Reading Corner
Questions, Questions, Questions!
As parents, you have heard your share of questions from
your child! You are your child's first teacher and model reading
behaviors. When you encourage your child to ask real questions
it helps to develop their sense of learning. As you read, share
with them what you wonder about. Children naturally wonder about
the world around: I wonder how tunnels are built. I
wonder what a black hole is. I wonder how many stars there are
in the universe. Before you begin reading a book with your child,
you can play the "I wonder" game. Good readers ask
questions before, during, and after reading. This active thinking
engages children with the text and leads to a deeper understanding.
Questions also send readers on quests. After a trip
to the zoo, your child may ask numerous questions about why the animals
behave in certain ways. In order to develop this love of learning,
you can visit the local public library and check out a non-fiction
book to help answer some of those questions. You will find that
their questions will lead to others. The path of discovery will
continue to be paved. Share with your children the excitement,
the questions, and the enjoyment that reading brings.
Here is some language to use with your child with questioning:
"I wonder..." "Why?"
"What does this mean?" "That
was a great question. Do you have any more?" "Your
question made me think of another question." "How
come. . . ?" Show me a part of
the text where you had a question. Tell me
what you were wondering about as you read this part. Show
me where your asked, "Huh?" How did you clear
up your confusion?
Seven Keys to Comprehension: How to Help Your
Kids Read It and Get It! by Susan Zimmerman and Chryse Hutchins
is a helpful resource if you would like to learn more about reading
strategies. I have a copy of the book at school for anyone who
would like to borrow it.
Happy Reading!
Ms. Nora Mullin, Reading Teacher
Reading Strategies
Greetings from Your Partner in Literacy!
Welcome to the 2007-2008 school year. One of the thrusts for
the school year will be the continual assessing of all students for
literacy. Some of the tools Fairfax County will be using are:
DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment); BART
(Benchmark Assessment Resource Tool), and ECAP and
PALs for Kindergarten.
As parents you can help at home by using the following reading
strategies with all types of print materials whether you read to your
child, with your child, or your child reads independently.
READING STRATEGIES
BEFORE READING:
- Take a book walk (Book Look)—look through
the materials to see how they are organized, i.e.: chapters, pictures,
captions, maps, graphs, columns, etc.
- Think and Link by having your child review what
they know about fiction stories or the topic that is in the informational
text.
- Have your child make a Prediction about what the
story maybe about if fiction or what they might learn if it is informational
text.
- Have your child set a Purpose for reading: what
do they want to find out or learn.
DURING READING:
- Have your child turn the pages of print material.
- Stop at intervals and ask your child to retell what was just read,
what might happen next, what wasn’t understood, and/or clarify
important ideas or words.
- Continue to make predictions and/or ask questions that can’t
be responded to with a yes or no answer.
AFTER READING:
- Have your child Retell what was read.
- Discuss the favorite part of a fiction story or what was the most
interesting new information of non-fiction material.
- Relate the reading materials to themselves, another
piece of writing, and /or the real world.
- Reflect about the print material by thinking what
might have been, how the new information might change one’s
ideas.
- Reread.
Make sure your child has a varied diet of print materials: books, magazines,
directions, letters, etc that are fiction, nonfiction (informational
text), and poetry.
HAPPY READING!
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