Oct 1 RAMblings

Reading Enjoyment

Some of the best times with your child may be when you share a story.  Get the most out of reading aloud with these three easy tips:

1.   Hold the book so your youngster can see the words and pictures while you’re reading.  Run your finder under the text, or point to interesting things in the illustrations.
2. Take your time and don’t rush the story.  Reading slowly will help you read clearly – and give you and your child more time together.
3. Don’t be afraid to stop reading a book if your child doesn’t seem interested.  Have a backup selection ready so read-aloud can continue.

Frequently asked questions from parents:

• Q.  My child reads word by word and does not seem to understand the story.  Can I help him/her at home
• A.  Many lower level readers labor over text in word-by word fashion and consequently have difficulty understanding what they read.  This problem is often attributed to their inability to focus attention simultaneously on decoding and comprehending the message.  However, this undesirable outcome can be alleviated through repeated readings of the text by an adult and a child together.  By having children reread a passage until fluency is achieved, their attention can be focused on comprehension, and improved understanding will result.  Children can also listen to tape-recorded stories, following along in the text, rehearsing and rereading the story until oral fluency is reached.
• Q. My child simply stops reading when he/she comes to a word he/she doesn=t know.  Is there a way that I can help him/her use context to get the meaning of those unknown words?
• A.  Here are some ways that you can help:

1. Put a box around the unknown word in the passage and ask him/her what he/she thinks makes sense there.
2. Look for words and phrases, which are cues to the possible meaning of the word.
3. Ask again what word makes sense, using the sound-symbol beginning of the word as a cue.

I hope these answers can be a better help for you when working with your children at home.

REMINDERS
Minimum days next week for October 7, 8, & 9 due to Parent Conferences. 

Please come to the Parent’s Club meeting every Friday at 2:30 in Room 35 for the month of October.  We are working on the plans for our Halloween Carnival!  If you can not attend the meetings but would like to help, call the office and they will take your name and phone number and we will give you a call.  Thank you, Parent’s Club.

NOTICE

We have an open position for a parent to serve on our School Site Council. If you are interested and need further information, please contact Mr. Stone.