Fluency Links
TWENTY
WAYS TO HELP CHILDREN IMPROVE
1. Continue to read aloud to
your children. Even when they can read by themselves, it is important for
children to hear a more fluent reader reading. You can share reading time
with your children by taking turns reading parts out loud or by participating in
choral readings where you read together.
2. If you have older children, encourage them
to read with and to help your younger children with reading. You learn
best when you have to teach someone else.
3. Instruct children about how texts are put
together. Show them how some books go from beginning to end while others
start in the middle. Talk to them about titles, headings, pictures, etc.
and what you can learn from these. Point out clues in reading like things
that are repeated, things in bold or italics, etc. Explain the difference
between non-fiction and fiction, figurative language (poetic language) and
literal language ("plain" English). Encourage your children to
read a variety of things--non-fiction, fiction, short stories, poems, articles,
etc. so that they understand about different genres.
4. Help children to generate questions about
what they have read. These questions should deal with the what, how and why of
the things they have read. Children should know the purpose of the story
or article, the main characters or whose point of view it is, the action, and
how the author goes about putting everything together. In addition, they
should ask can I trust what I have read--why or why not?
5. Assist children in using clues from what
they have read to predict what might happen next in a story or to make an
inference about something an author hints at but doesn't say in an article.
Teach your children about how authors make choices about what to include in what
they write.
6. Discuss what your children have read with
them. Don't simply focus on comprehension questions; in addition, ask
their feelings about what they read, what stood out to them and why, what they
liked and didn't like and why and if the text reminds them of something else.
7. Encourage your child to write in response
to reading. They can keep a journal of reading responses with thoughts
about the reading including what they learned, what they liked or didn't like
and what happened in what they read. They can also include any unanswered
questions after reading.
8. Have your children read out loud to you.
If they make errors, do not correct them as they are reading and let small
errors go. Repeated errors or errors that can affect comprehension should
be corrected by bringing the child back to the mistake and asking him or her to
read it again. If the same error is made, review what it was and discuss the
mistake with the child. If the child corrects him or herself, the reading
should continue on from there. Whenever you are unsure of whether your
child has made a fatal error, do not correct him or her. (A fatal error
would be reading the wrong word for a key word but not reversing something like
of and for unless this is done repeatedly).
9. Model good reading for your children.
Share what you read with them or read what they are reading. Talk to them
about the things you find important in what you read and why. Show them
how you form opinions about reading and how you use clues in the text to help
guide comprehension. In addition, explain the connections you can make
with a text and the criticisms (good and bad) that you might have about it.
Share the questions that you generate about a text as well.
10. Read yourself. Children will imitate
you and will be more likely to read and read well in a house filled with all
types of interesting books. Also, show your children how reading a lot of
materials can help with the background knowledge to understand new ideas.
11. Create a special reading area for your
children. Let them make decisions about how it should be decorated and what
should be contained there.
12. Increase children's vocabulary by playing
word games like "Wheel of Fortune", Scrabble, Boggle or Mad Libs.
A family games night is the perfect way to find ways to increase a child's word
power.
13. If your school does not provide them,
create reading lists for your children. Have a celebration of some sort or
an incentive built in when your child finishes a part or all of the list.
Do not just leave the child to read the books, though, structure questions,
conversations and activities into the reading list.
14. Incorporate reading into your everyday
life. Show your children and share with them what you read during the day.
Also, use any opportunity for reading: an outing, learning about an
illness, learning about an activity or pet, etc. Complete the reading
beforehand then discuss the event and the reading afterwards.
15. Try not to criticize your child's reading
choices. If they love comic books, get a book about illustration or about
the illustrator of their favorite comic strip. Whenever possible, use
their interests to guide their reading choices and give them some power in
making decisions about what to read.
16. Use a child's love of television or movies
to your advantage. Pair books and related movies together then have your
child compare and contrast the two.
17. Remember that reading on a computer is
also reading. Select good reading sites from the internet that you and
your child can participate in. In addition, use books on tape if your kids
like to listen.
18. For reluctant or non-readers, choose books
that deal with issues that affect them in their lives. Be careful to
ensure that the books are current and are directed to your child's age group.
19. Offer praise whenever your child reads.
Do so in a realistic fashion and in a way that your child will appreciate it.
You can use special certificates or reading hugs, as appropriate.
20. Encourage your child to analyze and to
critically think about what he or she reads. One way to do this is to have the
child identify the purpose, audience and voice of the piece. Use two
pieces of writing about the same topic but which have a different purpose,
audience or voice to show how two pieces of writing can be very different based
upon what the author thinks the reader needs or wants to hear. You can also use
two different types of writing with the same theme--for example a short story
and a poem about love--then have your child compare and contrast them.