GUIDED READING COACHING TOOL

(Designed to help simplify reading instruction for parents)

Directionality Coaching

Be sure your child comprehends directionality. Check for a clear understanding of left-to-right, return sweep, and top-to-bottom sequencing of print in lines, sentences, and books.

v Show me the front of the book .

v Point to the title .

v Open the book .

v Which page do we read first ?

v Point to the first word we will read .

v In which direction should we turn the page ?

Where do our eyes go next after we get to the end of the line ?

Picture Clues Coaching

Teach your child to use the clues in pictures to identify unknown words in the text. Look for information about the characters and the setting of the story in the pictures.

v Whom do you see in the picture ?

v Tell all of the names that a character could be called .

v (e.g. , girl , daughter , princess , sister , classmate , etc. )

v How is the character feeling ?

v What is happening in the picture ?

v What details do you see in the background ?

v Where is the story taking place ?

v Can you make any predictions from this picture ?

v Does it look like there may be any problems in this story ?

One-to One Correspondence Coaching

Teach your child to make sure each printed word matches the spoken word. Students can demonstrate one-to-one correspondence by pointing word for word when listening to the text being read aloud.

v Point to the words while you read.

v While you were pointing , did you run out of words , have too many words , or have just the right amount of words ?

v Try to read again . I am going to make a small check mark each time you read a word . Let’s see if my check marks match the number of words on the page.

v Now I’ll point to the words while we read together. What happened when I finished reading ? Did my finger stop pointing when I ran out of words ?

Decoding Coaching

Help your child develop phonemic awareness to understand the letter/sound relationships of initial consonants, blends, diagraphs, onsets, rimes, prefixes, and

Suffixes in one-syllable and multi-syllable words.

v Do you know the beginning sound of that word ?

v Do you recognize any other part of the word ?

v When you look at the word , is there a chunk that you have seen before ?

Underline it with your finger. What is the sound of that chunk ?

v Did you look at the middle and the end of the word ?

v Do you know another word with that same ending rime or word family ?

v Do you see any blends or digraphs ?

v Can you find the base word ?

v Can you locate a prefix or a suffix ?

High – Frequency Words Coaching

Make your child aware that many high-frequency words are not spelled the way they sound. Practice recognizing familiar words to increase sight word vocabulary.

v Look at the story for words that may be on our word wall.

v Be a word detective. Can you find a word that doesn’t look and sound

the way it is spelled ?

v Some words are used a lot in our language , but they don’t sound the way they should. Let’s type _______ into our brain’s computer to help us remember this word. (Pretend to type the words on top of your head.)

v We have to remember ________ does not sound the way it should , but every time we see these letters making that word , it will always be ________ .

Knowledge and Experience Coaching

Help your child to use his/her background knowledge and common sense to determine meaning from the text. Draw your child’s attention to visual clues, words, and sentence structure.

v Does ________ make sense in that sentence ?

v Try a new word that may make more sense .

v Reread it to see if that new word sounds right to your ears.

v Does it look like it could be the word you said ?

v Is it too long ? Is it too short ? Is it just right ? Do you remember the story of Goldilocks ? Words should always be just the right length .

v When you said ________, it didn’t make sense to my ears. What other word could you try ?

v Does that new word look right and sound right ?

Fluency Coaching

Help your child read the text with fluent, articulate sentences. Teach your child to read as if he/she is speaking with inflection in their voices.

v Read the text for me point to the words.

v Read it now without using your finger. Did your eyes have any trouble keeping their place on the page ?

v Read the text again , but not try to read it like you are talking.

v Point to the important punctuation marks that show you when to slow down.

v What should your voice do when you see a comma, a period, a question mark, or an exclamation mark ?

v Listen to my voice as I read the next sentence. Am I reading at a fluent pace ? Now , you try it .

Comprehension Coaching

Be sure your child understands what he/she is reading . Teach him/her to identify the characters , setting , plot , and solution. Help your child to make predictions and inferences about the story.

v Can you retell the story ?

v Who are the main characters in the story ?

v Where does it take place ?

v When did this part of the story take place ?

v Is there a problem in the story ?

v What were the actions taking place ?

v How do you think the problem will be solved ?

v Read ahead. Were you right in your prediction ?

v What was the solution to the problem ?

v How did the story end ?

v What feelings did the characters have in the beginning, middle, and end of the story ?