Reading Comprehension Strategies

Here are a list of reading comprehension strategies you can use while engaging in reading with your child:

Questioning Owl - Ask questions as you read!
* Ask questions about the story before, during, and after reading
* Who, What, Where, Why, ...
* Ask questions... look for answers
Iggy the Inferring Iguana - Infer as you read!
* Make predictions while you read
* Draw conclusions as you put information together
* Reflect while you read
Rocky Raccoon - Visualize as you read!
* Put pictures in your head as you read
* See and think about the story like a movie going on in your head (What do the characters look like? The actions?)
Digger the Dog - Determine important ideas!
* Dig for important details
* Dig for important information that tells you about the author's message
* Dig and determine the facts
Fix - Up Bear - Monitor and fix-up!
* "Think" while you read to figure out when you don't understand
* Use fix-up strategies to understand when you are reading (use the meaning clues, word clues, and pictures clues)
Spinner the spider - Make connections!
* Connect to what you already know
- text to text
- text to self
- text to world
* Activate your background knowledge
Jabber the Reteller - Synthesize and retell!
* Put the information together and "think" about what you read
* Retell the story or what you learned in your own words


Reading Strategies

Below are some reading strategies that will be taught to your child in first grade.

Word Decoding Strategies:

Eagle Eye - Look at the pictures!
* Look at the picture for clues
Lips the Fish - Get your lips ready!
* Say the first few sounds of the new word
* Read to the end of the sentence and say it again
Stetchy Snake - Stretch it out!
* Stretch the word out slowly
* Put the sounds together
Chunky Monkey - Chunk the word!
* Look for a chunk that you know (-at, -an)
* Look for a word part (-ing, -er)
Skippy Frog - Skip It, Skip It!
* Skip the word
* Read to the end of the sentence
* Hop back and READ IT, READ IT!
Tryin' Lion - Try it again!
* Try to reread the sentence/ read on
* Try a word that makes sense
Helpful Kangaroo - Ask for help!
* Ask for help (after you have tried all of the other strategies)