Amy Hanna, MAT, educational specialist, is one our Orton-Gillingham trained reading experts. In this blog, she provides some easy tips for parents and caregivers.
Most parents are aware that reading at home helps students, but what about specific ways to support comprehension? Here are some simple questions you can ask to increase your child’s interaction with fiction texts at home.
BEFORE READING
- Does the title/cover photo give you any clues about what this story will be about?
- Can you make a prediction about what will happen in this s tory?
- If continuing a book or story:
- Do you remember what happened in the story the last time we read?
- How did the character(s) in the story feel?
- What was the problem in the story?
- What do you think is going to happen next?
WHILE READING
- How does the character feel right now? How do you know?
- What do you think the character will do about this situation?
- Can you tell me what has happened in this story so far?
- If you were in this part of the story, what would it look like? What would you be able to see/smell/hear/feel?
AFTER READING
- What happened during the beginning, middle, and end of this story?
- Can you tell me this story in your own words?
- What do you think was the most important event in the story?
- How did the character, or the character’s feelings, change during the story? Why?
You can ask these questions and have your child give answers verbally, or have them keep a reading journal in a composition book. Ask your child to write a response to a question in their journal before, during, or after reading a story. Print the questions on index cards and allow him/her to choose one at random from a grab bag or box. Younger children or beginning readers can also draw pictures to express ideas from the text.
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