Put Reading First
Helping Your Child Learn to Read - A Parent Guide Preschool Through
Grade 3
Success in school starts with reading. When children become good readers
in the early grades, they are more likely to become better learners
throughout their school years and beyond. Learning to read is hard work
for children. Fortunately, research is now available that suggests how
to give each child a good start in reading.
Becoming a reader involves the development of important skills,
including learning to:
- use language in conversation
- listen and respond to stories read aloud
- recognize and name the letters of the alphabet
- listen to the sounds of spoken language
- connect sounds to letters to figure out the "code" of reading
- read often so that recognizing words becomes easy and automatic
- learn and use new words
- understand what is read
Preschool and kindergarten teachers set the stage for your child to
learn to read with some critical early skills. First, second, and third
grade teachers then take up the task of building the skills that
children will use every day for the rest of their lives. As a parent,
you can help by understanding what teachers are teaching and by asking
questions about your child's progress and the classroom reading program.
You can also help your children become readers. Learning to read
takes practice, more practice than children get during the school day.
This article describes what a quality reading program should look like
at school and how you can support that program through activities with
your children.
If your child is just beginning to learn to read
At school you should see teachers...
Teaching the sounds of language. The teacher provides opportunities
for children to practice with the sounds that make up words. Children
learn to put sounds together to make words and to break words into their
separate sounds.
Teaching the letters of the alphabet. Teachers help children learn to
recognize letter names and shapes.
Helping children learn and use new words.
Reading to children every day. Teachers read with expression and talk
with children about what they are reading.
At home you can help by...
Practicing the sounds of language. Read books with rhymes. Teach your
child rhymes, short poems, and songs. Play simple word games: How many
words can you make up that sound like the word "bat"?
Helping your child take spoken words apart and put them together.
Help your child separate the sounds in words, listen for beginning and
ending sounds, and put separate sounds together.
Practicing the alphabet by pointing out letters wherever you see them
and by reading alphabet books.
If your child is just beginning to read
At school you should see teachers...
Systematically teaching phonics--how sounds and letters are related.
Giving children the opportunity to practice the letter-sound
relationships they are learning. Children have the chance to practice
sounds and letters by reading easy books that use words with the
letter-sound relationships they are learning.
Helping children write the letter-sound relationships they know by using
them in words, sentences, messages, and their own stories.
Showing children ways to think about and understand what they are
reading. The teacher asks children questions to show them how to think
about the meaning of what they read.
At home you can help by...
Pointing out the letter-sound relationships your child is learning on
labels, boxes, newspapers, magazines and signs.
Listening to your child read words and books from school. Be patient and
listen as your child practices. Let your child know you are proud of his
reading.
If your child is reading
At school you should see teachers...
Continuing to teach letter-sound relationships for children who need
more practice. On average, children need about two years of instruction
in letter-sound relationships to become good spellers as well as
readers.
Teaching the meaning of words, especially words that are important to
understanding a book.
Teaching ways to learn the meaning of new words. Teachers cannot
possibly teach students the meaning of every new word they see or read.
Children should be taught how to use dictionaries to learn word
meanings, how to use known words and word parts to figure out other
words, and how to get clues about a word from the rest of the sentence.
Helping children understand what they are reading. Good readers think as
they read and they know whether what they are reading is making sense.
Teachers help children to check their understanding. When children are
having difficulty, teachers show them ways to figure out the meaning of
what they are reading.
At home you can help your child by...
Rereading familiar books. Children need practice in reading
comfortably and with expression using books they know.
Building reading accuracy. As your child is reading aloud, point out
words he missed and help him read words correctly. If you stop to focus
on a word, have your child reread the whole sentence to be sure he
understands the meaning.
Building reading comprehension. Talk with your child about what she is
reading. Ask about new words. Talk about what happened in a story. Ask
about the characters, places, and events that took place. Ask what new
information she has learned from the book. Encourage her to read on her
own.
Make reading a part of every day
Share conversations with your child over meal times and other times you
are together. Children learn words more easily when they hear them
spoken often. Introduce new and interesting words at every opportunity.
Read together every day. Spend time talking about stories, pictures, and
words.
Be your child's best advocate. Keep informed about your child's progress
in reading and ask the teacher about ways you can help.
Be a reader and a writer. Children learn habits from the people around
them.
Visit the library often. Story times, computers, homework help, and
other exciting activities await the entire family.
Put Reading First
Helping Your Child Learn to Read
The Partnership for Reading
This brochure was published by The Partnership for Reading, a
collaborative effort of the National Institute for Literacy (NIFL), the
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and
the U.S. Department of Education to make evidence-based reading research
available to educators, parents, policy-makers, and others with an
interest in helping all people learn to read well.
For more information about NIFL and reading, visit www.nifl.gov.
The Partnership for Reading
Bringing Scientific Evidence to Learning
National Institute for Literacy
National Institute of child Health and Human Development
U.S. Department of Education
