Reading Help
How can I help my reader?
Reading is a progressive communication skill that uses many separate subskills to develop and understand the meaning of a selection. All of these subskills must be working in unison to achieve maximum understanding and each can be developed and enhanced. Instead of saying a student is poor in reading as a whole, it is usually more accurate that one or more of the subskills is weak and needs improvement. I will diagnose which skills are in need of enhancement and recommend activities to achieve this goal.
Reading subskills include: Phonics, Life Experiences, Syntax, Sight Words, Comprehension, Fluency
1. Phonics - the sounds produced by letters and letter clusters. These are typically learned in K-3. Make certain you are paying attention to spelling patterns in words and how they transfer to other words.
2. Life Experiences - It is important when reading a selection to have a general idea of what the author is talking about. This can be set up before beginning a selection. For example, if a student has had experiences with a swing, they are going to understand a story that includes a swing more so than someone who hasn't. The more information and experiences a child has, the better likelihood of understanding.
3. Syntax - This refers to knowing the correct speech patterns and tenses. These are based on how well you understand spoken language. Example of incorrect syntax: The student went to the store tomorrow. She are a good student. This is useful when attempting an unknown word and eliminating impossible choices. This skill is enhanced with more language experience and is usually limited to younger readers or those newer to the language.
4. Sight Words - eventually, most adults have committed words to memory and do not sound out every word. Similarly, advanced readers begin to memorize certain words from seeing them so often. They transfer patterns from known words to new words they are trying to figure out. Sight word lists for memorization are very common in elementary grades.
5. Comprehension - refers to how well the reader understands the passages read. Stop every so often and ask yourself if you understand what is going on. Who, what, when, where, why . . . . questions are good to double check your own understanding.
6. Fluency - refers to the speed of the reading. The value in this skill is that you don't want to read so slowly as to lose interest or the focus of the story. Practice by timing yourself for a minute in the middle of a selection. Accuracy, pacing and expression must all be considered when evaluating reading fluency.
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Lexia Core - This online program helps fill the gaps and further expand the students Reading skill set. Typically, the students who are more advanced will have spent more time at task on this program. By the end of grade 4, students should ideally be finished with level 18 (end of program). If your student is not finished with Level 18 by the end of grade 4, you can access the program through Cloud Connect over the summer and other spare time.
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Bookmark with Reading Strategies: print this bookmark to keep your place and to remind you of successful Reading strategies.
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Can you read this? Have a little fun seeing how well your mind can read through a passage that's a little different!
Reading is a progressive communication skill that uses many separate subskills to develop and understand the meaning of a selection. All of these subskills must be working in unison to achieve maximum understanding and each can be developed and enhanced. Instead of saying a student is poor in reading as a whole, it is usually more accurate that one or more of the subskills is weak and needs improvement. I will diagnose which skills are in need of enhancement and recommend activities to achieve this goal.
Reading subskills include: Phonics, Life Experiences, Syntax, Sight Words, Comprehension, Fluency
1. Phonics - the sounds produced by letters and letter clusters. These are typically learned in K-3. Make certain you are paying attention to spelling patterns in words and how they transfer to other words.
2. Life Experiences - It is important when reading a selection to have a general idea of what the author is talking about. This can be set up before beginning a selection. For example, if a student has had experiences with a swing, they are going to understand a story that includes a swing more so than someone who hasn't. The more information and experiences a child has, the better likelihood of understanding.
3. Syntax - This refers to knowing the correct speech patterns and tenses. These are based on how well you understand spoken language. Example of incorrect syntax: The student went to the store tomorrow. She are a good student. This is useful when attempting an unknown word and eliminating impossible choices. This skill is enhanced with more language experience and is usually limited to younger readers or those newer to the language.
4. Sight Words - eventually, most adults have committed words to memory and do not sound out every word. Similarly, advanced readers begin to memorize certain words from seeing them so often. They transfer patterns from known words to new words they are trying to figure out. Sight word lists for memorization are very common in elementary grades.
5. Comprehension - refers to how well the reader understands the passages read. Stop every so often and ask yourself if you understand what is going on. Who, what, when, where, why . . . . questions are good to double check your own understanding.
6. Fluency - refers to the speed of the reading. The value in this skill is that you don't want to read so slowly as to lose interest or the focus of the story. Practice by timing yourself for a minute in the middle of a selection. Accuracy, pacing and expression must all be considered when evaluating reading fluency.
- - - - - - - -
Lexia Core - This online program helps fill the gaps and further expand the students Reading skill set. Typically, the students who are more advanced will have spent more time at task on this program. By the end of grade 4, students should ideally be finished with level 18 (end of program). If your student is not finished with Level 18 by the end of grade 4, you can access the program through Cloud Connect over the summer and other spare time.
- - - - - - - -
Bookmark with Reading Strategies: print this bookmark to keep your place and to remind you of successful Reading strategies.
- - - - - - - -
Can you read this? Have a little fun seeing how well your mind can read through a passage that's a little different!