Listening to Your Child Read
What can you say instead of “Sound it out”?
There are many things you can say to help your child figure out a word. When readers are flexible problem solvers they will have more information available to help them with tricky words.
They should be using these three sources of information; meaning, language structure and the print (letters in the word).
To help a child use meaning (of the story or pictures):
A frustrated reader is a reader who is not going to take necessary risks to improve his skills.
Praise your child’s attempts by saying:
There are many things you can say to help your child figure out a word. When readers are flexible problem solvers they will have more information available to help them with tricky words.
They should be using these three sources of information; meaning, language structure and the print (letters in the word).
To help a child use meaning (of the story or pictures):
- Look at the picture to help yourself.
- Think about what would make sense.
- Does it sound right?
- Can we say it that way?
- Do you know a word that starts with that letter?
- Get your mouth ready for the first letter.
- Go back and reread. Think about what would make sense and start like that.
A frustrated reader is a reader who is not going to take necessary risks to improve his skills.
Praise your child’s attempts by saying:
- You tried to help yourself! That’s what readers do!
- You were nearly right!
- You were thinking and looking!