Choosing Books
What can my child read? This is such a common question from many parents. This becomes especially important when a child doesn't enjoy reading. Choice is the way to go! Letting your child choose his or her own books that appeal to their interests is the best answer to this question. The satisfaction of finding a great book is an essential part in the joy of reading. Even for children who have little experience in choosing books, it is important to allow them to choose their books for themselves. There are many studies showing book choice is an important motivating factor for those students who may not enjoy reading as well. If your child loves to choose books that are beyond his or her reading level, then encourage him or her to choose one book for a parent to read aloud and one book at his or her reading level that he or she will read aloud.
Reading Big Words
How can I help my child read larger words? When faced with a difficult word, students can become frustrated with placing so many sounds in their mouths! Childrens' brains just can't remember a lot of sounds at one time. One of the best strategies to help with this problem is to have your child learn to recognize prefixes and suffixes as soon as they understand the reading process (1st grade). (A prefix is a group of letters added to the beginning of a word and a suffix is a group of letters added to the end of a word.) When a student comes to a tricky word, I will prompt him/her by asking, "Do you see a prefix? a suffix?". If the student does see a prefix or a suffix, then I tell the student to "chop" it off right away. This makes the word less intimidating because now there is a much smaller word to decode. What if my child doesn't recognize the prefix or suffix? Point it out to your child, make a list of prefixes or suffixes that you have encountered and keep it nearby when reading. You are supporting the development of a huge bank of suffixes and prefixes which he or she will continue to grow throughout his or her reading development. Here are a few common prefixes and suffixes...
Prefixes: per, be, de, ex, re, in, sub, un, dis
Suffixes: able, ible, ing, er, est, ness, less, ly, ish, ly, ful, ed, ion, ment, y
Prefixes: per, be, de, ex, re, in, sub, un, dis
Suffixes: able, ible, ing, er, est, ness, less, ly, ish, ly, ful, ed, ion, ment, y
b and d confusions
How can I help my child with the letters b and d? Many students between the ages of three and seven will confuse the letters b and d when reading and writing. Thankfully the rest of the letters in the alphabet have unique shapes! At the point of confusion, gently remind your child the correct letter as they read and write. If the confusion continues, then using some multisensory techniques involving a variety of pathways to the brain will help. Here are a few simple suggestions which you can try: use sand, fabric, a carpet square, or play dough to practice making the letter. Focus on only one letter so the student can over learn that one letter. My personal favorite is the letter b because I like to refer to it as a bat and ball. Most of my students can relate well to baseball so I typically have success with the bat and ball reminder.
Here are a few reminders to use with your child. Choose the reminder that you think your child will relate best too and stick with it each time.
Here are a few reminders to use with your child. Choose the reminder that you think your child will relate best too and stick with it each time.