphrasing Strategies

Using Synonyms and Highlighting

1.Cross out words with 4 or fewer letters.

2.Highlight important words.

3.Use synonyms.

4.Write your sentences.

Reading Comprehension Websites

http://www.rhlschool.com/reading.htmOnline reading comprehension worksheets

http://www.starfall.com/Interactive books and phonics

http://resources.kaboose.com/games/read2.htmlReading comprehension games

http://www.bookadventure.org/ki/index/aspBook finder and games

http://www.magickeys.com/books/Free online books to read

Motivating Writing in the Home

Model EnthusiasmSit with your child and write for fun, not out of necessity

•Try the following websites for fun writing games

and exercises

http://www.readwritethink.org

http://scholastic.com

http://www.brainpop.com

http://www.rif.org

http://www.funbrain.com

•Write with your child and offer encouragement

•When your child has a writing assignment, put time aside to sit with your child, give him/her encouragement.

Offer a reward as incentive for reaching a

goal

Small token prize Quality time with family Special dinner No chores for a week

Atmosphere

Location and atmosphere are very important

Choose a location that will motivate your child to writeMake sure that the location is free of distractionsChoose a location that is roomy and comfortable

Have materials readily available

PaperWriting utensilsDictionaryComputer

Writing Without A Pencil

• Encourage Communication/Expression– Conversation– Observation– Vocabulary– Voice/Opinion– Independence

Activities to Improve Writing

• Journal/Diary

• “Television Talk”

• Scrapbooks/Collections • Email/Penpal

• “Write this down for me…”

RULES• Books as Models

• Spelling Sports and Games

• Mnemonics

• Workbooks/Picture Dictionary

• Mad Libs

THANK YOU!

• Erin Madara, M.Ed., LDT-C ERIN.MADARA@EDISON.K12.NJ.US

• Lauren Feldman, M.Ed., LDT-C, Reading Specialist LAUREN.FELDMAN@YAHOO.COM