Teaching Ideas -- Reading
Here are four simple steps to follow in order to improve reading skills and encourage parent involvement.
1. Apply prior knowledge.
Introduce the topic of the story or article to the class. Have students brainstorm what they know already on the topic and what they think the story or article will be about. Ask for family input on it also before you read the story or article in class. This input can be in the form of feelings, experiences, or preferences related to a story; or it can be knowledge related to an article.
You can note the family contributions on an easel pad, thus bringing the families into the classroom.
2. Recall.
Stop at one or more points as you read the story and ask the children to recall the story so far. Have them tell the story so far at home and ask for family input.
This will be a fine challenge for the children, as they will need to tell the family what you have discussed so far.
3. Summarize; integrate new information with already known.
Ask for family reactions at the end of the reading (children again telling families what the class has read and discussed), in preparation for your final class review and discussion.
With younger children especially, you may need to send home a sheet of paper with graphic representations of the topic. Suppose, for example, the story deals with pets. You may want to draw (or have the children draw) a simple dog, cat, fish, and bird so that family members can check one they may have had. If it's about the death of a pet, draw a tombstone and maybe two faces, one very sad, one straight mouthed. The family member can then indicate how he or she felt about the death by making a mark near one of the faces. (This activity works well with visual learners. The collection of data will appeal to your mathematicians.)
4. Read for detail; read with empathy; express vividly.
Have children choose a passage they find especially dramatic, funny, informative, or whatever else might appeal to them or their families. Help them practice until they read it easily. Now have them read it to the family at home.
When possible, find a passage that two or more people can read together, either in unison or taking turns. Make sure the children know the whole passage well enough to be able to give help to a family member who may need it.