Reading With Your Child Should Not F eel L ike A Trip to the Dentist

1. Reading With Your Child Should Not Feel Like A Trip to the Dentist Presented by: Jill Phillips and Colleen McCann, Title I Reading Teachers

2. Closed caption • Timing of homework • AR bookfinder plus apps on sheet to send with them

3. When Frustration begins… • Read the text to your child. Make them the point to the words. Do not read the next word on the page until they point to it. This forces them to look at the words and link the spoken word with the written word. After you finish a page switch roles. You get to be the pointer this time.

4. When frustration begins… • Try choral reading or echo reading. Read the text with your child. When they are struggling say the words slightly ahead of your child. If they are having success, hang back until you hit a trouble spot. If they have been successful, let them try the passage solo.

5. When frustration begins… • Take turns reading pages. This works well with long passages. If time and patience permit, switch back and read the part you listened to last time. Rereading is an excellent strategy to build fluency.

6. When frustration begins… • If you see your child getting antsy after 10 minutes, take an active break and come back to reading. I like to make my kids run around the outside of the house. This is a great brain workout and it is beneficial to all readers.

7. When frustration begins… • Communicate with your child’s teacher. If your child is unable to decode more than 90% of the words on the page, the book is likely not the right level for your child. We have lots of books. We can find another. • Notes and emails work very well.

8. Ways to make reading more like a trip to dairy queen. • Let your child be the teacher. Make a game of having them ask you questions. Reward yourself for correct answers. Make your child show you where the answer is in the book.

9. Ways to make reading more like a trip to dairy queen • Together look up the reading topic on the internet. This is best done before you read, but it can be done just as easily after reading as a reward for good effort. There are some great short videos on the internet. It is easier to connect with what you are reading if you have picture of the topic in your mind.

10. Ways to make reading more like a trip to dairy queen • Record or videotape your child reading and play it back so they can listen to it. There are lots of apps that you can use to record your child’s reading. This is another great way to build fluency.

11. Ways to make reading more like a trip to dairy queen • Time a short passage in their reading (less than a hundred words.) Work to read faster each time. If they get stuck on a word, tell them the word. It is a great idea to set a time goal and practice until you reach the goal. Repeated oral reading is great for reading fluency.

12. Ways to make reading more like a trip to dairy queen • Take your child to the library. Let them see that books can be fun. Think outside the box. What do they like? There is a kid’s section on sports. There are biographies about famous people like Justin Beiber and Lebron James. My children are very familiar with the comic book section, and graphic novels can be found nearby. There are books about all kinds of animals; both fiction and nonfiction. For example; Walter the Farting Dog can be found at most libraries. The librarians are extremely helpful! Just ask.

13. In conclusion… • I hope these tips make reading with your child feel like a trip to the Dairy Queen. You are always welcome to ask us for help. If you feel like you are at the dentist, and you are not, let us help!