Beginning or Struggling Reader Workshop: Lesson 3
A few days ago we learned why phonics is the first essential element you need when learning to read. Yesterday we learned that sight words are equally important when teaching reading. Today we will learn THE MOST IMPORTANT element when teaching reading.
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.
It is sort of a “chicken and egg” problem: Without confidence, a child will not like to read and will not practice reading. If they don’t practice reading, they won’t get better at reading and they won’t have confidenc.
The opposite can be true though as well:•If you give a child confidence with reading, then they will like reading and they will want to read.
Children want to feel good about themselves – if you give children that boost of confidence, they will want to continue making you happy and making themselves feel better. To help them with reading, you need to give them confidence with reading.
There are a lot of different examples I can give you that help show you how important confidence is when teaching reading…(or, when teaching anything)Learning to Ride a bike: •You hold your child’s bike for as long as you can/helping them to learn to balance and pedal at the same time. You explicitly teach them the elements necessary to ride without your support. You practice and practice until they are confident. If they fall, or get frustrated – you continue to coach them through building their confidence, explicitly telling them how to ride and holding their hand.
–Learning to swim: You hold your child, making sure they don’t drown or become scared. You explicitly teach them different techniques to help them float. You let go for short periods of time to help the build confidence as they practice
–Tying Shoelaces: You show them how to tie a shoelace•You do hand over hand practice, explicitly teaching them the steps. You watch them as they practice, correcting mistakes but encouraging them…if they become frustrated, you try to re-build confidence encouraging them that they are on the right path.
A few days ago you tested your reader for what he/she knew with phonics and with sight words. You know where he or she does/does not have confidence – you know your starting point.
•Homework assignment- Read a book with your child. Choose a book that your child LOVES to read. While reading, create a positive, confidence building environment. For instance, read the book “Brown Bear, Brown Bear” by Bill Martin/Eric Carle. Have your student read with you. The book is repetitive, so most children know how to follow along and know what is next. Praise your child at how well they can read along with the book. We also provided you with a book to read with your child. Read to your child and have your child read the book back to you.
Tomorrow we will use the same book you use today – so, keep the book near after you are finished with your lessons and be on the lookout for more instructions tomorrow!
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.