Read the Newspaper Together Activity
Reading the newspaper together is great practice for big tests. It
involves a lot of details and facts for your child to remember, so go slowly.
Naturally, this activity is beneficial for the test because your child must read and interpret, but it's also a good way to get your child interested in current
events early on!
Step 1: Pick a section of the newspaper to use. You can choose a news
article, an editorial, the comics, sports, or a part of the entertainment
section. Start with a section that your child has an interest in and would
enjoy reading about.
Step 2: When he's done reading, ask your child some basic, or literal,
questions about the piece: "How many strikeouts did the pitcher have last
night? How many stars did that movie get?" These questions help sharpen
your child's level of attentiveness and make him more aware of what he's
reading.
Step 3: Once in a while, ask a few interpretive questions about what
she's reading: "How do you think the batter felt, striking out with the
bases loaded?" Make your child think a little bit about different
situations and how they affect real people as well as movie and comic strip
characters. This "higher level" of questioning is great practice for
the problems that your child will encounter on the test.
Step 4: When she's finished reading an article or comic strip, have your
child summarize the events and come up with a title for what she just read.
Also, ask your child a question that requires some critical thinking: "How
would you feel if you blew the game? How could Robot Man have handled
that situation better?"
Step 5: Gradually include more higher-level questions and read longer
newspaper articles together. Have your child start writing the responses.
Finally, see if your child can read an article and answer some questions
without your help.
Activities written by Howard I. Berrent, Ph.D. with Caren Churchbuilder
of Steck-Vaughn/Berrent Publications
