You don't really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around...and why his parents will always wave back.
~William D. Tammeus
Parents and guardians,
As Surry Elementary School's reading specialist, my goal is to assist students in acquiring strong reading skills. As the school's literacy coach, my goal is to assist professionals in creating systematic and intentional reading lessons for whole group and small group instructions as well as model lessons for teachers in their classrooms.
If you have questions or concerns about your child and reading, please contact me by phone or email.
Thank you,
Ms. Knappenberger
As Surry Elementary School's reading specialist, my goal is to assist students in acquiring strong reading skills. As the school's literacy coach, my goal is to assist professionals in creating systematic and intentional reading lessons for whole group and small group instructions as well as model lessons for teachers in their classrooms.
If you have questions or concerns about your child and reading, please contact me by phone or email.
Thank you,
Ms. Knappenberger
Quick Contacts
Tips for Parents
The following suggestions are intended to increase your child's understanding while reading and to help your child improve their oral reading. These methods are effective while reading for homework and reading for fun.
Oral Reading
Vocabulary
Comprehension
As your child reads to you, take turns asking and answering questions about the book. This teaches your child to self-question as they read. After reading, ask your child to retell about the characters, setting, problem, main events, and resolution of the story. Ask your child to summarize what they have read. This includes deleting unimportant information, grouping similar ideas, and deciding on main ideas and supporting details. When reading together, after each paragraph ask your child 'wh' questions (Who? What? Where? When? Why?) to see if they are comprehending. Monitor your child's understanding by:
~ asking literal questions about the facts.
~ asking inferential questions about what they think it means.
~ asking critical questions about how they might use the information.
Most importantly,
The more your child reads, the better reader he or she will become!
Oral Reading
- Read aloud with your child. As you read together, your reading will serve as a model of good reading for your child to follow
- Have your child read a story or text multiple times. With each reading, your child will improve word decoding skills and fluency. Encourage your child to increase reading speed. Their oral reading should sound as fast as they would sound if they were talking. Help your child use context clues, or other parts of the sentence or paragraph, to figure out what new words mean.
Vocabulary
- Talk about the places you are going and what you see along the way.
- Read a challenging book aloud to your child to give exposure to higher level words.
Comprehension
As your child reads to you, take turns asking and answering questions about the book. This teaches your child to self-question as they read. After reading, ask your child to retell about the characters, setting, problem, main events, and resolution of the story. Ask your child to summarize what they have read. This includes deleting unimportant information, grouping similar ideas, and deciding on main ideas and supporting details. When reading together, after each paragraph ask your child 'wh' questions (Who? What? Where? When? Why?) to see if they are comprehending. Monitor your child's understanding by:
~ asking literal questions about the facts.
~ asking inferential questions about what they think it means.
~ asking critical questions about how they might use the information.
Most importantly,
The more your child reads, the better reader he or she will become!
Websites for parents
Readingrockets.com
Scholastic for parents- http://www.scholastic.com/parents/
Reading is Fundamental- http://www.rif.org/us/get-involved.htm
Harcourt parent resources- http://www.harcourtschool.com/storytown/parent_resources/index.html
Choosing good books- http://www.rif.org/assets/Documents/parents/choosing_books.pdf
Reading aloud- http://www.rif.org/assets/Documents/parents/reading_aloud.pdf
Helping your child become a better reader- http://www.rif.org/assets/Documents/parents/BecomingReaders.pdf
Scholastic for parents- http://www.scholastic.com/parents/
Reading is Fundamental- http://www.rif.org/us/get-involved.htm
Harcourt parent resources- http://www.harcourtschool.com/storytown/parent_resources/index.html
Choosing good books- http://www.rif.org/assets/Documents/parents/choosing_books.pdf
Reading aloud- http://www.rif.org/assets/Documents/parents/reading_aloud.pdf
Helping your child become a better reader- http://www.rif.org/assets/Documents/parents/BecomingReaders.pdf
Contact Me!
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