Reading Strategies

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Prediction

Prediction: Good readers try to figure out what is going to happen next in the story.  This is called prediction.  Stronger readers will make multiple predictions about a text not only before they read but while they read as well.  They are not afraid to be proven correct and even incorrect when making their predictions.  Readers comprehend better when they make connections to the story.  To do this, they need to make a habit of making many predictions.  Use this strategy before and during reading to help make predictions about what is going to happen next.  Here is how to use the predict strategy:

•  Think about the title of the story, illustrations, cover, and what you have read so far. 

• Tell several things that may happen next.   Do not be afraid to take a risk. 

• Try to find any clues the author may have left.  For example, Jan Brett will often draw a picture in the sidebar of a page that shows what will happen next.  Many authors will leave subtle clues telling you what may happen next.  Read carefully to try to spot them.

   To promote prediction, ask your children questions such as

1.      What do you think the story will be about?

2.      What is going to happen? 

3.      What makes you think that?

4.      What clues helped you make that choice?

5.      Why do you think that is going to happen?

6.      How did you know that?

7.      Look at the cover and pictures then make predictions.

8.      Does it remind you of anything?

Inference

Inference: Good readers use clues from the story as well as their own background knowledge to make an inference or educated guess.  Inference is similar to prediction but they are not the same.  Prediction focuses on what will happen next.  When you make an inference, you may take an educated guess as to what motivated a character to do something and so on.  Unlike prediction, you may or may not discover whether your inference is correct by the end of the story.  You may never know a character's motivation.  However, this strategy is still an invaluable tool in reading comprehension.  This strategy requires higher order thinking which good readers are able to display easily.  Use this strategy while reading as well as after reading a story.  Here is how you can use this strategy.

•  Take the time to stop and ask questions while reading.  Remember, good readers will stop to ask questions.  

•  You can stop to ask yourself relating to character motivation, character's feelings, an author's purpose, an author's viewpoint, etc.  Remember, to make inferences, you need to ask yourself higher order thinking questions that require you to use evidence from the story as well as what you know to make an educated guess.

• For example, as we were recently reading James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl.   In discussing the story, we tried to figure out why Roald Dahl had specific insects acting a particular way.  For example, the centipede was bossy while the silkworm was quiet.  We tried to figure out why he had this occur.  We never discovered the answer as we read but students were thinking about this as we read.  It made them take note of the finer details within the story.

To promote inference, ask your children questions such as

1.      What will happen next and why?  Cite evidence from the story to back your answer.

2.      What clues in the story led you to think that? 

3.      How do you think that character feels?  Cite evidence from the story to back your answer.

4.      What clues helped you make that choice?

5.      Why did the author write this story?

Phonics/Decoding

    Phonics/Decoding – Good readers are able to figure out new and unknown words.   There are several ways that a reader can decode these unknown words.  First, they cover part of the word to help them to see the base word.  They look for words that belong to the same word family that they already know.  Good readers also have memorized many of the sight words so that do not have to sound these words out any longer. Here is how to use this strategy.

1. Look at the word carefully.

2. Look for parts of the word that you know.

3. Think about the sounds of the letters in the parts of the word you do not know.

4. Blend the sounds to read the word.

5. Ask yourself:  Is this a word I know?  Does it make sense with what I am reading?

6. Read the entire sentence again with the word.  Ask yourself if that makes sense?

 Monitor/Clarify

    Monitor/Clarify – Good readers reread a sentence when they do not understand it.  Here is how to use this strategy.  Remember to use this strategy as you read as well as after you are done.

1.    Ask yourself if what you are reading makes sense.

2.   If it does not, re-read it.  You can also look at the pictures or even keep reading to see if you can find clues ahead that will help.

Here are some questions you can ask your child during the story they have read to you:

        1.  What is happening in the story?

                  2.  Tell me what is going on.

                  3.  What clues in the story have led you to think that?

                  4.  What do you know that is similar to this story?

           It is very important to link what has been read to facts or events that   the child already knows.  A child is more likely to remember information he or she has remember if they are able to link it to an event that has already occurred in their lives.

    Making Connections – Good readers are able to connect what they are reading to experiences.  Readers can comprehend better when they actively think about and apply their knowledge of the book’s topic, their own experiences, and the world around them.  Use this strategy after reading the story.  Here is how to you’re your child make connections.  Ask your children questions such as:

1.    What does the book remind you of?

2.   What do you know about the book’s topic?

              3.   Does this book remind you of another book?

    Question – Good readers read and carefully think about every page they read.  They are always asking themselves questions.  Through the use of questioning, children understand the text on a deeper level because questions clarify any confusion the child may be experiencing.  Questions also stimulate further interest in a topic. Here is how to use this strategy.  Remember to use this strategy before you read, as you read as well as after you are done.

1.      Ask yourself questions about important ideas in the story. 

2.      Ask yourself if you can answer these questions.

3.      If you cannot answer the questions, re-read the story and look for the answers in the text.

Here are some questions you can ask your child before, during and after a story they have read to you:

1.      What is the main idea of the story?

2.      What details support the main idea?

3.      What do you know that is similar to this story?

4.      Tell me about the story.

5.      What else do you recall?

           Besides asking questions of your child, here are some other things you can do with questioning to help your child understand.

                  1.  Model questioning in your own re-reading.

                  2.  Ask open ended or I wonder questions.

                  3.  Ask your child to come up with questions before reading to see if they will be answered in the text.

                  4.  Keep track of questions verbally or in a log.

                  5.  Stop as they are reading and ask your child to make predictions about the text.  It is very important to link what has been read to facts or events that the child already knows.  A child is more likely to remember information he or she has read if they are able to link it to an event that has already occurred in their lives.

  Visualizing – Good readers are able to create mind pictures and visualizations of what they read.  The reader uses the text and their own prior experiences to create mental pictures of the story.  Here is how to help your child visualize while reading.   Try the following while reading:

1.  Share wordless picture books with your child and have them tell the story.  David Weisner’s book, Tuesday or The Three Little Pigs are excellent books to try this with.

2.  Make frequent stops while reading aloud to describe the pictures in your minds.

              3. After reading, have your child draw a picture about the  story.  You can take that a step further and have your child write a few sentences or words to describe what he or she saw as they read the story.  

     Evaluate – Good readers evaluate what they have read.  They decide what they like or did not like about what they have read.  Use this strategy during and after reading.  Here is how to use the evaluate strategy:

1.      Decide if the author was able to make the story come to life.

2.      Decide if the story was informative, entertaining, or useful.

3.      Think about how well you understood the text.

4.      Deicide if you enjoyed reading the text.  

   Ask your children questions such as

1.      Did you like the story?

2.      What did you like about the story?  What did you dislike?  Why?

3.      What does the story make you think about?

4.      Does the story remind you of anything?

  Summarize – Good readers are able to tell about what they have read in their own words.  Good readers can clearly and accurately retell the story they have read to someone who has not read the story.  Use this strategy after reading the story.  Here is how to use the summarize strategy:

1.      Think about the characters.

2.      Think about the setting or where the story takes place.

3.      Think about the problem in the story.

4.      Think about how the characters solve the problem.

5.      Think about what happens in the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

   Ask your children questions such as

2.      What was the story about?

2.   Tell me what happens in the story.

                  3.   What happens in the beginning? Middle? End?

4.   Who are the characters in the story?

5.   What is the problem?

6.   How do the characters solve the problem?

Tips to Help Your Child Become an Independent Reader

• Talk with your child often to build listening and speaking skills.
• Read to your child often. Even older children enjoy being read to.
• Talk to your child about the words and ideas in books.
• Ask your child to tell in his/her own words what the story was about.
• Encourage your child to read on his/her own.
• Listen to your child read books that he/she has brought home from school. Be patient. If your child reads slowly and makes a lot of mistakes, ask him/her to reread a paragraph or page. Let your child know you are proud that he/she is reading.
• Talk about new words that your child has read or heard. Help your child learn the meaning of new words by using the dictionary.
• Show your child how to use pictures in books to help figure out what words mean.
• Let your child see you reading. Encourage your child to read while you are reading.
• Even if you are not an independent reader, let your child know that you value reading and that reading makes life richer in many ways.
• Make sure your child has plenty of quiet time to read without distractions such as television and video games.
• Encourage your child to write often—for example, letters to friends, grocery lists, and emails. Help your child find and correct spelling mistakes.
• Ask your child’s teacher how you can help your child practice at home what he/she is learning at school.

(Courtesy of http://www.read-to-learn.org/)