How can I help a 4th grader improve reading skills?

Question

I went to visit my little sister yesterday to help her with school work, I noticed that she is un-naturually slow at her work, I thought it was odd so I had her read out loud aswell. She reads very slow I'm not sure if she understands what she reads.I want to help her so she doesn't fall behind.

what do you suggest that I can do to help her read at a normal pace, is there any software or books that I should get?

Answer 1

I recommend comic books and cartoons that appeal to someone her age. Look for things that will be fun for her to read. Reading is not supposed to be hard work -- it's supposed to be fun. So introduce her to the fun stuff as soon as possible.

Answer 2

I can't claim to be a teacher, or any expert on this sort of thing, but there are many things you can do to help your sister: the first is ASK her if she has trouble reading. Alot of people seem to have problems asking kids if they are struggling in school, because they don't want to hurt the child's feelings, but even though your sister is just a child, maybe she can tell you why she isn't getting reading yet!

One thing you can help your sister with is firstly reading with her books that she would enjoy, and maybe books with illustrations, or with large print, to make the reading easier. Also, reading outside helps, and taking breaks to walk around so that your sister doesn't get bored or lose concentration. Small snakcs while reading would also help, and maybe giving your sister sweets like some chocolate for doing well in reading would encourage her to suceed. Flash cards with pictures and words also help to learn, and there are computer games out there as well that help.

Sites:

http://www.readingrockets.org/index.php
http://www.reading-tutors.com/

Answer 3

It's super that you want to help her. You're a great brother!

Find graded readers, books at her level, and encourage her to read for pleasure. Reading speed and enjoyment increases the more she reads, but it has to be voluntary, and it has to be reading for enjoyment. You might try reading to her. When I was in 6th grade, I was a pretty bad student. Then my mom started reading to me. I really enjoyed the first book, but then she said it was too much work, and I should go get my own book. I went to the library and told the library that I wanted to read, but didn't know what was good. She picked out a pretty cool story, and I've been hooked on reading ever since. My grades in all subjects picked up dramatically, and I went from being a C and D student in 6th grade to being an A and B student in 8th grade. No kidding.

Answer 4

Just keep reading with her. Model how to read. Show her how to read fluently. If she stumbles over a
word, help her with the word and have her go back
and read the sentence again. Read the same book for
a week. By reading the book over and over she will
naturally improve. I am a teacher's assistant in a
program called HOSTS. This means Help One Student
To Succeed. It is a mentoring program and having
the student read the same book repeatly helps
improve speed and accuracy.

Answer 5

One of the best things you can do is read with her and have her read to you. Go to the library with her and help her choose books she'll enjoy. Reading will be more fun if she is choosing her reading materials. You also might try checking out a book and also that same book on CD or cassette so she can follow along in the book as it reads to her.

Answer 6

i helped out with kids when i went to school, make sure they are comfortable when reading with you and take it at the pace they need.Make sure they know phonetics so they can pronounce each syllable of the word and then form each word...could she be dyslexic?

Answer 7

look for the kind of books she likes and teach her to pronounce as she reads.make sure they are not school books.make sure they are fun bokks.that helped me.