Learning to Read

1. Learning to Read Presented by: Gail Hannas Parents and Reading Reading to Learn www.flreads.org

2. 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers • 1. Help your children acquire a wide-range of knowledge. • Involving your children in conversation about anything and everything daily will give them background knowledge.

3. 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers • 2. Talk with your children about their experiences. • This will help your children learn new words and understand the process of putting thoughts together. This will also allow you to share your past experiences with your child.

4. 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers • 3. Encourage your children to think about events. • Ask them to describe these events. Share local and national news, school news, movies, etc. • Your values and views are important to your children.

5. 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers • 4. Read aloud to your children. • Younger children love to hear stories. Older children and adults also value this experience. Share tidbits that you want them to know by reading small excerpts to them.

6. 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers • 5. Provide your children with writing materials. • Younger children like to write their own stories. Be sure to have paper, pencils, markers, crayons, and magnetic letters. Special themed stationary is great for older children. Journals can be completed by families daily, weekly, monthly, etc. Start a “My Life and Times” diary.

7. 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers • 6. Encourage your children to watch TV programs that have educational value. • Watch shows with your children. Discuss the shows. Watch movies -read the books- and share similarities and differences.

8. 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers • 7. Monitor how much TV your children watch. • Research shows that watching up to 10 hours a week could be positive; however, the more children watch TV, the less they read = lower scores in performance on tests: • 98%tile reading score read 1 hour daily • 50%tile reading score read 5 mins. daily • 20%tile reading score read less than 1 min. daily

9. 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers • 8. Monitor your children’s school performance. • Children tend to be more successful readers when their parents have an accurate view of what their child is doing in school. • (Checkpoint for progress in Reading and Writing for Families and Communities - Developed by subgroup of America Reads Challenge: Read*Write*Now)

10. 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers • 9. Encourage your children to read independently. • One of your top priorities should be to encourage your children to spend more time reading - books, magazines, newspapers

11. 10 Ways to Help Your Children Become Better Readers • 10. Continue your personal involvement in your child’s growth as readers. • Set a good example for your children by reading. Establish rules for reading activities.

12. Sixth- Eighth Graders • read many different kinds of writing, improve their listening and speaking skills, and write for different reasons and audiences. • Read and understands fiction and nonfiction • Read from books, magazines, newspapers, and other sources both inside and outside school • Connect ideas and information in reading with real-life experiences • Understand the author’s purpose, tone, point of view, plot, and theme or main idea

13. Sixth- Eighth Graders • How you can help! • Have family time to talk about books and take turns reading out loud • Visit the library regularly to borrow books, do research, and use computer resources • Make sure your child has regular place for study and time to study • Ask your child daily about schoolwork and activities • Ask and help your child write notes and letters

14. Ninth - Twelfth Graders • From Sunshine State Standards: • Begin to read more complex literature • Use non-fiction information information to develop deeper understanding of subjects • Use resource materials with ease and understanding • Make judgments, evaluate, interpret, and analyze comparisons of what they read • In writing, they understand the importance of draft and revisions, has clarity in presentation of ideas and provides for logical progression of ideas

15. Ninth - Twelfth Graders • Read and understands challenging material including fiction and nonfiction books, magazines, and newspapers • Read to reach academic goals and gain knowledge • Use ways of reading such as thinking ahead and looking at main ideas to understand context • Can see the author’s purpose and judge its value. • Can assimilate facts from background information to draw inferences, make decisions, and solve problems • read widely and in detail on many topics and for enjoyment.

16. Grades 9-12 • You can: Become familiar with learning strategies that follow and help your child learn to use them independently providing assistance when needed.

17. Strategies for Reading to Learn Grades 6-12 • Have a plan for taking notes • Size (or underlining) • Organize facts to show relationship • Date each page and note subject/source in corner • Write clearly so you can read it later • Don’t try to write down everything • Develop your own shorthand (abbreviate)

19. Strategies for Reading to Learn • Don’t try to write everything down-listen for key words • Listen for clues such as “the four causes were” or “to sum up” • If the class discusses the topic, just note major conclusions • If the teacher emphasizes a point, such as by writing it on the board, put it in your notes.

20. Strategies for Reading to Learn • Get the BIG picture first - • Glance through chapter headings and subtitles • Read summary paragraphs at the end of each section or chapter to get a general idea • Read for Key Points • Paragraph / chapter / sentence • Reading Speed • Skim pages if you are looking for the general idea • Read slowly if you are looking for details

21. Strategies for Reading to Learn • Use a tape recorder • Color code materials • Draw pictures • Learn to type or use a computer • Keep a journal • Ask questions

22. Strategies for Reading to Learn • Make crossword puzzles • Make a word wall/bank • Make a dictionary • Fill in the letters • Make word search puzzles • Use special dictionaries • How To Spell It: A Dictionary of Commonly Misspelled Words by Harriet Wittels and Joan Greisman (New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1973. • The Bad Speller’s Dictionaryby J. Krevisky and J. Linfield (New York: Random House, 1963)

23. Strategies for Reading to Learn • Use a ruler or card to keep your place when reading • Use pictures as clues to help visualize what you are reading • Make a study guide as you read your assignments - • p. 61 Look at map of explorers • p. 63 Study reason explorers left homeland • identify key wordsHawaii - last state - volcanoes

24. Strategies for Reading to Learn • Decide what the question is asking: • analyze compare contrast • describe evaluate define • examine interpret list • summarize explain prove

25. What Parents Can Do to Help! • Encourage reading on a regular basis. Allow extra time for reading if at all possible. Allow a later bedtime or set a specific time for reading – books, magazines, hobby information, etc • Encourage this age to read to younger brothers and sisters. • Play games like Scrabble, Scattergories and Balderdash together as they are fun and reinforce reading skills.

26. What Parents Can Do to Help! • Limit television viewing and video game playing • Plan time for homework daily; if no homework, time should be spent reading. • Plan time at the library to increase awareness of materials available. • Ask your child to review a movie or book for you, either verbally or in writing. • Develop a family newsletter or family history. Have your child interview older family members to find out how times have changed.

27. What Parents Can Do to Help! • At a meal, everyone shares something new they have read that day. You could also have family members share something that they are reading as an update on a book. • Have a library/ education scavenger hunt. Choose a variety of facts to find, author information, resources, etc.

28. What Parents Can Do to Help! • Read and discuss the same books or newspaper articles as children. • Encourage use of the newspaper to find different types of information. • Keep a sharing board for the family to stay in touch with activities, items of interest, schedules, etc. • Learn a word for the day, or a list of five words for the week. You may also have each family member introduce a personal new word each day. Encourage vocabulary building by using information from SAT study guides. Important for FCAT and college placement!

29. What Parents Can Do to Help! • Communicate with your child about homework, projects, tests, etc.  Talk about current events, books, articles and television shows during meal times, in the car, etc.  Ask your child what they think about different current events – political races, television prime time shows, world cultures/ religious concerns, etc. This develops higher level thinking skills and speaking fluency.

30. Time for Study • 168 hours / week • 56 hours/ sleep • 10 hours/eat • 5 hours / dressing, showering, etc. • 35 hours / school • 10 hours / before/after school • 52 hours free

31. What Parents Can Do to Help! • Spend time talking to your children every day. • Talk about everything - • Your values • education, society, life. • This will make a difference! • **GO MAD** • Go Out - Make A Difference