Wildomar Elementary School
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READ READ READ (with to and as a listener)
Book discussion is one of the best ways to know the level of, and to support, your child's literacy. The analytical skills used in discussion are what your child needs to succeed in school—and life. But because you're probably not reading the books that your children are reading for pleasure or for school, it's sometimes hard to have a discussion about them.
Here are some tips on how to start and sustain a book discussion with your child. In general, avoid dead-end, yes/no questions such as "Did you like it?"
Before your child reads a book, ask:
- Why did you select this book?
- What makes you think this book is going to be interesting?
- What do you think the book is going to be about?
- Does this book remind you of anything you've already read or seen?
- What kind of characters do you think will be in the book?
- What do you think is going to happen?
While your child is reading a book, try asking:
- Will you catch me up on the story? What's happened so far?
- What do you think will happen next?
- If you were that character, what would you have done differently in that situation?
- If the book was a TV show, which actors would you cast in it?
- Where is the book set?
- If the main character in that story lived next door, would you guys be friends?
- What does the place look like in your head as you read? Would you want to visit there?
- Did you learn any new words or facts so far?
After your child has finished a book, ask questions like:
- What was your favorite part of the book? Why?
- Who was your favorite character? Why?
- What was the most interesting thing you learned from the book?
- Why do you think the author wrote this book?
- Would you have ended the book differently? Did it end the way you thought it would?
- Did the problem of the book's plot get solved?
- If you could change one thing in the book, what would you change?
Here are some ways to help your child build vocabulary as he or she reads:
- Ask your child, while reading, to place a sticky note on each page of a book that has unfamiliar words. One can also just write unfamiliar words, and the page numbers they occur upon, in a notebook. You can look them up in a dictionary later, and refer back to the book.
- Play dictionary games with your child. Take turns reading unfamiliar words to each other, and try to guess their definitions just from the sound of the word. Try to stump each other!
- Play a description game with your child. Look at a place or object and say a single word that describes or relates to it. Then your child has to say a different word that describes it, and you take turns until one of you can't think of a word. If you're looking at a tree, you might say "green," and your child might say "tall." Pretty soon, though, you will run out of easy words and have to say "evergreen" and "photosynthesis." This gets both of you to use words that you don't normally use.
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