Oral Reading Opportunities

Oral reading, or reading aloud, is a critical component to increasing your child's fluency.  When students read aloud, they hear the words they are saying and often are able to correct themselves when they notice something doesn't sound quite right.  They also are given an opportunity to improve their expression.  When they read aloud, students will try to adjust expression accordingly to convey meaning.  It is so important to give students as many opportunities to read aloud as they can.  Some simple ideas for this include:

• Have your child read to you at bedtime for ten minutes, or read every other page
• While you're cooking, have your child sit at the table and read for a few minutes aloud to you
• Your student can take turns reading to different members of the family...younger siblings are great for this!

When your child reads aloud, they often correct their own mistakes.  If they don't correct a mistake, oral reading gives you an opportunity to give your child corrective feedback.  For example, "I noticed you said the word 'carpet'.  Let's look at that word again.  It has a 'ch' at the beginning.  What word could it be?  Let's reread and see if ____ makes sense." 

Oral reading is a window that lets you see inside your child's reading process.  When they read aloud, we are able to see what things they need help with.  We encourage you to give your students opportunities to read aloud at home.  It can be a great experience for all involved!