The goal is to develop an independent reader who enjoys reading for fun. When your child is reading books at his/her level encourage the use of strategies to help figure out “tricky” words. Be careful not to interrupt your child at the point of the error. Allow your child to finish the sentence and see if your child recognizes the error. This is called “self-monitoring” and is an important skill for independent reading. If the error is noticed, then encourage rereading and suggest a strategy for self-correcting. If the error is not noticed, ask your child, “Did that make sense?” and then encourage rereading and finding a strategy to self=correct.
STRATEGIES TO HELP:
Look at the pictures- As long as there are pictures, your child can use them to help figure out words.
Get your mouth ready- Say the beginning sound of the word. Sometimes it helps think of the word that fits. If the word is short (3-5 letters) and the letters make their basic sounds, you could encourage sounding out the word. Use the ABC chart as a resource. Be careful not to spend too long on this strategy.
Tap it out- If the word is short (3-5 letters) and the letters make their basic sounds, you could encourage tapping out the word. Use the ABC chart as a resource. Be careful not to spend too long on this strategy. It should be quick or the word is too hard at this time. Students are learning to tap sounds as a strategy in the classroom. Each sound gets a tap on a different finger.
Chunk and Chop It- As we learn more patterns or chunks, encourage your child to use them to help figure out words. “Look! That word has the “at” chunk like cat. What could it be?”
Skip it and read on, then reread- Hop over the unknown word and read to the end of the sentence or the end of the page. These extra clues will make it easier to figure out the word. Get your mouth ready to say the word on the reread to help you solve the unknown word. Reread- Sometimes this is all it takes to solve a word. Encourage rereading any time your child has slowed down to solve a word to keep the meaning of the story flowing.
What makes sense? - Reading is a process for making meaning. Always ask your child, “Did that make sense?” You are learning that your reading should always make sense, and you should reread and slow down if it does not.
STRATEGIES TO HELP:
Look at the pictures- As long as there are pictures, your child can use them to help figure out words.
Get your mouth ready- Say the beginning sound of the word. Sometimes it helps think of the word that fits. If the word is short (3-5 letters) and the letters make their basic sounds, you could encourage sounding out the word. Use the ABC chart as a resource. Be careful not to spend too long on this strategy.
Tap it out- If the word is short (3-5 letters) and the letters make their basic sounds, you could encourage tapping out the word. Use the ABC chart as a resource. Be careful not to spend too long on this strategy. It should be quick or the word is too hard at this time. Students are learning to tap sounds as a strategy in the classroom. Each sound gets a tap on a different finger.
Chunk and Chop It- As we learn more patterns or chunks, encourage your child to use them to help figure out words. “Look! That word has the “at” chunk like cat. What could it be?”
Skip it and read on, then reread- Hop over the unknown word and read to the end of the sentence or the end of the page. These extra clues will make it easier to figure out the word. Get your mouth ready to say the word on the reread to help you solve the unknown word. Reread- Sometimes this is all it takes to solve a word. Encourage rereading any time your child has slowed down to solve a word to keep the meaning of the story flowing.
What makes sense? - Reading is a process for making meaning. Always ask your child, “Did that make sense?” You are learning that your reading should always make sense, and you should reread and slow down if it does not.