Academy
Fluency, Phonics, and Reading Comprehension
Tips for Phonics Practice at Home:
Tips for Reading Comprehension at Home:
Tips for Fluency Practice at Home:
- What exactly is phonics?
Phonics is knowing that sounds and letters have a relationship — it's that simple, and that complex. It is the link between what we say and what we can read and write. Phonics offers your beginning reader the strategies she needs to sound out words. For example, she learns that the letter D has the sound of "d" as in “doll." Then she learns how to blend letter sounds together to make words like dog. - Why is it important?
The ultimate goal of reading is good comprehension. But in order for your child to understand what he reads, he must be able to do it quickly and automatically, without stumbling over words. Phonics facilitates that process. - How does your child's school teach phonics?
Systematically and sequentially. Teachers give children plenty of practice before moving on. Your child will read short, easy books, containing the particular letter sounds or words she's working on. - Talk with your child about the “irregular" words that she'll often see in what she's reading. These are the words that don't follow the usual letter-sound rules. These words include said, are, and was. Students must learn to recognize them "at sight."
Tips for Reading Comprehension at Home:
- Hold a conversation and discuss what your child has read. Ask your child probing questions about the book and connect the events to his or her own life. For example, say "I wonder why that girl did that?" or "How do you think he felt? Why?" and "So, what lesson can we learn here?".
- Help your child make connections between what he or she reads and similar experiences he has felt, saw in a movie, or read in another book.
- Help your child monitor his or her understanding. Teach her to continually ask herself whether she understands what she's reading.
- Help your child go back to the text to support his or her answers.
- Discuss the meanings of unknown words, both those he reads and those he hears.
- Read material in short sections, making sure your child understands each step of the way.
- Discuss what your child has learned from reading informational text such as a science or social studies book.
- Whether your child reads to you or you read to your child, be sure to talk about what was read. Asking open ended questions such as, “What did you think of….?, How would you feel if …..?, What do you think might happen if…?” is better than asking questions which require a simple one-word answer.
Tips for Fluency Practice at Home:
- Model fluent reading. Provide opportunities when your child can hear you read aloud. Be sure to read with expression, pausing appropriately at punctuation marks and changing voice for characters.
- Teach your child high frequency sight words. High frequency sight words are words that readers are encouraged to recognize without having to sound them out. It is estimated that the first 100 sight words account for approximately 50% of what we read. Words such as “the,” “and,” and “he” are considered high frequency sight words. These words can be practiced on flashcards. As you and your child read, point out the sight words in the story. Some children are able to identify the words on flashcards; however, this skill does not transfer to reading. Pointing them out as you read helps in transferring to reading the words in books. Please see the attached list of Fry’s First 100 Sight Words.
- When having your child practice reading aloud, help your child choose books at his/her independent reading level. Use the 5-finger rule as a guide. This means that a child shouldn’t struggle with more than 5 words on a page.
- Repeated reading has proven to be one of the best strategies for developing reading fluency. Children should be provided with many opportunities to read the same passage (or story) orally several times. It is best if the adult reads the passage (paragraph, story) first and then has the child read and re-read the same text. Typically reading the text 4 times is suggested when focusing on improving fluency skills.
- Paired reading is another strategy to improve oral reading fluency. Using this strategy, you and your child read the words aloud together. Be sure to read at your child’s speed reading every word. Make sure your child is looking at each word as one of you points to the words. If your child reads the word incorrectly, say the word and then have your child immediately repeat the word.
- Having your child listen to a taped recording of a book while following along in the story is another good strategy to improve oral reading fluency. Children benefit from listening to fluent readers read while following along in the book. Encourage your child to point to the words on the page while listening to the story as this helps to strengthen word recognition skills. There are many recordings of popular children’s books on YouTube.
- When listening to your child read, when he/she comes to an unknown word, wait 5 seconds to allow him/her to use word attack strategy skills to figure out the word. If you have to provide the word for your child, be sure to have him/her repeat the word aloud while pointing to the word in text.
- When possible, help your child make a real-life connection to the story. For example, after reading a story share an experience that the story made you think of from your childhood. Encourage your child to share his/her thinking or experiences. Having such discussions with your child sends the message that the purpose of reading is to understand and think about the text rather than just read words.