The science of reading research highlights how "semantic maps" help us comprehend what we read. ("Semantic" in this sense means anything related to words, particularly the concepts words represent.) In its basic form, the more you know about a topic - the more connected bits of knowledge you have on your semantic map of, say, winter - the more you will be able to understand an article or book about that topic.
Reading about the big Wisconsin snowstorm in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods is much easier if the reader knows about the different kinds of snow, what snowshoes are and how they work, and various other winter-related bits of knowledge.
One way to use the idea of semantic maps in helping your child read is to make literal maps of a topic. Gather manila folders, old magazines, scissors, and glue, and then help your child make a map of words and pictures related to the topic she will be reading about. By creating this physical "map" in a manila folder, you are building and activating the mind "map" your child has in her brain.
