Guide for Reading a Book
1. Key Words: pick 2 or 3 words from the story
(example: clock, tick)
Ask child to make up sentences with either one or all words in them.
Word Talk: Talk about same/different sounds/letters in key words:
(example: What sounds do you hear at the beginning? End?
What sound do you hear in the middle of the words?
Are the words same or different?
Do they rhyme?
2. Reading the Book:
Book Preview: Find the key words in the story
First Read: Read to tell the story. Encourage child to read and assist as needed.
Have child retell the story.
Second Read: Read it as a pair, each taking turns.
Third Read: Reread together seeing how smooth and rapid you can be.
or
Pick a Book on his/her level (not too easy / not too hard)
1. Adult reads passage aloud (model fluency, expression and voice of
characters)
2. Child reads the same passage silently.
3. Child reads the same passage aloud.
4. Child rereads the same passage aloud.
or
Pick a Book on Child’s Level:
1. Read the book and underline the words he/she missed in blue.
(count the errors)
2. Reread the book and this time underline the words he/she missed in red.
(count the errors)
3. Reread for a third time and this time underline the words he/she missed in
black. (count the errors)
**Each time the child rereads the story the child will see that he/she is making
less errors when reading.
***The more you read a passage/book the easier it becomes and the more it
sounds like talking.
or
Chop Chop
1. Ask child to say a sentence about 1 thing he/she likes to do.
2. Write the sentence on a strip of paper.
3. Model how to read the sentence in phrases.
4. Give child the sentence strip to practice reading several times.
5. Have child read it until they can read it with proper phrasing.
6. Cut the sentence apart into phrases.
7. Place the phrases on the table and mix them up.
8. Ask child to put the phrases back in order to make a complete sentence.
or
Punctuation Practice:
I won the game.
I won the game!
I won the game?
She ate my cookie.
She ate my cookie!
She ate my cookie?
The car is stuck.
The car is stuck!
The car is stuck?
1. The adult models how to read the simple sentences.
2. Echo reading- Read the sentence and then have child repeat it
3. Choral reading- Guide child as he/she reads the sentences with expression
4. Independent reading- Have child read the sentence without you, using
expression
5. Reverse echo reading- Have child read the sentence with expression and then
adult repeats the sentence using the child’s expression
or
Phrasing Highlights:
Read a familiar text and use different color highlighters to highlight correct
phrasing.
Example:
I have a brown dog.
Who has a gray cat?
I don’t know where the dog is.
Are you ready to go to bed?