July 27, 2007, Newsletter Issue #146: Seven Steps To Guided Oral Reading

Tip of the Week

Guided practice in reading aloud is an important part of learning to read well.

1. Look through the story and its illustrations together. Point out different characters and objects pictured. Ask questions, such as "What is happening here?" "Why do you think the woman is doing that?" Encourage talk about the things in the pictures and what the story might be about.
2. Return to the beginning of the story. Have your child read the title and begin reading out loud.
3. Let your child read independently as much as possible.
4. If your child has very little self-confidence, try reading alternately with her. For example, you read one sentence, and your child reads the next one. You read a paragraph, then your child reads. As your child gains experience and confidence, read alternate pages.
5. Encourage your child to relate the illustrations to the text. Sometimes pictures will help your child to identify an unknown word.
6. After reading a story, ask your child to retell it in her own words.
7. Make reading together a pleasant social experience. Smile, talk, and laugh. Enjoy the story along with your child. 8. Compliment your child. After every session let your child know that she did something well. ("This story had some hard words, but you read it well"; "When you read the wolf´s words, you sounded like a scary wolf yourself," etc.)

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