Reading+Strategies

﻿ Reading Strategies to Try at Home!

﻿At school, the children learn when they come to an unknown word, there are many strategies that they can try! We will practice these strategies throughout the year during shared reading, guided reading, and independent reading. I have listed the strategies below that we will use to begin the year. This list will continue to grow throughout the year.

Accuracy: I am noticing that the students have many strengths with using the picture to figure out what is happening in the story. However, many are so strong at interpreting the illustrations that they are making up words to tell the story. This is definitely an early reading strategy and very important in the development of reading in the EARLY stages. Now that the students are in grade one, there are a few reading behaviours that should start to develop.

Finger tracking: Make sure your child is tracking the text with his/her finger. Often they will substitute a word that make sense with the picture, but that is not the word in front of them!

 //__**Use Beginning and Ending Sounds**__//

Often when learning new words, children apply the strategy of

** using the  **beginning sound  to help them identify the word. When they do this, they often guess a word that may not fit in the sentence, it starts with the same letter so they

guess and move on without looking at the rest of the word. They may not even know there is an end to the word. To gain accuracy it is important that children

also learn to look at the ** end of the word  **  when reading. Applying the accuracy strategy of **  using beginning and ending sounds  **  helps with both accuracy and  comprehension since reading the correct words will enhance the meaning ofwhat is being read. __How can you help your child with this strategy at home?__

1. When listening to your child read, encourage him/her to slow down enough to pay attention to the end of the word. Have your child point to the end of the word and tell you the sound it makes. This reinforces that there is an end to the word.

2. Have your child cross check the word he/she just read. Remind your child to ask, “Does it look right, does it sound right, does it make sense?” to help them

identify the word.

3. If necessary, revisit letter sounds and the concept words of beginning and end. Then, when stumbling on a word, have your child stretch out the word, saying

the beginning, middle, and end sounds. After having him/her focus on the beginning and ending sounds, help your child read the word correctly and ask, Did that make sense?” 4. If your child is still struggling with this strategy, have your child write the word out. Slowing down to write the word can help focus his/her attention on the end sound.

 ** If your child is experiencing more than 5 miscues on a page... this book is TOO HARD! In order to prevent frustration for both you and your child, please indicate this in the  agenda, and I will be happy to assist them with choosing a more appropriate book.


 * Blend Sounds, Stretch and Reread**

It often requires a lot of patience to listen to beginning readers as they learn to decode and sound out words. Beginning readers usually learn their sounds in isolation and as a result sound choppy when they try to put these sounds together to make words. Taking the individual letter sounds and blending them together can be a first step to becoming a reader for many children. As with any other task, to improve in reading a person must have increased exposure and practice, practice, practice. Your child is working on the accuracy strategy of blending sounds. The following ideas provide you with suggestions on how you can assist your child in becoming a better reader.

__﻿How can you help your child with this strategy at home? __ 1. When reading and blending sounds together, encourage your child to listen for a familiar word.

2. Give your child a rubber band and have them take it between two hands. Write down a simple word for your child to read (3 letter words such as bat, dog, and cap). Have your child pull the band apart a bit with each sound in the word. This will have your child stretching out both the band and the word. When finished with all of the sounds, say the word together while bringing hands together.

3. When reading, tell your child, "Say each letter as you stretch them out, then put them together and say it fast." Demonstrate what this sounds like for your child.

4. If your child is still struggling with this strategy, have your child write the word out. Slowing down to write the word can help focus his/her attention on the end sound.

Cross Checking

When reading a book for pleasure or for information, chances are you will come to a word or two you are unsure of. You probably will use the accuracy strategy of ** cross  **checking

without even thinking about it, because it is second nature to you as a reader to read accurately. Accuracy is not second nature to children learning to

read. It is something that needs to be taught using a variety of strategies. Your child has been introduced to the accuracy strategy of cross checking. It is important to slow readers down when they come to a word they don’t know and teach them to apply the strategy of **  cross checking  **  so they are able to fix the meaning and not just skip the word. ** Cross checking  **  requires a person  to constantly think and monitor meaning. It is a strategy for ensuring the words and pictures read make sense and match the letters on a page.

__<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 160%;">How can you help your child with this strategy at home? __

1. Listen to your child read. When he comes to a word he is unsure of, remind him to cross check. Ask:

• Does the word you are reading match the picture or letters written? (they cross their right arm over their body)

• Does it sound right? (their left arm crosses over their body making an X)

• Does it make sense? (both arms come down with hands pointing to the ground)

*Doing physical movements with each question helps children to remember the questions.

2. If your child is having difficulty with this strategy at home, break down the process:

• Have him/ her stop reading when meaning breaks down.

• Tell him/her to look at the letters and say the sounds or look for word chunks in words.

• Remind her to use the pictures to help.

3. To make your child aware of using this strategy, give him/her a piece of paper and tell him/her to make a tally mark each time he uses the <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">** cross checking ** strategy.

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