December 2009
Only the educated are free.
~ Epictetus
Improving Comprehension
6 Quick Ways
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Provide appropriate books. Make sure the
books
your
child
is
reading
for
independently are at the appropriate level.
Your child should be able to read at least
95 percent of the words without help.
Have your child read aloud. Reading aloud
slows down reading speed and provides
more time for processing information.
Talk about the text. Asking your child
questions before, during, and after reading
helps him/her process and remember
information.
Reread for fluency. In order to gain
meaning from text, your child needs to be
able to decode words quickly. Rereading
will help your child recognize words better
to devote time to comprehending the text.
Supplement content area readings. Prior
to or during a new unit of study, select
books with similar themes for independent
reading at home. If studying the Civil
Rights Movement in school, why not read a
historical fiction book on the same topic?
Ask the teacher. Ask your child’s teacher
about other things you can do at home to
help.
Adapted from Scholastic, 2009
Locating Appropriate
Books
Now that you know your child’s
Lexile level from MAP-R results,
how do you easily locate books?
Barnes and Noble has created the
Lexile wizard on their Kids page. Go
to http://www.barnesandnoble.com
Click on Kids at the top of the page,
Easy Search Tools for Children’s Books
near the middle of the page, then
Find Children’s Books. You can select
books by age, reading level, and
interest.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT?
Does your child have
difficulty locating the
important ideas in a text or
highlight everything on a
page? Try this trick. Have
your child read a paragraph
or section and ask, “What one
question does this paragraph
answer?” For example, a
paragraph about hurricanes
might answer, “How are
hurricanes formed?” Then,
have your child write the
answer to the question as a
one sentence summary.