Frequently Asked Questions: This page contains answers to common questions of students and parents.
- How can I increase enjoyment and comprehension while reading to my child?
- What kind of books should I be reading?
- Should I be reading every night?
- Should we be reading the classroom read aloud selection at home?
How can I increase enjoyment and comprehension while reading to my child?
While you are reading, model the conversations you as a good reader have
with yourself on a daily basis. Do not take for granted that your child is
having these thoughts. For example: As I am reading aloud to the
children, I often come to a part that confuses or surprises me. The
prediction I
made earlier in my head is no longer valid due to additional information
that has just been read. I put the book down and think aloud, "Oh my gosh, I
never expected this to happen in the story." As I think aloud, I
engage the students into the discussion by asking them to either agree or
disagree with my
conclusion. This gets the dialog going that eventually causes us as readers
to clarify some misconceptions made thus far. As you are reading together be
sure to begin your discussions by saying that these are just your opinions
and based on information yet to be read, your opinions may change. This
creates a risk free environment for dialog. Your child's background
knowledge on a subject may greatly influence how they perceive what is being
read.
What kind of books should I be reading?
Read aloud time with a parent should include books at a higher level than
those your child can read independently. Chapter books with a more complex
plot allow for more dialog, although there are many "everybody" picture
books that will lend themselves to good conversations. Our librarian, Mrs.
Whisnand is a wonderful source for literature suggestions.
Should I be reading every night?
If you are doing a read aloud chapter book, it's a good idea to be reading
nightly so the main story line is fresh in everyone's head. There should
always be some kind of reading, either independent or family read alouds
being done daily.
Should we be reading the classroom read aloud selection at home?
No! Please let the story unfold here at school. So many terrific
conversations, debates, evolve as we fine tune our schema on a particular
subject or character. If the children know about story developments in
advance, we may not have had as interesting a discussion. Feel free to
reread a favorite of your child's at home once we're done reading it in
class. They should have some good insight from previous discussions here
with classmates