DMG_sylvannewsletter1

MORE THAN WORDS

It's not enough for your child to read the words if he or she doesn't know what the words mean. Improving reading comprehension will improve overall academic performance.

Teachers say that from pre-school to second grade, children are learning to read; from third grade on, they are reading to learn. That's why developing strong reading comprehension skills early will make a difference through a reader's life. "Learning will be impeded if [students] do not comprehend text well," says Colleen Fairbanks, associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. Many students may get by for some time because teachers mix oral and written material, but comprehension problems will catch up eventually, Fairbanks says. In fact, difficulty comprehending text seems widespread in junior high and high school because that is when teachers expect students to read more on their own.

If your child is bored by reading, can't answer simple questions about something he or she just read or can't summarize a whole story, he or she may have trouble with reading comprehension. The most important key is to assist students in interacting with what they read, Fairbanks says. Here is how you can help.

As usual, experts recommend that parents read with their children often. If your child is learning to read and you still read aloud to him or her, ask questions as you go along. Ask them to complete a sentence you just read or what a character just did. At the end, have your child summarize the story. He or she can tell you what happened in words or through pictures, if your child prefers that method of expression.
Encourage older children to highlight or jot down the important information (who, what, when, where) as they read. Eventually, they will be accustomed to locating the information automatically.
Once students show improvement answering basic questions, present more complex questions to them. Ask them to predict, speculate and analyze. What do you think should happen? What could occur next? What if a character took another action? Why do you think this person reacted that way? What is another potential ending?
Sometimes, lack of vocabulary hinders reading comprehension, according to Fairbanks. If the reader doesn't know the definition of the words, the overall meaning will be lost. Encourage kids to use the dictionary often. Keep a file box of new words and their meanings. Record the name of the story the word was used in, because sometimes it is easier to recall new information when it is related to something familiar.

-- Diana A. Terry-Azíos


	MORE THAN WORDS It's not enough for your child to read the words if he or she doesn't know what the words mean. Improving reading comprehension will improve overall academic performance. Teachers say that from pre-school to second grade, children are learning to read; from third grade on, they are reading to learn. That's why developing strong reading comprehension skills early will make a difference through a reader's life. "Learning will be impeded if [students] do not comprehend text well," says Colleen Fairbanks, associate professor of curriculum and instruction at the University of Texas at Austin. Many students may get by for some time because teachers mix oral and written material, but comprehension problems will catch up eventually, Fairbanks says. In fact, difficulty comprehending text seems widespread in junior high and high school because that is when teachers expect students to read more on their own. If your child is bored by reading, can't answer simple questions about something he or she just read or can't summarize a whole story, he or she may have trouble with reading comprehension. The most important key is to assist students in interacting with what they read, Fairbanks says. Here is how you can help. As usual, experts recommend that parents read with their children often. If your child is learning to read and you still read aloud to him or her, ask questions as you go along. Ask them to complete a sentence you just read or what a character just did. At the end, have your child summarize the story. He or she can tell you what happened in words or through pictures, if your child prefers that method of expression. Encourage older children to highlight or jot down the important information (who, what, when, where) as they read. Eventually, they will be accustomed to locating the information automatically. Once students show improvement answering basic questions, present more complex questions to them. Ask them to predict, speculate and analyze. What do you think should happen? What could occur next? What if a character took another action? Why do you think this person reacted that way? What is another potential ending? Sometimes, lack of vocabulary hinders reading comprehension, according to Fairbanks. If the reader doesn't know the definition of the words, the overall meaning will be lost. Encourage kids to use the dictionary often. Keep a file box of new words and their meanings. Record the name of the story the word was used in, because sometimes it is easier to recall new information when it is related to something familiar. -- Diana A. Terry-Azíos