Here are some read-aloud tips:
Make reading together part of your daily routine.
Involve your child.
Encourage them to read the high frequency [popcorn] words that occur in all books.
Re-read favorite stories.
It is okay to read the same story over and over! Your child learns about intonation, fluency, and how books work through your modeling!
Take your time.
Don't rush through a story for the sake of time. If it's time for bed and there are still five pages left, leave them for tomorrow.
Have your child retell small parts of the story.
Your child doesn't need to give you an in-depth retelling each night. Simply being able to tell you a few character names and what's happening is a great start!
Use character voices.
No one likes to hear someone read in a monotone voice! Get into the story - give each character a different voice!
It's okay to make mistakes.
It's hard to read a whole book out loud perfectly. It is okay if you make mistakes while you read. It shows your child that even grown-ups can't read perfectly. It also shows them what you do when you make a mistake, how you reread and self-correct.
Relax and enjoy!
This is a great time to bond with your child. Have fun!
Good readers use the following strategies as they read...
Make predictions- before and after reading
Picture walk- to see what they story will be about
Visualize- paint a picture or movie in their mind
Re-read confusing parts- to gain more understanding
Read fluently- read at a good pace
Use schema- what they already know (their background knowledge)
Make connections- text to self, text to text, and text to world
Think aloud- to summarize what was read
Use context clues- to read unfamiliar words
Retell- what they have read to someone else
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*When discussing your child's writing, say, "Tell me about your writing."
*Have them tell you about their writing and picture, don't try to guess what they drew/wrote.
*Avoid phrases such as, "What's that?", "Who's that?", "I don't know what your picture is."
Writers Workshop
*Please note this workshop is somewhat different from the
Comumbia Teachers College Workshop we use in school.