Beginning and Struggling Reader Workshop: Lesson 4
A few days ago we learned why phonics is the first essential element you need when learning to read.
With phonics we know that letters make sounds and that when we put letters together, we can learn to put the sounds together….and when we put the sounds together, we can read and write words
Next we learned that sight words is another essential element when teaching and learning to read.
Sight words are high frequency words (words that you see frequently when you are reading). Many times it is hard to use phonics to “sound out” sight words. Also, because these words occur so frequently, you want to be able to read them quickly/fluently without sounding them out
We then learned that the most important element when teaching reading is confidence.
A confident reader loves to read, a struggling reader is not confident and does not like to read. When you don’t like to read, you don’t want to practice reading and you don’t want to learn to read.
So, how do you teach phonics, teach sight words, and teach confidence in a way that cultivates a love of reading?
You need to make sure that your child reads FLUENTLY (quickly and accurately). For Fluency you need…
1)You need structure•Children like to know what is expected from them when they are learning. They want to know what they need to do to succeed.
2)You need repetition; This is especially true with special needs readers but ALL children need to practice, practice, practice reading so they can get better at reading/become fluent.
Homework assignment: I want you to build fluency: Go back and read the book with your student that you read together yesterday.Have your student read the book again. •(At most have your student read the book 3 times).
–Praise your student for your well they read. If they make a mistake, gently correct the mistake and have them re-read correctly.
—Have the student read to someone else (even a dog or stuffed animal). Practice, practice, practice, read, read, read!
—Make note of how confidence grows. Also, make note of how accuracy and speed grows. As they get more confidence, they read more accurately, and they read more quickly.
—You can time your student at reading at getting faster and better at reading. This will encourage your student (and you!)
—You can time your student each time if you want to watch your child get read more quickly each time.
Watch for your email tomorrow and I will teach you more about how we can put the pieces together and help your little reader (s).
Want to see the other lessons in the workshop?
1) Phonics, (Here is a link for the phonics lesson)
2) Sight Words (Here is a link for the sight word lesson)
3) Confidence, (Here is a link for the confidence lesson)
4) Fluency. (Here is a link for the fluency lesson)
5) Comprehension (How to help teach your little reader – Here is a link for the comprehension lesson)
About the Authors:
Madreen Karle is a master first grade reading teacher with over 30 years of classroom experience. She taught reading in a special needs and English as a Second Language classroom. After retiring she wrote a reading program to help others learn how to teach reading. She is a trusted educator and author of 5 books to help teach children to read and write. In addition to her books, she is a mentor for 3 websites that give reading teacher tips (Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound Reading, Mrs. Karle’s Reading Patch, and Mrs. Karle’s Handwriting Patch). Through her teaching she learned that confidence was the key to learning to read. A child who is not confident at reading does not like to read and struggles to read. Mrs. Karle created “sunshine moments” to help teach children how to grow their confidence and learn to read.
Meeghan Karle Mousaw (Madreen’s daughter) has her Master’s in Special Education. She has 7 years experience teaching children to read online. In addition, she developed a curriculum to teach children handwriting called The Handwriting Patch. With the Handwriting Patch learning is fun because children learn to draw and learn handwriting at the same time. In 2019 The Handwriting Patch curriculum became an amazon best seller the first year it was released, helping thousands of kids learn handwriting with a unique, fun method. She is mom to 6 kids, each with differently learning abilities and struggles.
The Reading Patch was established by the creators of Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound Reading. Together they have been featured on the NBC media outlets. Over the last 7 years in their online platform, Madreen and Meeghan have worked tirelessly with teachers, homeschoolers and parents looking to help children learn to read to become a trusted authority in teaching children to read and advocating early literacy skills. They often partner with other educational experts to deliver the most current information to the Reading Patch community.
Meeghan Karle Mousaw (Madreen’s daughter) has her Master’s in Special Education. She has 7 years experience teaching children to read online. In addition, she developed a curriculum to teach children handwriting called The Handwriting Patch. With the Handwriting Patch learning is fun because children learn to draw and learn handwriting at the same time. In 2019 The Handwriting Patch curriculum became an amazon best seller the first year it was released, helping thousands of kids learn handwriting with a unique, fun method. She is mom to 6 kids, each with differently learning abilities and struggles.
The Reading Patch was established by the creators of Mrs. Karle’s Sight and Sound Reading. Together they have been featured on the NBC media outlets. Over the last 7 years in their online platform, Madreen and Meeghan have worked tirelessly with teachers, homeschoolers and parents looking to help children learn to read to become a trusted authority in teaching children to read and advocating early literacy skills. They often partner with other educational experts to deliver the most current information to the Reading Patch community.