Here are some tips for parents to assist older children while reading:
- Discuss the problem in the story and how the characters try to solve the problem.
- Help your child become a fluent reader by: a) Have your child pick a favorite page from a book he/she is reading to practice and then “perform” for you. To practice, have your child repeatedly read the page. To perform, have your child focus on reading smoothly and using expression.
- Read aloud with your child at a slightly faster rate than he/she reads independently.
a) Make your voice go up when you read a question.
b) Make your voice go down a little bit then stop when you see a period.
c) Pause when you see a comma.
4. Discuss the characters with your child by asking the following questions:
a) Do you think this character would make a good friend?
b) I wonder how the character felt at the end of the story.
c) Did the character change during the story? How can you tell?
d) Do you think the character learned a lesson?
e) Does this character remind you of anyone you know?
f) Does this character remind you of a character from another book?
6. Here are some ideas for discussing informational texts with your child:
a) Help your child identify the main topic of the text. Work together to find details that support the main topic.
b) You can help your child understand how to use text features such as, headings, table of contents, and glossaries.
c) Ask your child a “text-based” question about an important detail in the text. Have him/her find the answer and read you the section of the text that provides the answer.
d) Invite your child to think of a “text-based” question to ask you.
Help your child figure out unknown words:
a) What would make sense?
b) What would look right and sound right?
c) Does that look like another word you know?
d) Will the picture, illustration or diagram help?
e) Can you find a chunk or part of a word that you know?
f) Will it help to the skip the word and then come back and re-read the sentence?
7. Go on a “Long Vowel Scavenger Hunt” using one of your child’s favorite books. Together, look for words with long vowel sounds and write the words down. For instance, under a, you might have the words: play, rain, and gate.
8. Help your child learn to think about books in new ways.
a) What did the author do to make this story funny or interesting?
b) Does this book remind you of another book you have read?
c) What is your opinion of this book? Why?
d) What words in the story caught your attention?
e) Is there a lesson or moral to be learned from this story?
f) What do you think the most important details in this story are?
9. Play the “Mystery Game” to help your child learn to ask and answer questions involving the following question words: who, what, where, when, why and how.
10. If your child has some favorite television shows, consider putting closed captioning on while he/she watches. You will most likely see him/her reading along.