Have Children Fill in the Words or Read to You

This helps children feel like they can read and gives them the courage to really try it. This works well with books that say the same thing many times. This also works well with books they know very well or from memory.

Say things like:

• After reading part of the story, let your child see the pattern, pause to see if your child will fill in the word they might know like “When my little sister saw us playing football she said…” (pause and look at child) “What do you think she said?” (me too)
• After reading the story a few times, ask the child to retell the whole story to you from memory and by looking at the pictures. Be sure to tell they did a good job reading it.
• Say “ I read that page, now you read this page”. If they say they don’t know how to read, tell them to look at the pictures and try to tell you what might happen. Praise them even if they are wrong. (“that was a good try” or I liked that story”) and continue to read the story.

Suggested Book: Me Too! (Mercer Mayer, 1983)
Reason for Book Choice: Predictable book with print in the pictures when the little girl talks. A jealousy theme that most children will know well.

*Excerpted from Development of Emergent Literacy in English Language Learning Children Through Parent Shared Reading by Tanya L. Wren, Pathways Children Centre, Windsor, Ontario and Genese Warr-Leeper , University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario.

*Warr-Leeper, G., Wren, T., & K. Washington (2006). Facilitating emergent literacy skills in English language learners: The value of team work and collaboration. OSLA Connection Journal, 2(2), 12-16.