Tips to Ensure R eading S uccess

1. Tips to Ensure Reading Success By the 2nd grade team: Mrs. O’Neal, Ms. Crist, Ms. Gardner, and Ms. Klyne

2. How is your child’s reading grade determined? • Reading objectives • Guided reading • Class participation • Common assessments • Individual work samples • Reading Level • Used for instruction

3. Retelling fiction and nonfiction • When your child reads, have them stop part way through and summarize what has been read • Retell fiction focusing on characters, setting, problem, solution, main events, author’s message • Retell nonfiction including information found in the text features (headings, photos, bold words, charts, diagrams, maps, captions) • Retell topic and main idea • Draw beginning, middle, and end of a fiction book or 5 facts from the nonfiction book.

4. Making Connections to what was read • Have your child tell what the text reminded them of. It can be a connection to another book, movie, something that happened to them, or information they have heard • Tell what in the book made them think of that connection • Model making connections, such as when you were in school • Use connections bookmark • Ask your child questions

5. Ask “how”, “why”, and “what if” questions about what you read • Encourage your child to ask questions about the text. • Use sticky notes to mark confusing parts or questions they have about the text • Questions can begin with an “I wonder” statement. This helps to move away from questions that can be answered in 1 or 2 words.

6. Discuss how characters and events from different stories are alike and different • Create a venn diagram • Act out the 2 stories/character • Practice by comparing characters in a story • Draw a picture of the stories/characters • Write a letter from the point of view of 1 character to another character. Then respond as the other character. • Create a newspaper article for the main event in each story • Create a book review including each book

7. Figure out multi-syllable words • Sound it out • Use chunks • Look for little words • Look at the picture • Word families • Skip and read ahead, then go back • Use context clues • Ask questions • Does it make sense? • Does it sound right? • Does it look right?

8. Other areas for practicing reading • Reading recipes while cooking • Practice objectives while discussing a TV show or movie • Read food labels at the grocery store • Read signs in the car • Discuss pictures and photographs (making inferences)

9. Other resources • Tumblebooks –Access from Brooks Website • Bookadventure.com –create account, then search for books on specific topics and grade levels • Starfall.com • Teacher’s blackboard site