So often we get excited that our child is reading the words, we forget about the other aspects of reading. We are reading text to learn. While reading words is great, we are not looking for kinders to be "word callers." Even at this early stage it is important to focus on all aspects of reading.
Here is a crash course in comprehension: (from Kristine Nannini)
You can focus on comprehension when you are reading AND when your kinder reads to you!
1. Ask questions before reading the story.
- What do you already know about this book?
- What do you think might happen?
- What are you wondering about?
2. Ask questions during the story.
- Why did the character feel that way?
- What might happen next?
- What is the problem? How do you know?
3. Ask questions after reading the story.
- What happened in the beginning?
- What surprised you?
- What do you think will happen next?
You can focus on fluency when reading. In the simplest terms fluency means reading like we talk. Many parents get excited about how fast their kinder can read. Speed is not the goal--- expression is!
For example, when we see an exclamation point our voice gets excited! When we see a question mark our voice goes up. You can model this at home with your kinder!
Reading with expression can help improve our comprehension!!
Happy Reading!