Mrs. Palmer's Second Grade Class

 Home Reading Questions:  This page contains answers to commonly asked 
questions about how to help your child with home reading practice.

1. How can I increase enjoyment and comprehension while reading to my child?
2. This is a tall order for me. How can I do all this and still have fun?
3. What kind of books should I be reading?
4. Should I be reading every night?
5. Should we be reading the classroom read aloud selection at home?
6. What are some good questions I can be asking my child while reading with them?

How can I increase enjoyment and comprehension while reading to my child?

Research has shown that active, thoughtful, proficient readers 
construct 
meaning by using the following strategies:
-activate prior knowledge (schema) before, during, and after 
reading
-create visual and other sensory images from text while reading
-draw inferences from text to form conclusions, make critical 
judgments, and 
create unique interpretations
-ask questions of yourselves, the authors, and the text while 
reading
-determine the most important themes in the reading
-synthesize what is being read (revising predictions and forming 
new 
impressions as you gather more information from what is being 
read)

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This is a tall order for me. How can I do all this and still have fun?

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earlier in my head is no longer valid due to additional 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 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.

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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.

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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.

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Should we be reading the classroom read aloud selection at home?

No!  Please let the story unfold here at school.  So many 
terrific 
conversations and 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.

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What are some good questions I can be asking my child while reading with them?

Here are some of the types of questions you should be asking your 
child as 
they read throughout the week:
Were any parts of the book funny, sad, etc.?  What made you feel 
this way?
What do you find most challenging about this book?
Would you change anything about this book?  Give examples.
How do you think the book will end?
Do you think the characters are believable?  Why or why not?
Did the beginning of the book make you want to keep reading?
Would you choose to be a friend to one of the characters?  Why or 
why not?
Did you have strong feelings as you read this story?
Think about the characters in this story.  Were any of them like 
any other 
characters you have read about?

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