ambitious for the future
Sharing a book with your child is fun! It is a time for closeness, laughing and talking together - and it can also give children a flying start in life and help them become lifelong readers.
If you are not feeling confident about reading aloud or sharing books, don’t worry - there's no right or wrong way to enjoy a story together. But if you'd like some tips, here are a few pointers to help you out. Mr Speck has put together some wonderful videos to help you read with your child. In each video, Mr Speck takes you through a reading skill, and models how to make reading as engaging as possible.
Here's an introductory video with general tips, then videos for particular skills below.
Spend time discussing the cover of the book. Are there any clues here that might help you predict the plot of the story? Or can you make any links with other books you have read?
Predicting
Start by asking your child to retrieve from a shorter section of text e.g. a sentence or paragraph. Then extend to a page or even a chapter; this will also enable them to practise their 'skim' reading skills to locate specific information.
Retrieval
Choose specific moments of drama or suspense and discuss how the author has created these e.g. by choosing specific words or phrases or by using a particular sentence structure.
Author Intent
Ask your child to describe a character from the book and then find evidence to support their opinion e.g. something the characters says or does.
Inference
Ask your child to choose favourite words or phrases. Why do they like them? Could they use them in conversation or in their writing? Are there any words that are new/unfamiliar to them? What do they think they mean?
Vocabulary
Ask your child to recap the story they are reading. Encourage them to give detail and use sequencing language e.g. time connectives. Their summary should allow you to be clear on the key events of the story.
Summarising