How to Power Read
Strong reading comprehension skills are the basis for success in all subject areas.  You can help your child develop skills with Power Reading.  Power Reading is a technique that will help your child become a better reader by increasing both reading comprehension and listening comprehension skills.  A Power Reading session takes only about fifteen minutes.

Here's how to do it:

1.  Read to your child.
Read aloud to your child for five minutes.  Be sure that the book from which you are reading is at your child's reading level.  If you are unsure about choosing a book, ask us, your child's teachers, for help.  Pronounce words carefully and clearly, and make appropriate pauses for periods and commas.

2.  Listen to your child read.
Have your child continue reading the same book aloud.  He or she should begin at the point where you stopped reading.  Remind your child to take it slowly and read so that the words make sense.

Caution:  Do not stop and correct your child while he or she is reading.  If your child stumbles on a word, make a note of it and go back later.

3.  Ask questions about the material that was read.
Check how well your child was listening and reading by asking general questions about the material you read aloud and the material your child read aloud.  Talk about what was read; share ideas.

4.  Hold a Power Reading session with your child as often as possible.
It is an excellent way to improve reading skills and an excellent way to show your child the importance you place on reading.  Many families have found Power Reading to be an enjoyable way to read together on a regular basis.  Start a book that is of particular interest to your child and continue using this same book for Power Reading sessions until it is completed.  Your child will be even more motivated to join you in Power Reading when he or she is eager to find out what happens next.

The ideas above were adapted from Parents On Your Side by Lee Canter and Associates

What To Do With Word Lists

Flash cards may get a little monotonous below are a few other ways to practice word lists with your child.

1.  Play Grab Bag.
Have words, both current and past, written on slips of paper and placed in a bag or bowl.  Your child chooses a word, reads the  word, and uses it in a sentence.

2.  Use shaving cream
On a washable surface have your child practice wrtiing the words then reading them to you.  It is a two for one, the surface gets really clean too!

3.  Play a memory matching game.
Make two sets of the word list.  Place the word cards on the table face down.  Turn two cards over at a time.  If the two words match and your child reads them correctly, then your child may keep the cards and try again.

4.  Play Bingo.
Have your child program a blank Bingo card with current and review vocabulary words.  The child marks words as you call them out.  Take turns being the caller.

5.  Write words on your back.
Have your child choose a word from the list to write on your back.  Try to guess the word using the shape and number of letters as a clue.  Switch roles and let your child guess.

6.  Divide a paper plate into sections.
Write one vocabulary word in each section.  Use the point of a pencil to hold a paper clip in place in the center of the plate to act as a spinner.  Have your child spin the clip, say the word, and use it in a sentence.

7.  Illustrate sentences and stories.
Have your child use the list words in sentences and extend those sentences into stories or poems.  Drawing a picture to illustrate the story or poem can add meaning and deepen the context.
 

What To Do When Hung Up On A Word

The following is a list of ideas for way your child can attack a word.

SKIP over the word and go on.

LOOK at the picture and think of words that make sense.

SAY the beginning sound.

THINK of words that begin with the same sound.

ASK which word makes sense.

READ the word in the sentence and see if it makes sense.

SOUND out each letter.

ASK for a word that rhymes with the unknown word.