Five Skills Children Need to be Readers by 3rd Grade (continued)

4. Reading Smoothly & Easily

Remember when you first tried driving a stick shift? How the car stalled? The jerky motion you thought would tear the engine apart? That's what early reading is like. You might have heard your son or daughter trying to read a page, getting stuck on words. That's normal for young readers but, like driving, the goal is to move ahead smoothly and easily. Like learning how to drive or swing a bat, learning how to read takes practice. The more you read, the better you get at it. It's that simple. Along the way, young readers need coaches (like you) to get them through the rough spots, and to cheer them on when they get it right.

It's called fluency

Teachers call the ability to read accurately and quickly "fluency." Fluent readers recognize lots of words on sight, without having to sound them out. Eventually, they get so fluent they can look at groups of words and get their meaning right away. Fluent readers sound natural when they read out loud. And they can focus on the meaning of what they are reading, rather than trying to decode word by word.

How can a dad help?

This one's easy: the way to fluency is to listen to your child read the same pages repeatedly until your child smoothes out all the "bumps in the road." Reading those favorite books over and over again--as you've been doing all along--has been moving your child down the road. Sometimes, you can take turns reading sentences in a book.

Teachers call the ability to read accurately and quickly "fluency."

5. Knowing What It All Means

We read for a reason. To get swept away by a great story. Or find out what happened in last night's game. Or figure out how to put together a bicycle. (Good luck!) There is no point to reading if it doesn't help us understand something.

That's why we spend so much time helping kids learn how to read. Eventually, they will read for a purpose. If your daughter can read the words on a page, but doesn't understand what the words mean, she's not really reading. Reading uses a reader's own experience and knowledge of the world, and of words, to make sense of what she reads. Research over 30 years has found ways parents can help their children become better at understanding, remembering, and communicating what they read.

It's called comprehension

Teachers call the ability to understand what you read "comprehension." Does your child understand the details, the meaning, and the ideas behind what she is reading?

How can a dad help?

Ask questions. It's a great way to know whether your young reader really understands what he reads. And it stimulates his brain to think and ask questions himself. When you're reading a story with your child, stop and ask questions once in awhile: why did that character do that? What do you think would happen next? What would you do in that situation? Don't just ask questions about books--do it about everything you see and do with your child--from what's for dinner to what the coach should do on the next play.

Teachers call the ability to understand what you read "comprehension."