Parent Reading Tip #4

Reading and writing tend to be interwoven in Reading Recovery.  I often remind my students of what they can read in order to assist them with what they're trying to write (and vice versa).  When faced with a "tricky word" in their reading, a helpful way is to remind the child that they know how to write that word.  An example might be, "You wrote that word earlier in the lesson."  This approach helps their learning become stronger, since reading and writing reinforce one another.  It's all about making the connections to help students with learning to read.  

Parent Reading Tips # 3

We all enjoy doing things that are easy, fun, and give us confidence.  In Reading Recovery, we strive to make new learning easy for the child.  It's important to begin with what the young reader CAN DO.  Then build new learning from what the child already knows.  Each time I present something new to my readers, I try to link it to something that the child already knows.  This makes for an easier connection in their brain. This strategy of making it easy to learn helps the child's level of confidence to grow rapidly which I feel is half the battle in reading.    

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Parent Reading Tips #2

Children sometime see the one-to-one learning environment of Reading Recovery as separate and isolated from the larger classroom setting.  As my readers become more competent in using reading strategies, I find myself giving frequent reminders that what they do in Reading Recovery should also be done in their regular classroom.  In order to be a successful reader, the child must be able to transfer learning from one setting to another.  At our school they receive 30 minutes of literacy instruction in a small group setting as well.  Our literacy team, teachers, and classroom assistants make sure we are using the same language and prompts for Reading Recovery and for literacy groups so the students will make the connections.  We get the children to think, "What I do in RR also works for what I do in the classroom, and at home when I read."  

Parent Reading Tips #1

Helping a child at a time of frustration when they are reading, doesn't necessarily mean telling the child a "tricky" word.  Prompting the child to use strategies is more beneficial to reading growth.
Below are a few prompts that you can try at home when working on reading.

"You try it."
"what could you try?"
"What do you think it could be?"
"Do you know a word like that?"
"You said...Does that make sense?"
"You said...Does it sound right?"
"You said...Does that look right?"
"It could be...but look at..."
"Check to see if what you read looks and sounds right."
"Try that again."