This is a great strategy to help improve your child's reading fluency or when the text level is a bit challenging. You read a sentence or two out loud, and then your child repeats the same sentences out loud to you. Continue with this echo reading for the remainder of the story or chapter.
Paired Reading
You and your child read the story out loud together at the same time. When your child feels comfortable reading alone, he or she will tap you (or another signal the two of you choose). That is your signal to stop reading. If your child taps (signals) you again or looks up for help, that is your cue to start reading out loud again with your child.
Tape Recorded Stories
A great way to motivate your child to read is to tape record family members or your child reading a story. Your child can then listen to or read along with a story that grandma or grandpa is reading!
Take Turns
An easy way to get your reluctant reader to read with you is to take turns reading sentences or pages in a story. For example, you read the first page and your child reads the second page.
Family Reading Time
It is also a good idea to set aside time on the weekend for family reading time. This is when everyone in the family sits down and reads (or looks at the pictures for younger children) for a period of time. Reading materials can be cereal boxes, magazines, comics, newspapers, books, greeting cards, letters, etc.
Reading Strategies for Unfamiliar Words
1. Look at the picture for a clue.
2. Get your mouth ready to sound out the word.
3. Look across the whole word.
4. Chunk the word. (Look for letter patterns, blends or small words inside big words) 5. Does it make sense?
6. Backtrack and reread sentence.
Useful Websites
Starfalls (short stories students can read online):
