Helping Children Become Better Readers

Tips to Help Your Child Become a Better Reader (And Love Books Too!)

Get reading! To become a better reader, a person must practice reading.
Select the right reading materials. The right reading materials are those that: Matches his/her interest Matches his/her ability level Your child helps  select Go to a library, book store, or young adult book website. Don’t be afraid to ask a librarian or someone for help.	Encourage your child to read interactively. Use reading strategies Have discussions Respond in journals You can use additional strategies and sample prompts from the “Spotsy Big 7”. (See back side of page.)
Set Reading Routines.  Set aside distraction-free time for reading at home every day (build up to about 30 minutes). Select a comfortable spot with good lighting. Try different ways of reading. Listen to your child read and show the pleasure you take in hearing a good story. Take turns reading to each other and discussing the book. Read along with the child when a book is somewhat difficult. Encourage your child to read part of a book silently and tell you about it. Let them “read their way” using print, ebooks, audio books, nooks, ipods, e-readers, etc. Notice when your child seems tired. A book read for pleasure can always be finished another day.	Talk with your child about what he/she is reading. When your child comes to an exciting part, ask him/her to guess what might happen next. Then check to see if the prediction was right. When your child finishes reading, talk about: the story and images parts he/she liked and didn’t like what the story reminds you of in your own lives. (If you are reading the same book you can share your thoughts too.) When your child gets stuck on an unfamiliar word: Wait for a while so the child can think about it. Suggest that the child look at an illustration or surrounding words for clues. Remind the child to look at the first letter, read the line again, and make a guess that makes sense. Some things you can pay attention to and discuss with your child’s teacher Was the reading fluent? Does he or she pay attention to punctuation? Do any errors make sense? (That shows the child understands the story.) Do any errors look like the word in the story? After an error, does the child self-correct or keep going?
Model good reading habits. Get a book and read while your child reads. You might just find that reading will help you escape the craziness of daily life.  Enjoy!

Sample Prompts for SPOTSY BIG 7 Reading Comprehension Strategies

Predict: (thinking about what might happen next) I predict that… I bet that... I think that... Since this happened (fill in detail), then I bet the next thing that is going to happen is… Reading this part makes me think that this (fill in detail) is about to happen…	Connect: (accessing the information a reader has in his head) This reminds me of…          This part is like…      This character/setting/event makes me think of ___________ because… I also (name something in the text that has also happened to you)… I never (name something in the text that has never happened to you)…
Question the author and the text: (the reader asks questions and looks for the answers in the reading) Why did… Who is…? What would happen if… Do you think that…? What does this section (fill in detail) mean…? How is this (fill in detail) like this (fill in detail)…	Monitor and Repair/Clarify: (the reader checks for understanding while reading) Did I understand what I just read? What’s this part about…? This is confusing because… Now I understand… At first I thought (fill in detail), but now I think… * If you don’t understand what you read, see other strategies at the bottom of the page
Creating Sensory Images: (creating images that the reader sees, hears, feels, and smells) What senses can you imagine? Describe to what you pictured in your mind… Draw an image that was brought to your mind while you were reading.	Drawing Conclusions/Inferences: (use both the content and background knowledge to read between the lines) I guess…  What is happening using clues? Using these clues, I think that… I think the meaning of (fill in unfamiliar word) is   because…
Summarizing/Synthesizing: (summarizing is pulling together information: synthesizing is adding new insights that change or create ideas about a topic.) So far in the passage… The most important things I’ve read are… I would change this part because… The author wants us to think…	Evaluating: (determine what is important and find the critical facts and details) This is good because… I like the part where… This is important because… I don’t like this part because… My favorite part so far is…

Monitoring and Repairing for Meaning

⇒ fix-up strategies include:

• Stop and think about what you’ve already read. (Check for understanding)
• Reflect in writing what you’ve read.
• Reread.
• Adjust your reading rate: slow down or speed up.