| L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz is a great | | | | connect prior knowledge with new information. |
| book that can help your child improve his or her | | | | This helps your child understand the continuity of |
| reading comprehension skills. | | | | the text. |
| You can have your child use the reading | | | | You can have your child point out that the |
| strategies he or she learns in school while reading | | | | Scarecrow "has no brains" and is therefore not |
| The Wizard of Oz or your child can use the | | | | intelligent. Have your child predict the behaviours |
| strategies while you read the book out loud. | | | | that he or she would expect from the Scarecrow |
| Here is an excerpt from the book that provides | | | | while reading the story. Then, later on in the |
| an example of how your child can improve his or | | | | story, when the Scarecrow does something that |
| her reading comprehension skills: | | | | is considered ‘not-intelligent', let your child |
| "After a few hours the road began to be rough, | | | | know that his or her prediction was correct. |
| and the walking grew so difficult that the | | | | Inferring |
| Scarecrow often stumbled over the yellow bricks, | | | | Inferring (also known as thinking) is absorbing |
| which were here very uneven. Sometimes, | | | | what is known from clues from the text, and |
| indeed, they were broken or missing altogether, | | | | thinking about the theme, moral, making |
| leaving holes that Toto jumped across and | | | | speculations, and predictions. The reader must |
| Dorothy walked around. As for the Scarecrow, | | | | make ‘guesses' and create their own meaning |
| having no brains, he walked straight ahead, and so | | | | from the text. Inferring is taking what is written |
| stepped into the holes and fell at full length on the | | | | and making discoveries. |
| hard bricks. It never hurt him, however, and | | | | You can ask your child to make an inference |
| Dorothy would pick him up and set him upon his | | | | about Dorothy's character. Have your child look |
| feet again, while he joined her in laughing merrily | | | | for clues based on her actions. For example, she |
| at his own mishap." | | | | "would pick him up and set him upon his feet |
| While reading the text, your child can incorporate | | | | again, while he joined her in laughing..." You can ask |
| the following reading strategies: | | | | your child what kind of person he or she thinks |
| Visualization | | | | Dorothy is. Hopefully, your child will determine that |
| Visualizing when reading helps readers make the | | | | Dorothy is ‘helpful', ‘caring', and |
| words on the page real and meaningful. When | | | | ‘cheerful' based on her actions. |
| students create pictures in their minds, they | | | | |
| become more involved with the text. | | | | Classic books such as The Wizard of Oz contain a |
| Ask your child what part he or she visualized. | | | | rich vocabulary with descriptive characters, plot, |
| Your child might say that he or she pictured the | | | | and settings. Have your child use the reading |
| ‘rough road' or saw the Scarecrow stumble. | | | | strategies he or she learns in school while reading |
| Making Predictions | | | | high quality books and your child should improve |
| Predicting involves thinking ahead and anticipating | | | | his or her overall reading comprehension skills. |
| parts of the story. By predicting, students | | | | |