Active reading strategies to use with your student

Pauly HartOct. 5, 2017

ABC’s For Active Reading *

A- Ask questions

  • Who, What, Where, When, Why, How?
  • Ask your student to make a prediction about what could happen in the story based on the pictures.
  • Ask your student to count the number of objects on the page, e.g., number of fish, cars, people, etc.

B- Build Vocabulary

  • Ask what words mean.
  • Connect words to pictures.
  • Connect new words to words they already know.
  • Look for sight words that your student is working on or pick a word that they need to know such as it, was, am, are, they and read and read that word whenever it appears.
  • Have students identify rhyming words and ask them to think of other words that rhyme with that word.

C- Connect to the Student’s World

  • Ask students what the story makes them think about.
  • Ask the student how they are similar or different from

      the  characters in the story.

  • Ask why characters in the book did what they did and

        if they have ever made similar choices.

  • Ask students if they could change the story, how would they make it different.

*Adapted from Read Charlotte

Strategies for Decoding Words

Chunk the word

  • Look for a chunk you know (-ing, -and, -art)
  • Look for a word part you know (be-,-er)

Skip it!

  • Skip the word.
  • Read to the end of the sentence.
  • Go back and re-read it.

Stretch Out the Word

  • Stretch the word out slowly.
  • Put the sounds together to figure out the word.

Look at the Picture

  • The picture can sometimes give clues to help figure out a word.

Get Your Lips Ready

  • Say the first sounds of the word out loud.

Flip the Vowel Sound

  • Try the other vowel sound.
  • Flip a short sound for a long sound and vice versa.

Celebrate Success!

Use  fist bumps, high fives, and goofy words and phrases such as:

  • Woo Hoo!
  • Yippee Skippy!
  • Huzza!
  • Hip, Hip, Hooray!
  • Oh Yea!
  • Awesome!
  • Maaarvelous!
  • Knock my socks off!
  • Crazy Good!
  • Good Stuff!
  • Stupendous!
  • Cool!

Tips for Working with ELL Students

  1. Speak slower, not louder.
  2. Act out the words if possible.
  3. Use your phone to find photos or pictures of words in the book.
  4. Draw pictures or have your student draw pictures.
  5. Provide “wait time” allow your student time to process the text and your questions.
  6. Don’t rescue students when they struggle to speak. smile, relax your face and hands and wait.
  7. Know that ESL/ELL students may go through a “silent period” when they are afraid to speak. It will usually pass as they become more confident. Often their Lead to Read KC reading buddy is the first person they feel comfortable talking to.