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How to Read Information Books

How to read informational books with your child
  • Keep it fun! Present reading information books as a purposeful, enjoyable activity.
  • Begin by discussing the title and cover illustrations. Leaf through the book, reading the bold topic headings, examining the photos and graphics and reading the captions.
  • You don't need to read informational text from beginning to end. Skip around as you look for interesting facts.
  • Discuss what your child already knows about the subject and talk about new concepts that can be learned from the book. Your child learns best by relating the new information that she is reading to what she already knows.
  • Demonstrate that when reading informational text, the reader slows and rereads certain passages to help understand and remember the information.
  • Draw attention to the table of contents, headlines, diagrams, maps, charts and glossary. Show how useful these features can be and how they provide additional information about a topic.
  • Model using informational text reading strategies such as asking questions, making predictions, summarizing and thinking aloud. Make sure that your child recognizes the main ideas and supporting ideas.
  • Talk about new words and use the glossary or a dictionary to look up words that are difficult or confusing.
  • After reading, discuss what you and your child have learned. This helps your child connect what he has read with his prior knowledge and experiences and helps him remember the new information.