If your child is reading aloud or silently and comes to a word that is difficult to read, have him/her use one of the following strategies below to try and decode the word:
1. Look for key clues: Use the pictures, captions, and surrounding words to try to decode the unfamiliar word.
2. Sound it out: Break up the word into beginning, middle and end sounds, sound out each part, and then put together
3. Look for little words inside big words
4. Search for similarities: Look to see if the unfamiliar words looks like another word (is there a similar ending? Is it a rhyming word? etc)
5. Backtrack and read again
6. Skip it and go on
If your child has an assignment where he/she needs to answer questions based on what has been read, try the following strategies in order to increase understanding:
1. Read the questions first: it will help when reading because he/she will know what to look for.
2. When your child finds an answer to a question, he/she should underline it in the text and then write the number of the question next to what was underlined (only if the text is a paper copy, and not the textbook)
3. When your child is reading, stop him/her every paragraph or two to review what he/she has read thus far. It will help him/her to better understand what is being read.
4. After your child reads the directions to a comprehension assignment, have him/her repeat the directions back to you in his/her own words to determine if he/she knows what needs to be done. If the directions are too complex, break them down into simpler sentences and give one directive at a time (if it’s multi-step directions).
5. When reading the questions, have your child underline key words and phrases that signal a specific comprehension skill (if they are on paper, not in the textbook), such as main idea, sequence of events, etc.
6. If reading nonfiction text, have your child preview the text in order to gain a better understanding of what he/she is about to read. Previewing includes the following:
a. Read the title and ask yourself what you already know about the topic.
b. Read the introduction to the text and ask yourself what it's about.
c. Read headings and subheadings to gain a general idea of the content to be covered.
d. Look at pictures, captions, maps, and charts to gain additional information concerning the text.
1. With writing assignments, the students are currently reviewing or practicing how to write a well-written response based on a fiction or non-fiction piece.
2. Have the students use graphic organizers any time he/she has to do a writing piece, such as a web or a chart. This will help him/her with the brainstorming process.
3. Have your child check for capitalization, punctuation, or spelling errors with three different colored pencils and make corrections with those pencils.
1. Use graph paper to help line up the numbers for computations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). If you do not have graph paper, turn looseleaf paper sideways so that you have columns to help line up your
numbers.
2. Practice multiplication facts everyday by using flash cards, singing songs, reciting rhymes, or playing memory games.
3. Be sure to utilize any checklist provided to help with a new concept (such as with long division) as well as review any notes or handouts that have been given.