Hearing your child read…frequently asked questions

1. Hearing your child read…frequently asked questions Session 4

2. Refresh ….. Card Activity 4 Par Hear Child Sess 4

3. The green cards are where a child makes a mistake but doesn’t notice. With a partner, discuss what you would do. Check on the back. There are also blue cards when a child hesitates or gets stuck. What would you do? Check on the back. Par Hear Child Sess 4

4. Card Activity 4 Par Hear Child Sess 4

5. Awesome Things to Say and Do – after the book is finished Reading in Phrases You are going to see DVD clip 4 of Ollie and Jamie reading. Listen to Ollie and Jamie reading. One way to read is slowly, word by word. A better way is to read in phrases so that it sounds like talking. We want our children to read in phrases because it helps them understand what they read and helps them to read faster. Watch the clip and talk about it. Par Hear Child Sess 4

6. Cinderella /lived with her three wicked sisters. /She was very unhappy/ because her sisters/ made her do all the jobs in the house./ From morning till night, /Cinderella/ had to wash the windows, /sweep the floor,/ feed the hamster/ and clean out its cage. /The wicked sisters/ were nasty to Cinderella. /They made her sleep in the cellar. /Cinderella /had to run up the stairs /when the sisters called. Par Hear Child Sess 4

7. Questions… questions… • My child reads slowly, one word at a time and sounds like a Dalek! How can I help him/her to read in phrases so it sounds like talking? Here are five things that may help: Par Hear Child Sess 4

8. First, choose a book that your child has read before. Ask your child to read one page and you read the other. Read the whole book in this way. Your child will hear how reading in phrases sounds and may start to copy the way you read. Par Hear Child Sess 4

9. Second, make sure your child has lots of chances to read books he/she has read before. Because your child knows the book and the words, he/she may be able to practice reading it in phrases. Par Hear Child Sess 4

10. Third, if your child uses a finger to read a book he/she has read before, say, “You know this book. You don’t need your finger unless you get stuck.” Read with your eyes Par Hear Child Sess 4

11. Fourth, after a book, if your child reads even a few words in phrases, say……. “I like the way you read this bit” (and copy what he/she did). This will make your child want to read like in phrases again. Par Hear Child Sess 4

12. Fifth, choose a pageand show your child the punctuation ( . , “ ” ? !). Explain what the symbols mean. Read a few sentences using the punctuation. Ask them to copy you. Par Hear Child Sess 4

13. To help you remember the things we have talked about, for the next few weeks try keeping this record of the books your child reads. Tick the things you notice and what you do to help Par Hear Child Sess 4

14. Frequently Asked Questions Par Hear Child Sess 4

15. Q: Is it good for a child to read and point at the words? • A: Pointing at the words is useful sometimes. It helps young, beginning readers to read each word so they don’t get lost. Also using a finger when we get stuck can sometimes be helpful for anyone. But if readers use a finger all the time, reading will sound like a Dalek! Pointing at each word also means that we can’t read in phrases, and so it makes a book harder to understand. Par Hear Child Sess 4

16. Q: Is it a good idea to read the same book more than once? • A: Yes! Yes! Yes! Reading a book 3-5 times over a couple of weeks improves a reader’s speed, confidence, and fluency. It helps a reader to understand the book…for example what all the words mean. It will especially help readers to read in phrases without a finger. Par Hear Child Sess 4

17. Q: Should I sometimes read with my child? • A: Sometimes but not always! If you sometimes read one page and your child reads the other, you will demonstrate what a good reader sounds like. That’s very helpful. But don’t do it for every book because your child needs to build up the confidence to read books by him/herself. Par Hear Child Sess 4

18. Q: Should I ask questions about the book after my child has read it? • A: Occasional questions can be useful to check out your child’s understanding of the book. Too many questions will make your child think he/she is on The Weakest Link! This could spoil the enjoyment of reading. Sometimes, after a book, try getting a conversation going with your partner with an opening comment like: • My favourite bit in the book was….. • I wouldn’t want a sister like Jenny would you? • I liked this word “clatter” …it’s the noise the spoons made falling out of the lorry • That wood was dark and scary wasn’t it? Conversations will help your child to understand the words and ideas in the book. Conversations are better than question and answer. Par Hear Child Sess 4

19. Q: Is it a bad thing if my child uses the pictures to help read a word? • A: No, as long as it’s just for the occasional word. With hard words, good readers often look at the picture to help them get an idea of what’s going on and what word would make sense. However, if your child tries to do it a lot, the book may be too hard. Par Hear Child Sess 4

20. Q: What should I do if my child is stuck on a word? • A: ‘Awesome Things to Say and Do’ will give you some ideas Par Hear Child Sess 4

21. Q: Is it bad for my partner to read a book that’s too easy? • A: By too easy, I think you mean books which are simpler than your child normally reads? And perhaps where he/she gets all the words right and reads it really quickly? No, that’s fine - we all like to read easy books sometimes. But reading books that are too easy all the time will not help readers to develop the skills they need. Par Hear Child Sess 4

22. Q: How do I know if the book is just right for my child... and not too hard? • A: A book is too hard if a child reads with less than 90% accuracy. Hear your child read exactly 60 words and count the mistakes. • Use this check Par Hear Child Sess 4

23. 60 Word Check Par Hear Child Sess 4

24. Skills adults need when reading with children Par Hear Child Sess 4

25. be patient and positive to help your child be a good reader Par Hear Child Sess 4

26. know that your child needs to read a book that is at just the right level and not too hard. A child needs to read a book with 90% accuracy. If you think a book is too hard, use a ‘60 word check’ to make sure its at the right level for your child. Par Hear Child Sess 4

27. understand what good readers do (see ‘What do good readers do?’) Par Hear Child Sess 4

28. can use “Awesome things to say and Do” to help your child become a better reader Par Hear Child Sess 4

29. Do…… • Make reading with your child a happy, cosy time. • Hear your child read for ten minutes, at least 3 times a week • Talk together about the book…this will help your child’s language skills Par Hear Child Sess 4

30. can show your child the good things he/she did in their reading after the book Par Hear Child Sess 4

31. can help a child to read in phrases so it sounds like talking. Par Hear Child Sess 4

32. can help a child to talk about a book, so he/she understands what the words mean and what happens in the book Par Hear Child Sess 4