February 19, 2009, 4:48 pm

Meet NYC Teacher Samuel Ronford, Part II: Last week we talked about the need for young readers to develop fluency – the ability to read aloud effortlessly and with expression. Being able to read fluently is important because it helps us comprehend what we read. It is a necessary part but it is not sufficient. After all, how many of us realize after reading a couple of pages that we can't remember what we just read?
 
Good readers are always in dialogue with the text and themselves. They are aware of places they need to clarify and re-read passages when needed. They constantly make predictions and revise them. They question the text. There are many things you can do to support your child's comprehension.
 
(1)   Ask your child what they are reading and ask them questions about the plot, the characters, ask them what they think is going to happen next.
(2)   Read a book with our child and take time to share with them the questions you have as you are reading and encourage them to do the same with you. Model for them how you answer your own questions.
(3)   Ask them to make prediction about what is going to happen before they read and ask them to go back to their prediction while they read to see if their predictions are on or off track and then have them make new predictions.
(4)   Read a book together and talk about it afterwards.
 
Remember, you are a role model for your child. The relationship you have with books, magazines, newspapers will be the one your children pick up. Make reading a part of your life and a part of your children's life.

Samuel Ronfard, 6th grade teacher at the Urban Assembly Academy of Arts and Letters in Brooklyn, NY