Beginning Readers Strategies to Build Strong Foundations

Before children begin to read they need…• A knowledge of letters and their

sounds• To have had been read to by an adult

regularly• To be able to make meaning from the

pictures and words and be able to answer questions regarding the text

• To have a bank of known sight words

What Good Readers Do…Make ConnectionsVisualiseInferDetermine ImportanceSynthesize

How does making connections help me think as I read?

Making connections helps me understand the story

When I can think of a similar experience to the one in the story, I can better understand what is happening and what characters are feeling

When I understand what is happening, I can remember the story and the story is more interesting to read

How does visualising help me think as I read?

Enhances meaning with mental picturesLinks past experience to the words and ideas in

the textEnables me to place myself in the storyStimulates my imaginative thinkingKeeps me engaged with the textBrings joy to my reading

How does inferring help me think as I read?

Draw conclusions based on clues in the textMake predictions before and during readingSurface underlying themesUse implicit information from the text to create

meaning during and after readingUse the pictures to help gain meaning

He must be sad .

How does determining importance help me think as I

read?

It helps me to not have to memorise the whole text

It helps me figure out what is important information and what is not important to remember

It helps me to remember to stop and ask myself if what I am reading makes sense

It helps me to look at features such as: bold words, italicized words, pictures, captions, headings, graphs and know that I should pay attention to these words

How does synthesising help me think as I read?

Take in a lot of different facts, think about them, and learn something new

Sift through a lot of information, take out the key ideas and put them together to get the overall sense of the reading material

Weave together what I read and my own ideas into new, complete thoughts

Use the prompts: I have learned that…This gives me an idea…Now I understand that…

What Good Readers Do…

Make Connections – What do I know?Visualise – Can I see pictures in my mind?Infer – What is not being stated?Determine Importance –What is the main idea?Synthesise – What do I know now?

Helping children to be good readers.

1. Front Cover ‘Read’What do you think the book is about?Who are the characters in the story?Where is the story set?How many words are in the title?How many syllables/letters are in the word ----?Author & Illustrator

2. Picture ‘Read’Open the book to each page and do a picture read

by only looking at the pictures and discussing what is happening.

Talk about the pictures and ask questions:

Who do you think is on this page?

What is happening?

Where are they?

What do you think is going to

happen?

3. Retell the Picture Read.Without looking at the pictures, encourage your child

to retell as much as they can remember in the order of it happening.

If they have trouble remembering, allow them to look at the pictures and close the book again.

4. Read the book together.Praise and encourage as you go.Focus on following each word on the page.

(drive your finger car smoothly underneath.)Focus on the text making sense.Focus on strategies to work out words.

(pictures/first letter/stretch out the sounds)

Reading StrategiesThis term we are working on

reading behaviours. (What you do when you read.)

When students have solid letter sound knowledge and a collection of sight words they will require more complex texts.

This is when strategies are required to work out unfamiliar words and keep the reading fluent and meaningful.

Stuck On A New Word?

Look at the Pictures -Look at the picture for clues

Get Your Lips Ready -Say first sounds -Read & say it again

Stretch it Out -Stretch word out -Put sounds together

Chunk the Word -Look for word chunk -Look for a word part

Skip It, Skip It -Skip the word -Read to the end -Hop back & read it

Try it Again -Try to reread -Try a new word

Ask for Help -Ask for help after you have tried the other strategies

Never let the word win. Read on!

5. Talk about the story.Ask questions: Who/what/when/where/why/how?

Are the answers on the page? What did Sally plant?

Is the answer inferred either in the pictures or in the text? Did all of the beans grow?

Is the answer from your own knowledge or experience? How does Sally feel? (exclamation mark/ darker font/ shouted/ calling Mum)

6. ReflectionAsk did you like the story? Why/why not?

Encourage your child to give a reason. Did you learn anything new from this book?

e.g. About the topic

or the words (ing/ed)

or about reading. (smooth/ !/?/ speech marks)

Happy Reading!

Acknowledgments to Reading Comprehension Strategies Jeanne Novak-Eegan web3.beverlyhg-h.schools.nsw.edu.au/../readcompstrategies.