Helping Your Child Learn to Read

Tips and Hints to Help Your Child at Home or How the Help with Reading in the Classroom

What is Reading?

Reading is about understanding written texts.

Reading is a complex activity

that involves both perception and thought.

What is Reading?

Reading consists of two related processes: word recognition and comprehension.

Word recognition refers to the process of perceiving how written symbols correspond to one’s spoken language.

Comprehension is the process of making sense of words, sentences and connected text.

Readers typically make use of background knowledge, vocabulary, grammatical knowledge, experience with text and other strategies to help them understand written text.

Becoming Readers and Writers

By the time most children enter Kindergarten, they have already learned a lot about language. For five years, they have watched, listened to, and interacted with adults and other children. They have played, explored, and made discoveries at home, pre-school and/or day care.

Becoming Readers and Writers

Beginning or during Kindergarten, most children have naturally developed language skills and knowledge. They…

Know print carries meaning Know what written language looks like Can identify and name letters of the alphabet Know letters are associated with sounds Know the sounds letters make Know using words can serve a purpose Know how books work

Reading With 1:1 Correspondence

While we initially allow children to predict the text, we want children to move quickly to reading the exact words on the page.

To help children do this it is important that children begin by pointing to each word as they read. This helps children quickly see of they are reading the correct number of words.

This is called reading with 1:1 correspondence.

Reading With 1:1 Correspondence

Reading With 1:1 Correspondence

My Dad is cooking the dinner.

Reading With 1:1 Correspondence

What the child has said matches the picture and is grammatically correct, however when asked to point to the words the child should discover that they have said too many words.

My Dad is cooking the dinner.

Reading With 1:1 Correspondence

When your child points to the words as they read it also reinforces that reading goes from left to right and helps them to understand that the word he or she says is the word he or she sees.

This also gives children a chance to recognise and find sight words/tricky words that they have been covering in class reading programs.

Reading With 1:1 Correspondence

It is important that children can see each word clearly as they read.

Make sure that when your child points to the words they can still see each word clearly.

Reading With 1:1 Correspondence

Reading With 1:1 Correspondence

How to Learn Letter Sounds

Children should be beginning to recognise and use individual sounds to read unknown words.

Activities to help children remember sounds:• I – Spy using beginning with the sound “s”• How do you know that word says “box”?• Tell me 5 things that start with “m”.• Using magnetic letters get your child to make words you sound out/tell them

• Get your child to help write the shopping list by sounding out words

What To Do When…Your child comes to an unknown word

Do not jump in straight away and tell your child the word

Go back to the beginning of the sentence and re-read up to the unknown word then…

Predict what word would make sense (use the first sound as a guide when predicting)

Encourage them to try to “sound out” the first few letters of the word

Get them to look at the picture

Questions to Ask Your Child When They Get Stuck

What word would make sense in this place?

What word would go here that starts with “b”?

Does that make sense?

Does that match with the picture?

Did you read every word? Make sure you do not leave out words or put extra words in.

Reading and Writing Are Linked

Reading and writing are closely related. Developing reading skills through writing is an

effective strategy. For young children, learning to write and spell helps to develop their awareness of print conventions. It also makes them aware of the symbolic nature of print.

Writing also helps to establish the connection between oral and written language.

Reading and Writing Are Linked

Children should be beginning to recognise that words look the same no matter whether they are reading them or writing them.

10 Points to Remember

1. Read regularly with your child (five or six days a week if you can)

2. Give your child time to browse through a book before attempting to read it

3. Show confidence in your child's abilities. Your lack of confidence may affect your child's ability to read.

4. Don't tell your child you are worried about his/her reading progress.

10 Points to Remember

5. Get your child to read to other people besides you. Try a grandma, neighbour, uncle, aunt, friend etc. It could make a big difference with your child's confidence to read.

6. Do not expect too much to soon. Don't push too hard for immediate results. It takes time!

7. Are you always rushed? Do you give your child enough time to read or write?

10 Points to Remember

8. Provide opportunities for your child to write. Such as shopping lists, names on letters to friends or relatives, the child's own name at the bottom of a letter or card you have written.

9. Use books at the correct level. Use easy books to encourage your child's abilities and confidence. Don't choose books that are too hard; that may undermine your child's confidence.

10 Points to Remember

10. If you do all the above and you are still worried, your child's hearing or eye sight may have something to do with the reading problem. Visit your doctor for a check-up because hearing or eyesight could affect his/her ability to learn.

A Few Words About Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension

It is important that children develop the ability to read a text accurately and quickly, or reading fluency. Children must learn to read words rapidly and accurately in order to understand what is read. When fluent readers read silently, they recognise words automatically. When fluent readers read aloud, they read effortlessly and with expression. Readers who are weak in fluency read slowly, word by word, focusing on decoding words instead of comprehending meaning.

A Few Words About Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension

Fluency in reading means being able to read text accurately, quickly and with expression. Fluent readers can do this because they do not have problems with word recognition. As a result, they can focus on the meaning of a text. Recent research shows that fluency also depends on the ability to group words appropriately during reading. This means fluent readers recognise words quickly, but also know where to place emphasis or pause during reading.

A Few Words About Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension

It is important that children learn the meaning and pronunciation of words, or vocabulary development. Children need to actively build and expand their knowledge of written and spoken words, what they mean and how they are used.

A Few Words About Fluency, Vocabulary and Comprehension

It is important that children acquire strategies to understand, remember and communicate what is read, or reading comprehension strategies. Children need to be taught comprehension strategies, or the steps good readers use to make sure they understand text. Students who are in control of their own reading comprehension become purposeful, active readers.

Conclusion

Reading is a skill that will empower everyone who learns it. The competent reader will be able to benefit from the store of knowledge in printed materials and, ultimately, to contribute to that knowledge.

Teamwork between home and school enables students to learn to read and read to learn.

Questions