When a Child Reads...
Some Answers to Your Questions
There are lots of things you can do to help a beginning reader.
What can I do at home to help my child with his/her reading?
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Read to your child!
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Encourage your child to read to you.
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Have your child make a prediction about what will happen and then discuss what happened after reading the story.
My child seems to be memorizing the books he/she brings home. Is memorizing reading?
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Memorizing is an early part of a child's reading development.
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A child’s memory for text builds fluency and helps him read smoothly.
Why does the teacher encourage my child to point to the words in a book?
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Pointing is one of the first strategies a beginning reader can use to check his/her reading.
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Pointing helps to remind your child to really look at the words.
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As your child becomes a better reader, he/she will be able to "point with his eyes."
My child is always looking at the picture and doesn't seem to be really reading. Should I cover the picture?
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Experts have learned that good readers check the pictures for clues to the story. That is why the teacher encourages your child to use the pictures for help.
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Covering the pictures would make his/her search for the right word more difficult.
What are some ways I can help my child when he/she doesn't know a word?
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Have your child check the picture for clues.
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Tell him/her to start at the first letter of the unknown word, then say each letter-sound, and blend the sounds together.
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Always encourage your child to make the story sound right and make sense.
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Rereading is another good way to figure out an unknown word.
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If your child is still struggling after 5-6 seconds, tell him/her the word.
Should I make my child sound out every word he/she doesn't know?
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Knowing the sound a letter makes is very important but if we sounded out every word, reading would be a lot of work and not much fun.
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Help your child use the context of the story, the picture, and the beginning sounds to prevent your child from needing to "sound out" every word.