How can I help my child be a successful reader and writer?
At Home
- Talk to them about lots of things and why they happen
- Read aloud to your child books that are more challenging and talk about them
- Listen to them or share the reading of ‘just right’ books and talk about them
Before Reading
- Talk about the title
- Look at the cover and maybe some of the illustrations
- Make some predictions about what you both think will happen
During Reading
- Share what you are thinking so far
- Balance the conversation to keep the story going
- React to what is happening
- Make and revise predictions
After Reading
- Have a short conversation (not a pop quiz)
- Share your thoughts and questions
- Encourage your child to share theirs
(Adapted from A Coordinator’s Guide to Help America Read: A Handbook for Volunteers and Help America Read by G. Pinnell and I. Fountas, 1997, Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann and parent presentat