Helping Young Students Read

            1.Key Concepts:

A.     Children need to read each day.

B.     Make setting aside time to read with your child a priority.

C.     Help the student feel good about himself/herself as a reader.

D.     Encourage the student to read often and for many reasons.

E.     Read to the student. Read with the student. Let the student read to you.                                                

                  

         2. How to encourage:

F.     Pause—Give the reader time to correct errors.

G.     Prompt—Give hints without telling the correct word.

H.     Praise—Use encouraging words when the student reads.

                  

        3. What to do when a reader gets stuck:

I.     Wait to see if he/she can work it out.

J.     Say, “Try that again.”

K.    Say, “Look at the picture.”

L.     Say, “Think about what would make sense.”

M.    Say, “Read the sentence again and start with the tricky word.”

N.     Tell the word as a last resort.

              4. What to do when the reader makes a mistake:

O.    If the mistake makes sense, don’t worry about it.

P.     If the mistake doesn’t make sense, wait to see if the reader will fix it.

Q.    Say, “Try that again.”

R.    Say, “Did that make sense?”

S.    Say, “Did what you read look right and sound right?”

T.    Tell the correct response as a last resort.

                  5. Have fun and smile!

U.     Be positive and sincere.

V.     Greet your reader warmly each morning.

W.    Pay your reader a compliment.

X.    When asking a question, give your reader lots of time to answer.

Y.    Sit near your reader so that both of you can see the print.

Z.     Look the reader in the eye.