Finishing the Book with a Bang!

Reading with a child should always be fun, but don’t forget about the importance of learning when you read AND after you finish reading a book. Always challenge your student to make sure they aren’t simply reading the words, but truly understanding the text. Here are a few things to ask that will help your student fully understand and enjoy what they just finished reading.

Analyzing your predictions

·         What did you think would happen in the book?  Did it happen?

Connecting to the book

·         Can you connect the storyline to real-life events? Did something like this ever happen to you or a friend?

·         Do the characters remind you of anyone?

Evaluating the book

·         Did you like the book?

·         What was your favorite part?

·         What was your favorite character?

Recreating the book

·         If you were to rewrite the book what would you change? Why?

·         Can you imagine if the story was slightly different?

o   For example, if the three little pigs had 50 more brothers, could the wolf have blown down 53 houses?

These questions will increase a child’s ability to comprehend what happened in the story which makes reading more fun!

Tips for Reading Aloud

When you are reading to a child, it is important to help the student sound out the word without giving it away. This will help the student gain confidence and enjoy reading even more.  Here are a few tips on what to do when your student is struggling with a word.

• When you come to a word your student does not know, do not simply say the word.  Have your student use two fingers to bracket the word, have them identify the sounds he/she knows.

• Use clues to help your student sound out the word.
• What sound does the word start with?
• What sound does it end with?
• Can you sound the word out with that much information?
• What does this part sound like?

• If your student uses an incorrect sound, help by correcting that sound and have them follow your lead to sound the word out.
• For example: the word CLOCK.
• What sound does that start with? “KL.”
• What sound does it end with? “K.”
• What sound is in the middle? “O.” (Make sure they use the short “o,” not the long “o.”)
• Now, say the whole word while running one pointer finger along under the words as they make each sound. “CLOCK.”

• If it is a longer word, try breaking down by covering up part of the word.
• For example: the word PANCAKE.
• Break the word down to 2 separate words, “pan,” & “cake.”
• Sound out “pan,” and then “cake.”
• After you have sounded it out, reread the sentence in order to not lose the meaning of the word in context.

Using these simple steps when reading with a child can improve not just reading level, but their confidence and reading enjoyment. There is no feeling more enjoyable than seeing the look on the child’s face when they are finally able to sound out a big word. 

The Cost of Reading

Library card… $20.00

A new children’s book… $10.99

Standard book mark… $1.00

Significantly lowering the chance your child may become unemployed or in poverty… Priceless.

A child learning to read adds up to more than just a couple bucks out of your wallet, studies show it may cost them a chance at living a considerably better life.

Invest in a child's future by taking
the time to read to them.

According to the Literacy Information and Communication System (LICS), a government run infrastructure dedicated to improving communication and information exchange on literacy nationwide, 75% of American adults that are unemployed have reading or writing difficulties. That’s a very scary statistic considering today’s uncertain economy. It’s harsh but its true; how well a child reads can significantly affect whether or not they struggle to make a living later on in life. The 1992 National Adult Literacy Survey shows that there is a strong correlation between literacy levels and income.  43% of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty. By denying a child a chance to read, you are denying them at a chance at a better life.

Reading to a child costs a lot of things: money, time, and maybe even a little patience. But when you add all that up, isn’t giving every child a fair chance in life worth the cost?  If you would like to volunteer a little bit of your time to help offer a child a better chance in life, click the following link: http://everybodywinsiowa.org/volunteer/index.html

To learn more about the shocking affects of literacy on a child’s future you can visit the National Education Association’s website.

Click here to learn more about the LICS.