Reading FAQ
What should I do if my child says a word that is incorrect while reading?
Because of the way reading used to be taught, many parents feel that the only way to figure out unknown words is to "sound them out." Research has proven that this can be one of the least effective ways to figure out a word. Too many words can not be sounded out (examples: said, know, right, etc.). When we read, we should use three sources of information to decode the text: meaning, structure, and visual cues. We gather meaning by thinking what the story is about, looking at the pictures, and knowing that what we have read makes sense. We use structure cues to determine if what we have read sounds right in the sentence. We use visual cues to know if what we have read looks right. It is important for any reader to know how to use all of these sources of information or cues. Fluent readers do this without thinking, but children should be taught and prompted to use these strategies.
When your child makes an error within a sentence, do not interrupt. Let him/her read to the end, because the child will often go back and self-correct the errors. If not, you can help them by saying...
a. "You said______. Does that sound right?"
b. "You said______. Does that make sense?"
c. "You said______. Does that look right?"
d. "If this word were______what letter would you see at the beginning?"
After your child self-corrects an error, have them go back and reread the sentence or phrase. If your child stops within a sentence and does not know how to "attack" a word, ask them to think about the story, check the picture, and then get their mouth ready to say the word by checking the beginning sound or sounds of that word. Then they should go back and start at the beginning of the sentence (to gather meaning) and reread the sentence.
Encourage your child to look for small words or "word chunks" within the words to decode it. For example: The word or helps with more, like helps with bike, day helps with today, etc.
Our goal is for children to monitor their own reading. If the parent or teacher always supplies the word or corrects them immediately, they will not learn to monitor on their own. It is very important to encourage your child each time you see that they use a strategy that helps them monitor their own reading. You might say...
"I liked the way you..."
-tried to figure that word out
- used the picture to help you figure that word out
- noticed that something wasn't right
- tried a word that made sense
- checked the beginning (middle or ending) letter of that word
- looked for word chunks you already knew in that word
- reread the sentence when it didn't make sense
- thought about the story
My Child is always looking at the pictures and doesn’t seem to be really reading. Should I cover the pictures?
Experts have learned that good readers check the pictures for clues to the story. That is why we encourage your child to use the pictures for help. Being flexible in gathering information is just another tool to help a child be successful in reading. Covering the pictures would make his search for the correct word or phrase more difficult.
Why does the teacher encourage my child to point to the words in the book?
Pointing is one of the first strategies a beginning reader can use to check his reading. Teachers sometimes use words like “Self-Monitoring” to refer to this technique. This simply means that pointing helps to remind your child to really look at the words. Some children do not realize that words convey a message. Pointing helps the child to focus and to notice the details of our written language, for instance, where one word ends and another begins. As your child develops his reading skills and grows in confidence, you will see them pointing less frequently. Your child will be able to “point with their eyes.” Eventually, their eyes will move quickly across the lines of print. Pointing is just another tool to help your child read.
Because of the way reading used to be taught, many parents feel that the only way to figure out unknown words is to "sound them out." Research has proven that this can be one of the least effective ways to figure out a word. Too many words can not be sounded out (examples: said, know, right, etc.). When we read, we should use three sources of information to decode the text: meaning, structure, and visual cues. We gather meaning by thinking what the story is about, looking at the pictures, and knowing that what we have read makes sense. We use structure cues to determine if what we have read sounds right in the sentence. We use visual cues to know if what we have read looks right. It is important for any reader to know how to use all of these sources of information or cues. Fluent readers do this without thinking, but children should be taught and prompted to use these strategies.
When your child makes an error within a sentence, do not interrupt. Let him/her read to the end, because the child will often go back and self-correct the errors. If not, you can help them by saying...
a. "You said______. Does that sound right?"
b. "You said______. Does that make sense?"
c. "You said______. Does that look right?"
d. "If this word were______what letter would you see at the beginning?"
After your child self-corrects an error, have them go back and reread the sentence or phrase. If your child stops within a sentence and does not know how to "attack" a word, ask them to think about the story, check the picture, and then get their mouth ready to say the word by checking the beginning sound or sounds of that word. Then they should go back and start at the beginning of the sentence (to gather meaning) and reread the sentence.
Encourage your child to look for small words or "word chunks" within the words to decode it. For example: The word or helps with more, like helps with bike, day helps with today, etc.
Our goal is for children to monitor their own reading. If the parent or teacher always supplies the word or corrects them immediately, they will not learn to monitor on their own. It is very important to encourage your child each time you see that they use a strategy that helps them monitor their own reading. You might say...
"I liked the way you..."
-tried to figure that word out
- used the picture to help you figure that word out
- noticed that something wasn't right
- tried a word that made sense
- checked the beginning (middle or ending) letter of that word
- looked for word chunks you already knew in that word
- reread the sentence when it didn't make sense
- thought about the story
My Child is always looking at the pictures and doesn’t seem to be really reading. Should I cover the pictures?
Experts have learned that good readers check the pictures for clues to the story. That is why we encourage your child to use the pictures for help. Being flexible in gathering information is just another tool to help a child be successful in reading. Covering the pictures would make his search for the correct word or phrase more difficult.
Why does the teacher encourage my child to point to the words in the book?
Pointing is one of the first strategies a beginning reader can use to check his reading. Teachers sometimes use words like “Self-Monitoring” to refer to this technique. This simply means that pointing helps to remind your child to really look at the words. Some children do not realize that words convey a message. Pointing helps the child to focus and to notice the details of our written language, for instance, where one word ends and another begins. As your child develops his reading skills and grows in confidence, you will see them pointing less frequently. Your child will be able to “point with their eyes.” Eventually, their eyes will move quickly across the lines of print. Pointing is just another tool to help your child read.
