How can I help my child when they come to a word they don't know?
  1. Tell the child to look at the picture. You may tell the child the word is something that can be seen in the picture, if that is the case.
  2. Tell the child to look for chunks (or parts they know) in the word, such as "it" in sit, or "at" in mat.
  3. Tell the child to read to the end of the sentence. Often by reading the other words in context, the child can figure out the unknown word.
  4. If the child says the wrong word while reading, ask questions like: Does it look right? Does it sound right? Does it make sense?
How Can I Help With Reading at Home?
  1. Discuss with your child what they have read. Ask your child probing questions about the book and connect the events to his or her own life. For example, say "I wonder why that girl did that? " or "How do you think he felt? " and "So, what lesson can we learn here?".
  2. Help your child make connections between what he or she reads and similar experiences they have felt, saw in a movie, or read in another book.
  3. Help your child monitor his or her understanding. Teach them to continually ask themselves whether they understand what they are reading.
  4. Help your child to go back to the text to support their answer.
  5. Discuss the meanings of unknown words that they read in the text.
  6. Read material in short sections, stopping and discussing what they have read.