Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.
Literacy involves a continuum of learning to enable an individual to achieve his or her goals, to develop his or her knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in the wider society1.
1“UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), June 2003.”
Comprehension
Reading with Your Student
Before your student starts reading…
*Talk about the title, pictures, author and illustrator of the book and ask children to guess what the book might be about.
* Do a Picture Walk to get students familiar with the book. Go through the book, looking briefly at each page. Make predictions as you go through the pictures.”
* Encourage your student to connect the book to his/her own experiences. Have you ever done anything like what you see on the cover?
As your student reads…
* When your student comes to an unknown word, encourage him/her to “give it a try.”
* Let your student make some effort and finish a sentence before you stop and correct.
* Give your student a prompt to help figure out a word.
* Ask children to tell in their own words what they just read.
After your student reads…
* Talk it over and ask questions
Who was your favorite character, why?
What was interesting to you?
How else could this story have ended?
Why do you think certain events happen in the story?
Were your guesses about the story right?
* Add information about the subject to enrich background information.