Building Comprehension
By the time your child reaches second or third grade, you should see a huge leap in reading skills. He or she is no longer sounding out so many words and — hallelujah — your child might even be tackling small books with chapters. So does this mean that you can close the book on your involvement in your child’s reading education? Not so fast.
Parents can make an enormous difference at this stage, helping their children improve fluency (how smoothly they read) and reading-comprehension skills. “It’s such a crucial time for kids as they begin to read for information rather than just reading for words,” said Candace Fitzpatrick, a third-grade teacher at Luther Burbank Elementary School in Artesia. Fitzpatrick, who coordinates the school’s reading intervention program to help struggling readers succeed, provided the following strategies to help make your child a stronger reader.
Looking for a book that is just the right level for your child? Open the book in the middle and have your child read a page. If your child makes 10 mistakes or more, that book is too difficult. If he or she makes one or two errors, it’s too easy. Pick the book where about three to seven mistakes were made. It’ll challenge your child but not cause frustration. If your child is determined to read the harder book, let him or her, but be prepared to read along.
Does your child read one word at a time or read with a natural flow? The goal is to read at the same rate as a person talks. You can help by reading aloud to your child, emphasizing appropriate pauses, using lots of expression and changing voices according to character. Then have your child take a turn.
Are you concerned that your child didn’t absorb what he or she just read? Play the “say something” game. At first, get him or her to read one sentence aloud. Then you answer, “Say something!” The child has to talk about something he or she learned from the text. As comprehension improves, stop and ask the child to “Say something!” after reading a paragraph or a page.
Does your child resist reading? Try playing an audio book while your child reads along in the regular book. The readers are quite expressive and will have your child hooked in no time. Or maybe your child would benefit from reading in smaller chunks of time.
Did you know that readers who make a personal connection to stories comprehend them better? Encourage your child to “think aloud,” relating the current text to personal experiences or world events. The idea is to keep dialogue about the book going. Your child will become a better reader — and you might grow closer too!
- Karen Koch, Special Advertising Sections Writer
