Story Reading Ideas
Dear Parents,
Many of you are reading with your child at home. There are a few techniques that will make your reading time even more profitable for your child. At school, when we read a story, we use special techniques to help them understand the story. We'd like to share these story reading ideas with you.
Before reading
Look
at the title and illustrations together. Predict what the story will be
about.
Discuss
what you both already know about the topic of the story.
Read
the first page and then ask your child to predict what might happen next.
During reading
Encourage your child to picture in his or her mind what is happening in the
story.
Ask what might happen next in the story.
Have
your child change his or her predictions as the story provides new information.
Ask
how a character might feel.
Talk
about the illustrations.
After reading
Have your child retell the story and create a new ending together.
Retell
the story from another character's point of view.
Let your child illustrate his or her favorite part of the story.
Think about the story together.
From Jerry L. Johns and Susan Davis Lenski, Improving Reading: A Handbook of Strategies [2nd ed.]. Copyright 1997 Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co