How to Make the Most of Reading Homework

To improve reading, the children have a 20 minute per night reading assignment. Please help your child record the name of the book on the appropriate line of their book log. Listen to your child tell you a little about what he/she read. Ask one or two of the following questions, or make up your own.

If the book is fiction:
- Who are the main characters? Is there one you especially liked or disliked? Why?
- Where or in what time period does this story take place?
- What is the problem in the story?
- What is an important event in the story?
- How did the problem get solved? (If the story is finished)
- What was the mood of the story? Did it make you feel happy, sad, excited?

If the book is non-fiction:
- What facts do you like learning about the most? Why?
- What information would you like to share with someone else?
- Would you like to read more books about this topic? Why?
- Do you understand what the author is saying? What information is the easiest to understand or the hardest to understand?

Ways to Help Your Child with Reading at Home

Setting the Atmosphere:
Help your child find a quiet, comfortable place to read.
Have your child see you as a reading model.
Read aloud to your child.
Discuss the stories you read together.
Recognize the value of silent reading.
Keep reading time enjoyable and relaxed.

Here are some practical tips from the GAINS program team:
Cook together: The next time you cook, ask your child to read the recipe while you prepare a dish together. Together, write down meal plans or a grocery list. Have your child write out a favorite family recipe.

Go for a walk:
Take advantage of your child's natural love of the outdoors. Write about what you see on a walk, keeping lists of the plants, animals, insects and birds you come across. Observe the moon and stars above and keep a log of your observations.
Share a meal: The next time you pass the mashed potatoes, think of the valuable learning opportunity dinnertime poses for your child. Research shows that the longer a family sits around the dinner table, giving everyone a chance to talk about their day or what they'll do tomorrow, the more exposure their children will have to vocabulary words and the more likely they will do well in reading, says Morrow.

Go shopping:
Before you go, make a list. Then, scavenger-hunt style, have your child find those items in the store, reading and comparing labels and selecting items that fit your needs. Read and talk about the signs you see in the store.

Check out the child friendly news:
The newspaper presents an opportunity to practice reading skills every day. Visually stimulating sections such as the comics or the travel section will catch even a young child's eye. Discuss what you've read, or keep a file of favorite clips.

Read and write routinely:
Read aloud to your child, and have your child read to you. Read silently sitting side-by-side. Talk about reading. Discuss books or magazine articles you enjoyed reading. Write little notes. Keep and share daily journals.

Don't be a couch potato:
Turn on the CC so the words scroll on the screen as you are watching a show. Watch TV together and make TV viewing an active pastime by discussing critically what you see on the screen. Be a movie critic by discussing characters or ideas presented. Compare your review to others you find in newspapers or magazines. Write your own movie script together.

Be supportive:
When your child advances to topics you don't remember anymore, or don't understand yourself, continue to show interest by helping them find resources in the library or on the Internet. Sometimes just sitting beside your child and listening as he or she struggles with an academic problem, letting them know that you care, can make a big difference in their progress.
Perhaps the best thing about helping to nurture a love of reading in your child is that it's reciprocal, says Morrow. Someday, your child might be able to return the favor: "My grown daughter heightens my own interest in reading," Morrow relates. "She asks what books I've read lately, and recommends books that I should read. With all the professional material I have to read, sometimes I need her to remind me that I don't always read enough for pleasure."

Responding to Errors in Reading

Based on the way most of us were taught to read, we have told the child to "sound it out" when he comes to an unknown word. While phonics is an important part of reading, reading for meaning is the primary goal. To produce independent readers who monitor and correct themselves as they read, the following prompts are recommended before saying "sound it out".

Give your child wait time of 5 to 10 seconds. See what he attempts to do to help himself.
"What would make sense there?"
"What do you think that word could be?"
"Use the picture to help you figure our what it could be."
"Go back to the beginning and try again."
"Skip over it and read to the end of the sentence (or paragraph.)"
"Put in a word that would make sense there."
"Look at how the word begins. Start it out and keep reading."
Tell your child the word.

Most importantly, focus on what your child is doing well and attempting to do. Remain positive, loving and supportive. When your child is having difficulty and trying to work out the trouble spots, comments such as the following are suggested:

"Good for you. I like the way you tried to work that out."
"That was a good try. Yes, that word would make sense there."
"I like the way you looked at the picture to help yourself."
"I like the way you went back to the beginning of the sentence and tried that again. That's what good readers do."
"You are becoming a good reader. I'm proud of you."