1. Supporting young Readers
This evening we will explore:
The importance of reading at home and school
Reading Strategies: What they are and how they support readers
Suggestions for reading “to” and “with” your child
resources
Purpose of session is to provide parents with background information on how children learn to read, components of reading, rationale behind reading instruction, and what you can do to foster your child’s reading skills.
Presentation will primarily focus on providing decoding strategies, but will also address comprehension. Young readers need to develop strategies for solving unknown words, but also need to realize that there is purpose for reading, beyond merely figuring out each individual word.

2. Reading Begins at Home
Research shows that your interest and involvement in your child’s learning and education is more important than anything else in helping your child fulfill their potential. As parents, you are the people who go with your child on their learning journey, from the day they are born to the time they become an adult.

3. Why Reading and Sharing Stories Matters
bonding time for family and a way to share family traditions
develops background knowledge
encourages vocabulary development and awareness about the rhythm of language
promotes understanding of the structure of writing
stimulates curiosity, questioning and imagination
Research evidence shows that your involvement in your child's reading and learning is more important than anything else in helping them to fulfil their potential.
Children who are familiar with books and stories before they start school are better prepared to cope with the demands of formal literacy teaching.
5. Reading with children, or talking about what they have read, is a wonderful way to show that it is an important and valued way to spend free time.

4. Research Shows
Children who have rich preschool literacy experiences that stimulate interest in text and improve oral language skills are at less risk for delays in reading development. (de Jong & Leseman, 2001)
Such experiences include the availability of environmental print in the home, as well as, parents who read with their child and for themselves.
Model reading as a life long skill and help your child learn to enjoy reading for pleasure and as a way to learn
Talk about why you read and what you like to read
Important to remember that there should always be a purpose for reading (to be entertained, to learn new information, to confirm something you think you know, to learn how to do something)…should always strive to understand what you’re reading. Otherwise it’s just words on a page.
Reading familiar texts and rereading allows students to focus on comprehension & fluency.

5. And that . . .
children who read to their parents, even if parents are non-readers or who do not read in English, demonstrate considerable improvement in their reading skills
reading stories in any language develops understanding of story structure and vocabulary
If you are not confident, talking about the pictures and making up your own story is also helpful

6. The Benefits carry into the classroom
academic success
desire and confidence to read for pleasure and learning
improved school attendance and behaviour
develop meaningful relationships with others
increased self-esteem

7. Why Dads Should be Involved
Research shows that when dad gets involved, their sons' and daughters' achievement is enhanced. Dads are just as important as moms in encouraging children to enjoy reading - perhaps even more so, since reading is often thought of by boys as a "girly" thing to do. Seeing them enjoying reading will help boys realize that they too can enjoy reading - they might just need help in finding the right thing to read.

8. Reading is Everywhere! Reading is all around us:
shopping, waiting for a bus, visiting a museum, sitting in the doctor’s office
brochures, catalogues, food labels, calendars, letters, cards, message boards, newspapers
crafts, playing games and cooking together
make journals, scrapbooks, cards together
put books in the toy box
books as gifts
limit time on TV and do go to the library
sing/chant nursery rhymes and songs, listen to music

9. Why Read “with” your child?
builds sight word vocabulary and decoding skills
words that are frequently encountered and often do not obey the rules of phonics
promotes reading fluency
reading that “sounds like talking”
At school we will be teaching your child specific strategies that will assist them unlock the alphabetic code
practise reading strategies in context of a real story to
Develop sight word vocab
Decode new words
“fix it” when meaning is lost or breaks down and
Develop fluency which leads to deeper understanding of text
We will now share these with you and model what they look and sound like during the reading process.

10. Reading Strategies
Fall into 2 categories; namely decoding and comprehension. Decoding strategies help us read new or unknown words in the context of reading the story. These strategies help us learn to read. Comprehension strategies assist the reader to understand the story in deep and meaningful ways. These strategies help us read to learn.
Both categories are necessary to truly “read” a story
To promote meaningful reading we need to ensure strategies are developed in both categories
When enjoying the act of reading together as a family, focus on comprehension while supporting attempts at decoding
But sometimes when you are reading a great story for pleasure, fun and learning, your focus will be on comprehension
Decoding strategies assist students to independently figure out “tricky words”-words they do not read instantly.
Due to way we were taught to read, parents often teach reading, relying on only one decoding strategy: “sound it out”. This is not always an effective strategy as many words/letters in the English language do not follow the rules. We will present you with a variety of strategies that can be used to figure out “tricky words”.

11. Look for a picture clue
Students need picture cues to assist them with decoding. Don’t cover up the picture!

12. Say the beginning sound
forest

13. Think, “What would make sense?”

14. Reread the sentence
<

15. Skip it

16. Look for little words inside
attend

17. Sound it out

18. “Does it look right?” Always ask… “Does it sound right?”
“Does it make sense?”
Wiggleworks: “Boots”
Page 1: “Time”: skip it, think what would make sense
Page 2: “Boots”: look at the picture. The child says “rubbers” Ask your child to look at the beginning letter. Would rubbers start with a ”b”?
Page 3: “Sweater”: look at beginning sound. Could this say “coat”
Page 4: “Hat”: little word inside. Cover up the “h”
Page 5: “Scarf” read “Neck Warmer”: does that look right? (2 words, beginning sound)
Page 6: “Coat”: sound it out (support with letter sounds) Introduce that when 2 vowels are together only the first one talk & it says its own name.
Page 7: “Mittens” read “Mouse”: does that make sense? (context)
Page 8: “Come” read “Comb”: does that sound right? (grammatically correct) Encourage your child to read it again so that it sounds right
Following reading: provide student with feedback on their usage of strategies. “That is what good readers do”.
By asking these questions when child uses a strategy you are helping them to self evaluate the strategies effectiveness. Self-checking and monitoring strategies
Help students identify errors and fix them when necessary
These strategies help readers build sight vocabulary and decode new words while reading.
Now we will look at the comprehension strateiges that help readers develop meaning and deep understanding

19. Favourite Books

20. Start with the cover . . . -look at the cover and story title
discuss related family experiences and background knowledge
go for a “picture walk” by looking at all the pictures and discussing what is happening
introduce unusual names or words that your child may not know in the “picture walk”
encourage your child to share what they know about the title or pictures and what they think the story might be about
now ask your child to make a prediction about what might happen in the story – this creates a purpose for reading
ask your child if there are any reading strategies that they may like to try today
Always need to encourage and foster comprehension, as it is the reason for reading.
Pre Reading: go through book, looking at pictures, ignoring the words. Provide child with new vocabulary that might be a “tricky word”. Have student connect illustrations to their background knowledge. Have child make prediction about what might happen in book. Provide students with a purpose for reading.
During the reading: check in with child to see if they are understanding what is happening in the book. Ask if what they are reading matches their prediction.
Post Reading: Have child retell story in their own words; may look at pictures to assist them if necessary. What happened first? Next? Does this book remind you of anything you have read or heard before?

21. Give your child lots of praise and encouragement!
Remember!
reading should be a fun activity for everyone.
set aside time as often as you can for reading
encourage your child to choose books based on interests or shared experiences
“You catch more bees with honey than vinegar”
Give your child lots of praise and encouragement!
set aside time as often as you can for reading
encourage your child to choose books based on interests or shared experiences

22. Reading Resources

23. Reading IS ABOUT MEANING AND DEEP UNDERSTANDING
Strategies skilled readers use include:
activating background knowledge and making predictions based on clues
asking questions and wondering
making connections
visualizing
making inferences
determining importance, paraphrasing and summarizing
for our young readers and our purposes tonight we will concentrate on the first 4

24. While reading . . .
stop every once in a while to ask your child what is happening
was the prediction correct or has it changed?
what clues helped us see that the prediction was going to be different?
do the pictures link closely to the story or add new information
ask questions, what are you wondering
explore words, what they mean, how they create pictures in our minds, ways we can be creative with words
make connections to ourselves, other stories and the world as new ideas develop
do some words paint pictures in your mind

25. After the Story . . . Meaning and Understanding
Begin with the text, but encourage discussion that connects personally to your experiences and situation, other books you may have read and events that are happening in our community and the world around. Listen carefully TO what your child is saying.
Reading a story more than once often leads to deep understanding and questioning!
Be observant for ways to go beyond this text and this discussion--further research, reading, writing, other creative activities are some possibilities that may be beneficial.
Can you tell me about the story in your own words? How did it begin?
I wonder why the author wrote this story. Great discussion opener after the story
Children can use these times to share their deepest fears and doubts, they are learning and trying to put the world into perspective
Support their ideas and the conclusions they come to

26. Now Let’s Give it a Try!
We will model the process using a story from the internet