Transitional Reading

In this phase children are beginning to integrate a variety of reading strategies. They are able to adapt their reading to different types of text. These readers are becoming efficient in strategies for constructing meaning including self-correcting when reading, re-reading when meaning is lost, making meaningful substitutions, and making reasonable predictions and can substantiate them.

Parent Tips:

• Continue to read to your child if he/she enjoys it.
• Include humorous books when selecting books to read.
• Encourage your child to make up jokes or riddles, or humorous stories.
• Encourage your child to go to the local library regularly.
• Make sure you read some of the books your child enjoys so that you can share reactions and enjoyment together.
• Ensure that your child knows that you value and enjoy reading yourself.
• Give your child book plates to stick inside his/her books.
• Encourage your child to draw and write about books and to write stories or factual information for others to read.
• Encourage your child to read to younger brothers or sisters.
• Read books that have been made into films or videos and encourage your child to talk about the differences between the books and the video or film.
• Ask your child what word would make sense when he/she becomes "stuck" on a word.
• Encourage your child to have-a-go and read-on to get the overall idea.
• Select a simple child's cook book from the library and plan a cooking session.
• Encourage your child to read and follow the instructions.
• Encourage your child to find an interesting article/photograph from a newspaper and tell you about it. Suggest that it be taken to school and read/discussed with the class.
• Discuss favorite authors together and decide why you like them.
• If a child makes a mistake when reading aloud, don't interrupt the reading, allow time for self correction. If the mistake doesn't alter the meaning, let it go.
• Draw the child's attention to weather patterns displayed in the paper and relate these to televised weather reports.
• Encourage your child to read and write letters, postcards,lists, thank you notes, and messages.
• Accept spelling inventions.
• Provide attractive paper and unusual pens.
• Encourage your child to make birthday/holiday cards, and party invitations. The child can write his/her own greetings and verses. You may even be able to make recycled paper together.
• buy your child games that provide simple instructions to be read and followed.
• Play word games together.
• Encourage your child to enter competitions in the localnewspapers or magazines.
• Encourage your child to make up, and perform, plays for the family, using own and other stories. Some children like to write simple scripts or draw up a plan for other children to follow.
• Continue to play license plate games in the car. Relate numbers to letters to thealphabet, e.g. 372-cgb=can't go back.
• Encourage your child to keep a diary or journal when on vacation. This is particularly valuable if you are traveling and the child is missing school.
involve your child in planning for vacations. Ask the child to list all the things to be taken. Obtain a map of the area and discuss the route you will be taking. Point out signs along the way.
• Encourage your child to help you find a particular street when you are using a street directory.
• Encourage your child to retell stories.
• Involve the family in swapping stories, e.g. "I'll tell you a story if you tell me one".