We read to understand and enjoy what we’re reading.  As you read with your child, these are some strategies to help him/her better understand and engage with the text.  Have your child:

• Make predictions before and during the reading.
• Text-to-self:  Make connections between the story and one’s own life.
• Text-to-text:  Make connections between the story and another book.
• Ask QUESTIONS while reading (especially I wonder… questions)
• Ask what’s the BIG IDEA in the story?
• Visualize:  Children can describe sensory images that can be elaborated from the text.
• Make inferences—use clues from the text to draw conclusions about the characters, plot, etc.