Reading Strategies

During the year, I try to send you ideas and things that you can do at home with your child. Please feel free to use these reading strategies with your child if you would like.

STRATEGY ONE
Read To Them
The most important thing you can do for your reader is to read to him. Read things that he is interested in and
things for just pure enjoyment. Stop and talk with him about what you have just read - you thought it was
funny, he liked the way the author said something, you liked that idea. Talk about any part of the story or
writing that you want.
STRATEGY TWO
Uninterrupted Reading
Remember that the most important aspect of reading is constructing meaning. If you have a
reader who reads making some miscues (unexpected responses to text) that are mostly meaning-making, do
not interrupt except when the miscues do not make sense or do not sound like language.
STRATEGY THREE
Skip and Go On
Too often we have readers who will not take any kind of risk in an attempt to read something unknown. They
use no other strategy than sound-it-out or ask for help. So, when a reader comes to something he doesn't
know and cannot identify, after a very brief sounding out attempt (no more than a couple of seconds), ask him to skip the unknown and read on to try to gain the meaning.
STRATEGY FOUR
Predict To Make Sense
When the reader comes to something she doesn't know and she is unable to identify the unknown word
through a very brief sounding out attempt, ask her to skip the word and go on. If she is uncomfortable
skipping words entirely, try covering the unknown word up with your (or the reader's) finger. Then ask the reader to predict a substitute word that would make sense.
STRATEGY FIVE
Modified Cloze Procedure
The modified cloze procedure is also a way that readers can practice these strategies. To use this procedure block out words that could easily be predicted based on meaning and replace them with a blank. With the unknown words eliminated, the non risk-taking reader should be more willing to try to predict instead of sounding out.
STRATEGY SIX
Line Marker
Some readers have trouble focusing on lines of text or get distracted when there are several lines. Have your
reader use a word or line marker such as a pencil, index card or his finger to act as a guide to help her stay on track with the text as she reads.
STRATEGY SEVEN
Retelling
After your reader has completed a piece of text (a story, chapter, article, etc.) or at any good "stopping" point along the way have him pretend that you were not there listening and have him retell you what he read.
STRATEGY EIGHT
Responsive Writing
Ask your reader to write about the parts of the story that she likes best and share that writing with you. This will be a first draft effort, so again the focus is on meaning. Editing is important but will come later, after there is good content to revise and edit. You can vary open ended questions in any way including what he or she would do to change the story, what
the reader liked best or least about the story, what she would do if she was the main character, what she
would ask the author, etc.
STRATEGY NINE
Rereading
There are many things which will help your reader develop fluency. Encourage him to reread several pieces of text that he feels comfortable with. Each time he rereads the piece, the reading will become more comfortable and make your reader more sure of himself. These "warm-up" pieces of text will make your reader feel good and confident about his reading.
STRATEGY TEN
Reading Is Fun
Providing lots of fun poems, rhymes, short jokes, riddles, and predictable books etc. will also help your
reader develop fluency and feel good about reading. This will let her hear that she can make reading sound like language and that it can be fun and easy.
STRATEGY ELEVEN
Echo Reading/Partner Reading
Echo reading- the child's voice is close behind the proficient reader's voice as they read a favorite book or try out a new piece, or partner reading - the child and the proficient reader read a piece in a duet- are both strategies that can help your reader become more fluent in reading, support her efforts and help children move toward becoming independent readers.
STRATEGY TWELVE
Reading To Others
Having your reader read to younger children, into a tape recorder to share with younger readers, or even to a stuffed animal can help him achieve the fluency needed to develop good comprehension.
This encourages reading "for a purpose," and can help readers understand that they must read so that it can be
understood by their listening audience.
STRATEGY THIRTEEN
Sustained Silent Reading (SSR)
Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) can help your reader become exposed to a wide variety of materials while
experiencing reading. As part of SSR it is important that your reader is given a wide range of choices
including story books, chapter books, reference materials, popular periodicals - any fiction or nonfiction that holds his interest.
STRATEGY FOURTEEN
Written Conversation
To help your reader become more fluent in writing you can take part in a Written Conversation. This involves a conversation in which two people "talk" to each other about topics of interest to both of you - on paper.
Again, this is first draft writing and the focus should be on the content, not the spelling or form. You can
demonstrate standard spelling and form in your end of the conversation. If you are not able to read what the
child writes, ask the child to read it to you.
STRATEGY FIFTEEN
Previewing a Text
Previewing a text can be an excellent strategy for familiarizing your reader with text. Previewing involves looking at pictures, graphs, charts, chapter questions, etc. to gain vital information from text.
STRATEGY SIXTEEN
Journal Writing
Journal writing can help both you and your reader connect text with your personal background experience and your lives in general.