The first R

Did you know that reading is more than simply pronouncing words? Many students and their parents are surprised to learn that there are reading classes that support readers, from beginners all the way to university level. Sylvan Learning is one place that learners of all ages and levels can receive support. A successful reader understands and interprets the words, the paragraphs and the whole text they read. Here are some strategies from the experts at Sylvan Learning Halifax that you can use to help your child (or even yourself!) become a more effective reader and to encourage purposeful, active reading:

Make connections

Successful readers connect what they read to their experiences and knowledge; no text should stand in isolation. Ask readers if they have experienced the situations in the book, if they understand a character’s feelings, or what they know about the topic. As an example, when reading to a young reader, you can ask questions such as, “What would you think if you saw an elephant in our yard, like the boy in this book?” or “How would you feel if you couldn’t find your kitten?” or “Have you ever helped someone who was feeling sad? What did you do to help?”

Make predictions

Ask your child to predict what will happen next in a story. This involves understanding what has happened so far and thinking ahead. For example, ask: “What do you think might happen on the next page?” Make sure your child is clear on what he or she has read and encourage re-reading if necessary. Ask for new predictions as the book progresses, based on how the plot unfolds, pictures or illustrations, and chapter headings. Ask older students to predict what questions might be asked on a quiz about the text, such as: “What do you think is the most important message to remember from this story?”

Visualize

Encourage kids to create mental images while reading so that they actively engage with the text. Ask your child to visualize a setting, character, or action. What do they see, smell, hear, taste, or touch? What words in the book helped them create this image? In a chapter book with few pictures, you might ask: “I wonder what the playground in the story was like. What equipment do you think it had?” or “Can you imagine what the grandmother was like? What do you think she might say to the little girl?”

Make inferences

Inferences involve drawing conclusions or reading between the lines. Ask your child “Why?” Why did the character do this? Why did this happen? Why did the author write the story this way? Ask older students what information is missing, or if there are any holes in the author’s arguments.

Determine importance

Before reading a textbook or nonfiction book, ask your child what he or she already knows about a topic. Show your child how nonfiction books are organized and examine clues to understanding content: chapter and section titles, headings, bold or italicized words, and captions on illustrations. The first and last paragraphs of a section often address key points, as do the first and last sentences in a paragraph.

Ask and answer

Encourage your child to ask questions about or research anything that they find confusing. Help to find the answer. Have you already read the answer? Would a dictionary help? What about an index or glossary? If the answer is not in this book, where else could you look? Challenge older students to find authors with different viewpoints or purposes.

These tips can help readers of all ages. Sometimes, a student can read the words very fluently, but they may not always understand what they are reading. Asking questions will help you know if your child has both word recognition as well as vocabulary and general comprehension.