How can parents assist their children in bolstering reading comprehension? Volumes have been written on the subject, but here are a few pointers to give parents a start.
Turn off the TV.
Ask your child to read constantly. Each time you drive about town, ask your child to read signs, bumper stickers, store names, etc. Ask your child to read labels and recipes in the home. Ask your child to read packages in the store.
Require independent practice
Reading, like every other skill, requires a great deal of practice in order to develop automaticity. The more your child reads, the better he will read. Research also clearly shows that the more your child reads, the better she will do in every school subject, including math. Your child may not feel like reading, but that’s why he has a parent. Require your child to read twice as many minutes each day as she spends in front of a TV screen. I had a student in one class whose parents required him to read for two hours each night. His reading skills went from two years below grade level to on grade level within the span of 8 months (a leap of 3 reading years!) His standardized test scores also shot through the roof.
Ask a lot of questions
Many children do not focus on meaning as they read. They are primarily concerned with sounding out words and have no clue what they just read. Steer your child’s mind toward constructing meaning as she reads by asking her to retell what she just read in her own words. As she does, ask questions, just out of curiosity, not like an interrogation.
Assist your child in choosing books of interest
Do not limit your child’s reading choices to fiction stories. Of course it is important to expose children to many different genres (types) of literature. However, if your child struggles with the love of reading, your first aim is to just get him reading. Try comic books, joke books, nonfiction books like biographies, true crime, or informational texts, and/or the sports page.
Assist your child in choosing “just right” books
Why do some kids claim to dislike reading? I’ve found it’s normally because they are reading books that are
well above their independent reading level. In order to get your child into books that are appropriate, follow
these steps:
Find a book that has the reading level written on the back cover. Reading levels are indicated by the letters
“RL” followed by a number. For example, if it says RL4, this means reading level 4th grade. If it says RL3.6,
this means 3rd grade, sixth month, which is naturally more specific and thereby more helpful in placing the
student with a “just right” book.
Once you’ve found a book with the level indicated on the back cover, ask your child to read it aloud to you.
After about a minute of reading, ask your child to retell what he just read. It will be readily apparent if that book is “just right” or not.
If it seems too easy, try a higher level. If she struggles greatly when reading aloud and/or has difficulty retelling the story, try a lower level.
Once you’ve determined the “just right” level, find more books at that level. Have your child stick with that level until they become too easy, and then move up gradually. A great place to conduct this leveling experiment is in the children’s section of a book store or at your local library. Of course your child’s teacher should also be able to assist you with assessment data as well as book recommendations. The main thing is that you don’t force your child to read books “at his grade level” when he may not be ready yet for that level of difficulty.
Developing reading skills in children is like a triangle.
Illustration by Benjamin Jacobs
So where do parents place their child on this triangle? You can’t make your child love reading. You can’t make your child a better reader (at least not immediately.) The only place to start is by increasing time spent on reading. This will result in better reading skills which will in turn increase your child’s love of reading. When she enjoys reading more, she will naturally spend more time doing it, and then your child will be a reader.
Tim Bedley has been teaching elementary school since 1988, and presently teaches third grade in Wildomar,
California. He also trains teachers in classroom management and effective teaching practices. Questions or comments
tim@timbedley.com
©2005 Tim Bedley
