In Audio-assisted Reading, you can help your child hear an example of fluent reading and slowly build their confidence and skills as a fluent reader, as they read along and listen to a book on an audio recording (audio book). Children should have their eyes on their own copy of the text, as they listen to the book being read aloud. After listening and reading along, have children read out loud, as the text that is being read to them. As their reading skills develop, children can read the same book on their own, without the assistance of the audio recording.

Sources of free audio recordings include: 1. Storynory, which includes the audiobook and the digital text of the book. 2. Lit2Go, which offers free audiobooks versions of books that aren’t protected by copyright laws any longer and the downloadable PDF of the text. The books are also organized by readability levels. 3. Some libraries also carry Playaways, which are books pre-loaded onto MP3 player available for checkout. Your library may also provide audiobooks as digital files through a service like OverDrive that you can check out and download to your personal device. 4. For children with a documented disability that prevents them from reading printed texts, you can join Bookshare, the largest online library of accessible reading materials.

For a fee, you can subscribe to services like Audible and Tales2Go.

Driven by: Child, after caregiver set-up

Time Required: Will vary by book selected

Sub-focus: Accurate and efficient word recognition, expression, fast & effortless reading

In When I Read to You, you can help your child understand what reading should sound like and provide a model of how to read words accurately and with expression (your voice sounds excited when the character is excited or sad when the character is sad). On one side of the bookmark (click here for printables, intended for Kindergarten) includes tips to use as you read out loud to your child.

First grade example and printables

Second grade printables

Third grade example and printables

Driven by: Caregiver

Time Required: Will vary by book selected

Sub-focus: Accurate and efficient word recognition, expression, fast & effortless reading

Source: Institute of Education Sciences

In When You Read to Me, you can encourage your child as he or she reads out loud. You might need to help your child when he or she comes to a word that is difficult to read. On the other side of the “When I Read to You” bookmark are tips to use when your child reads out loud to you. (Click here for printables, intended for Kindergarten).

First grade example and printables

Second grade example and printables

Third grade example and printables

Driven by: Caregiver

Time Required: Will vary by book selected

Sub-focus: Accurate and efficient word recognition

Source: Institute of Education Sciences

In Does that Make Sense?, you can help your child pay attention and self-correct when they make a mistake. (Click here for directions and passage, intended for Kindergarten.) When your child is reading to you and misreads a word: 1. Ask: “Does that make sense?” 2. If your child does not know where the error was made, point to the word and ask him or her to read it. 3. If your child cannot read the word, read the sentence exactly as he or she read it, with the error. Ask, “Does that make sense?” 4. If your child does not fix the mistake, read the word and ask your child to read the word. 5. Ask your child to read the whole sentence correctly.

First grade example and printables

Second grade example and printables

Third grade example and printables (coaching children to self-monitor for understanding and to self-correct when a word is misread)

Driven by: Caregiver

Time Required: Will vary by book selected

Sub-focus: Accurate and efficient word recognition, self-correction

Source: Institute of Education Sciences

In Help Your Child Read Words, you can use a few common coaching tricks to help your child read words. These tricks let you help as little as possible while keeping your child’s motivation up. These cues help children do the work by giving them just enough feedback to succeed, but not so much that they don’t learn from each possible encounter with a word. The cues are: 1. Point with a pencil to focus your child on specific letters. 2. Tell just one confused sound. 3. “What else could this be?” 4. Break longer words into smaller chunks. 5. Point out added or deleted sounds. 6. Sometimes just provide hard words.

Driven by: Caregiver

Time Required: Will vary by book selected

Sub-focus: Accurate and efficient word recognition, self-correction

Source: Reading Simplified

In Practice Reading Out Loud (Echo Reading and Reading Together), you can help your child read out loud while getting help from a more proficient reader. This will build your child’s confidence, help your child become a more accurate and faster reader, and help your child understand what he or she is reading. On one side of the bookmark are the steps for Echo Reading, which is when you read a sentence and then your child reads the same sentence. Over time, read longer books and encourage your child to read at the same pace that we talk. Echo reading helps build your child’s confidence. On the other side of the bookmark are the steps for Reading Together, when you and your child read the same thing at the same time. Your child can point to the words. Read with expression—change your voice to match the characters' feelings, and follow punctuation (question marks, periods, commas). (Click here for printables, intended for Kindergarten.)

First grade Echo Reading and Reading Together examples and printables

Second grade Echo Reading and Reading Together examples and printables

Third grade Alternated Reading and printables

Driven by: Caregiver

Time Required: Will vary by book selected

Sub-focus: Accurate and efficient word recognition, expression, fast & effortless reading

Source: Institute of Education Sciences

In Scoop, you can help your child “scoop” words into phrases, so they can read more fluently. While your child is reading out loud, 1. Have your child slow down to learn the words. 2. Then, have your child scoop the words together into phrases. 3. Read again, practice using the phrases. You may want to model this for your child first, so they see and hear you do it once. You can use sentences written on paper or books.

Driven by: Caregiver

Time Required: Will vary by book selected

Sub-focus: Expression

Source: Springboard Collaborative