• Challenging and Important Words

    challenging and important words

    Just because a book contains challenging words, it doesn't mean that you can't read it with your child. Before reading a book with your child, skim it to see if there are any challenging and important words. For example, Tyrannosaurus rex would be considered challenging to read, but are important words in a book about dinosaurs. Words also may be challenging because the child has not learned the sound-spelling pattern contained in the word or the word contains irregular sound-spelling patterns as in the words resource or necessary. Select three such words that appear most frequently in the book. Introduce the words to your child before you read the book. Point to each word in the book and tell your child how to pronounce it and what it means. Ask your child to point to the word and say it. If there are too many challenging words, you can read the book aloud to your child rather than have him or her read it to you.

     

    Challenging and Important Words

     
    Key Points About the Video
    • Mom reviews the main idea of the book since they are reading the book over several days.
    • Mom reviews three challenging and important words (independent, razor, treasure) and relates them to something familiar to her son before reading.
    • When the challenging and important words appear as they read, Mom asks her son what they mean.

     

     Challenging and Important Words Bookmark

    Follow the steps on this bookmark to discuss challenging and important words with your child as you read books together.

     

    Books to Share

    A list of informational books to read with your child. Use the provided bookmark as a reminder to talk about challenging and important words that appear often in the book.

    • Emperor Penguins by Roberta Edwards
    • Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak
    • Fly Guy Presents: Dinosaurs by Tedd Arnold
    • Pet Heroes by Nicole Corse