Courses

ABC's of Reading in High School

1. Fluency

What is fluency?

• Fluency means reading smoothly, correctly, and with expression.

• When children read fluently, they understand and remember what they read more easily.

• If they have to stop and sound out every word, it becomes harder to follow the meaning.

How parents can help at home:

• Read aloud using a smooth, expressive voice so your child hears how good reading sounds.

• Take turns reading (words, sentences, or paragraphs) to share the learning.

• Practice repeated reading by having your child read the same short text a few times to build confidence and accuracy.

2. Vocabulary

What is vocabulary?

• Vocabulary is the collection of words a child understands and uses to communicate.

• The more words children know, the easier it is for them to understand what they read and share their ideas.

• Children learn new words by hearing, seeing, saying, and writing them many times.

• Learning word parts (like prefixes and suffixes) helps children figure out the meaning of new words.

How parents can help at home:

• Use and explain new words often in conversations, books, and daily activities so your child learns them in real-life contexts.

• Give simple, child-friendly definitions and let your child see, hear, say, and write new words multiple times.

• Explore word parts together (prefixes, suffixes, and root words) to help your child understand and decode unfamiliar words.

3. Comprehension

What is comprehension?

• Comprehension is a child’s ability to understand and make meaning from what they read.

• It develops when children have strong skills in areas like sounds (phonological awareness), phonics, fluency, and vocabulary.

• Background knowledge (what they already know) also helps them understand new texts.

• Children use strategies like predicting, asking questions, summarizing, and making connections to deepen understanding.

How parents can help at home:

• Build strong foundations by talking about what your child already knows, practicing sounds and phonics, building vocabulary, and encouraging smooth reading.

• Use multiple strategies while reading—make predictions, ask questions, and talk about what’s happening in the story.

• Have meaningful conversations about books by asking what your child noticed, what surprised them, or what they are still wondering about.