It's 2 Steps Backwards and 1 forward or so They Say
I've been teaching long enough to see how much some students slide over the summer. I have merely one tidbit of advice to all parents. Let your child read to you this summer, read to them and ask good questions that demonstrate comprehension and higher level thinking skills. What does this look like? Well, when you buy books for your children, make sure that they're at their instructional level - not ones they can read with ease or that they struggle on every word with. Books that for the most part, they need some help. As for questions, avoid the yes/no type.Think about asking questions like:
'Why do you think the author ended the story that way?'
'What advice do you have for the author about this book?'
'What character really made this story and why?'
'What is the problem in the story? How was it resolved? How would you have resolved it?
Help children understand point of view, ask questions that make them think about point of view.
For a few more questioning tips on books, check out these.
