Room

Helping Your Child Get the Most Out of Reading

Questions to consider:

Can your child decode the words?

Are there gaps in their knowledge of sounds made by letters and special groups of letters, of blending sounds together, or in tackling more complex words?

Is the particular text they are trying to read - whether it is a textbook or self selected - at their level, or do they need extra help with it? Should they be selecting easier text?

Does your child love to read?

Let them see you reading and hear you talk about text.

Help them find books they will enjoy reading.

Set aside time for reading without distractions.

Read with them.

How can your child think more deeply about what he or she is reading?

Talk with them about what they are reading.

Recognize that reading nonfiction is different than reading fiction because of the purpose and complexity of words and concepts.

-- Have questions in mind or specific information to look for when reading nonfiction.

-- Use titles, pictures and captions, diagrams, etc. to help understand the text.

-- Reread if needed.

-- Support with other sources of information if needed.