Simply Reading

Reading with short "o"

2011-01-28T20:08:00.000-08:00

Teaching reading skills is all about patterns, as earlier blogs attest. Introducing the short sounds of vowels is always best with little "tricks" to help the student remember the rules better. When using the short "o" sound, the reader lets his/her jaw drop to produce the appropriate sound of the letter. If the student puts his/her fingers on the side of the face as the short "o" sound is made, feeling the face muscles drop often helps the reader to remember how the face will feel when the sound is made correctly. The resulting sound is most like an "ah" as in the word jaw, which also helps the student to remember the sound. Practicing the sound by repeating words modeled by the teacher, re-enforces the sound for the student. Once again, flashcards will be useful in mastering the skill. Write short "o" words, one to a card, for the reader to practice with the teacher at first, then independently. Start with the basic three letter words, then begin to introduce words with blended sounds at both the beginning and end of the words.

dog-- -mop--- not--- rod--- top--- bog--- lot--- pod--- hop--- fog--- tot--- hog

moss--- pond--- drop--- plot--- frog--- blond--- spot--- stop--- rotten--- prod

Begin to use the words from all the vowel flashcards at this point to make up sentences using as many words as possible in each sentence. If you have a very quick student learner, begin to write those sentences down for the reader to read back to you. After the student feels comfortable with reading the sentences you have written, have the learner begin to write the sentences independently. After working on the vowels to this point, the student should be recognizing the patterns and anticipating what activity will follow. One more vowel to go! Then the reader can really start to explore the way language is developed and reading skills are attained.

Blending with the short "i" sound

2010-03-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Blending with the short "i" sound follows the same patterns and mechanics as the other short vowel sounds. Children are oftentimes able to better remember the sound if it is associated with an action, much like wrinkling up your nose for short "a" and spreading a smile across your upper teeth for short "e". With short "i", have the student hunch up his/her shoulders in a brief shrug for the quick sound of short "i". The sound is not prolonged, so the quick movement reminds the student to be quick with the sound of the letter. Practice saying some of the short "i" words for practice with the shoulder movement, giving an example and having the student repeat the word. A good way to start is with b-i-g, d-i-g, p-i-n, f-i-n. Say each of the letter sounds individually to hear the sounds alone. Then blend the sounds together and get the student to add to the pattern words with words of his/her own.

When the student seems to have the sound of the short "i" fairly mastered, then 3x5 cards with short "i" words printed on them can be introduced. Use the flashcards to practice reading the words with short "i" patterns. When the student is getting very comfortable with the patterns, then bring back the cards with short "a" and short "e" sounds to mix up the sounds. If the student does not seem to be comfortable, continue to practice with one sound pattern at a time until the learner handles the one sound to mastery, before mixing the patterns. A list of short "i" words follows:

fit---tin---dip---bit---win---rip---six---pin---sit---fin---big---pig---nip---tip---fix---pit---sip---fig---then introduce:

flip---grin---slit---trip---drip---brig---spin---spit---snip---slip--- grip---grit---drift---gift---lift---twin

After the learner has been successful with reading the words separately, have the student choose words from any of the flashcards for the vowel sounds and use the words in sentences. Eventually, have the learner take a card and write a sentence using the word on the card. The student will be able to start using more and more of the words correctly in writing. Using the flashcards to build sentences in front of the learner is also a good practice, but requires that you supply articles and prepositions to complete a sentence using the cards, id.est.
I will flip the cap and the nest into the big, wet, drift.

The learner will become more comfortable each time the cards are used, so that when mastery has been achieved, the student will no longer require the flashcards to spark response. Two more vowels, and then the dipthongs will be introduced as well. Hopefully, interruptions to the blog will no longer factor into the consistency of the material.

Blending with short "e"

2009-11-10T11:07:00.000-08:00

A wonderful autumn to everyone!
It is time to work with blending the short "e" sound in simple words. As always, it is best to review the short "a" sound briefly before starting the new sound. When you are satisfied that the short "a" sound is approaching mastery, introduce the short "e" sound next. Say the sound three times as your student watches your mouth form the sound. Point out to the learner that your mouth makes a little smile when the short "e" is sounded. The top lip of your mouth stretches across your teeth to make the correct sound. Physically push your lip across your teeth to show the learner how it looks without sounding out the letter. If you use your index fingers, the student will see the stretched lip better than if you use one hand. Continue to say the sound of short "e" with your learner until the "little smile" and the appropriate sound are coming together.
Practice saying the sound in simple short "e" words like TEN, RED, MET, MEN, PET, ETC. Take index cards and write one letter on each card to help you form new short "e" words to be sounded out. Put the "t" card down on a table with an "e" card and an "n" card. Sound out the word; sound of "t", sound of short "e", sound of "n". t-e-n Then say the word in its blended form, "ten". Invite your beginning reader to sound out the word with you, and then alone. Continue to sound out short "e" words in this fashion until you observe understanding in your learner.
Using 5-7 words this way should provide the initial practice for sounding out letters that a new reader will need.
Then you are going to show your student words that are written on cards to read by sounding out the letters. The learner will be blending sounds with much success by the time you finish your session. A list of words you could use includes:

sled----bed----step----pet----men----fled----den----bled----set----get
hen----let----fret----pen----bet----jet----wed----wet----fed----best

Don't forget to add review:

clap----snap----grab----glad----plan----hand----drag----trap----slam

All of the flashcards can be used together for practice between sessions with your new reader. If your learner is progressing well, add some sight word cards to the mix and let the student start putting words together in simple sentences to read. Some good sight word additions would be:

I----can----am----the----is----to

With some experience reading, do not be surprised when the reader starts looking for new words to learn or starts recognizing new words without help. Here's to blending success!

Blending sounds

2009-10-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

Learning to blend sounds just takes practice to get the "feel" for hearing the individual sounds of letters in words. Once the reader has a fair number of letter sounds under control, the sounds can be blended to produce words. After learning the short "a" sound and practicing it alone and in isolated two or three letter words, putting the short "a" with specific consonants helps the reader to learn how to blend the sounds. By reviewing consonant sounds briefly before endeavoring to combine them with the short "a" , success is built into the activity.

Using flashcards, write three letter words with short "a" sounds, which involve the consonants your reader has just reviewed. A short list follows:

bad ------sat----- had

ran----- cab----- map

ham -----bat----- dad

man----- can----- hat

pan----- lad----- dam

The reader will "sound" out the word by saying each letter sound in isolation to begin with; b-----a-----d-----, s-----a-----t---. Listening to someone else sound out the letters first is a great way to train auditory perception as well. When you are walking in the park, or driving down the street, sound out words using the letter sounds for your reader to identify. Have your learner sound out words for you to try and guess too.

Starting with the three letter words is the easiest approach, but if you have a student that is ready to break apart longer words like flap or crab, just keep letting the student explore new combinations, as long as the learner recognizes the extra letters as indivdualized sounds. Short "a" words can keep you busy for many days. The short sound of "e" when next we meet.

Vowel Sounds

2009-10-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

Hello again! At this point in the learner's progress, it is time to review the number and color words for mastery. Flashcards with the words on them and a color square or number on the other side to match the word are good tools. Immediate recognition should be mastery. There is little "sounding out" that can be done with the number or color words. "Sight" words are important to reading development.

Vowel sound introduction is always started with the letter "a". Have your beginning readers say the short sound of "a" by wrinkling up their noses across the bridge of the nose when they say "A-A-A-A" as in apple. If the learners feel the bridge of their noses as they say the sound, it is a concrete way to remind them about the sound. Practice saying other words that have short "a" sounds, touching the bridge of the nose each time. Exaggerated sounds are most effective, and get the point across somewhat faster. Any short "a" words are acceptable, but a brief list follows to get you started:

act-- am-- ant-- after-- answer --and --add

bag-- map-- grab-- dad-- clap-- slam-- sand-- fat

Once your reader has an understanding of the short "a" sound, make some more flashcards with two and three letter words that have that sound. Practicing the words in print will build strength for reading the words on a page. In our next segment we will look at starting to blend sounds together. "Sounding out" words is a special skill that must be practiced, and it does not necessarily come naturally. Here's to successful nose "wrinkling"....

Books for fun at home

2009-09-12T23:03:00.000-07:00

Just found a good place to get fun books for learning. Check out Click Here! Your early learner will have a great time with this selection!

Letter/sound recognition on the printed page

2009-09-02T15:34:00.000-07:00

There have been many weeks since I last wrote about reading skill development. Students should be very comfortable with letter recognition and sound patterns after a month. However, recognizing the letters on printed pages is oftentimes more difficult. While you are sharing reading with your student, now is the time to ask the learner to identify letters on the page you are reading. "Can you point to an S on this page?" "Do you see an M where we are reading?" "Point to an H at the beginning of a word." After several opportunities to practice the skill, it should be fairly clear whether the student is comfortable or not. If more skill development is necessary, it is time to continue to work on isolated letter names and sounds. Make up games using the names of letters and their sounds to provide additional practice for the learner.
Find all the capital A's on this page. Look for lower case P. How many did you find? Go on a letter walk. Find everything you can that starts with the letters G or T. Jump up and down when you see something that starts with W. Raise your hands when you see something that starts with the sound of B. Touch your nose when you see something that starts with the sound of D.
Learners that have already conquered the letter names and sounds will be ready for finding words on the page that start with specific letters or s0unds. "Can you find a word that starts with F?" "Point to a word that ends with a K." If the reader can also say the word, provide the practice time to read words that start with specific letters and sounds. Once the reader is able to handle the letters and sounds at mastery level, it is time to move on to vowel sounds. I will discuss the introduction of vowels to readers in our next visit.

Symbols to text

2009-08-03T12:56:00.000-07:00

It is time to get reading once again! Now that the very important readiness skills have been assessed and mastered, the reader is going to demonstrate knowledge of symbols in a concrete way. Identifying letters and numbers is the first step toward recognizing sounds and numeration, which in turn allows the reader to combine sounds into words. If the reader is unable to name letters and numbers just for identification, that is the skill needed before other skills can be introduced. Simple flashcards can be made for practice and drill. Using 3x5 cards, make the letters of the alphabet on individual cards for quick review. When the student is able to name the letters, start mixing up the cards and have the learner put them in order on a flat surface. Then ask the reader to hand the cards to you as you ask for specific letters. The same exercise will work for the numbers as well. Eventually, the learner should be able to recognize and identify all the letters of the alphabet, both lowercase and uppercase letters. Plus, the new reader needs to know the numbers up to twenty for early readers, and numbers up to fifty, then one hundred for more advanced readers. These are the foundations for taking the next step in learning to read.

The numbers become very important as students advance in school. Finding the right page numbers in an efficient amount of time keeps the student ready for the next assignment, task, or discussion. Learning the names of the letters provides the groundwork for learning the sounds of letters, and how all the letters work together. The earliest practice with sounds of letters usually is most successful when letters with distinct sounds are introduced first. The letter sounds for S,M,B and T are good ones to start with. Finding objects that start with the letter sound you are practicing is always a good exercise, no matter where you are at the time. Having the learner produce a word with the letter sound of the day is also a good drill. Remember, you are listening for the sound. If your reader produces a nonsense word, but it has the right sound at the beginning, give credit for a right answer. After a couple of practice days, start putting the letter sound at the end of words, doing drills the same way. Eventually, as more work is done with letter sounds, the reader becomes more able to distinguish the sounds in the middle of words as well. A good rule to follow is consonant sounds first. Leave the vowels and combination sounds for later. The following list suggests a good order of introduction for letter sounds:

S, M, T, B, H, W, F, J, L, N, P, D, K, V, Z, R, Y, C, G, Q, X

Remember that the letters C and G have two sounds each, and Q is always holding hands with u wherever you find it, so its sound combines with u. X almost has to be presented in a word to give it the attention it needs. Getting mastery of letter sounds will allow the new reader to forge ahead with word recognition and the beginning of writing skills too. Until we meet again....

Comprehend the reading

2009-07-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon!
Shared reading time offers the opportunity to use new vocabulary in ways that strengthen oral communication and conversation. When people are talking about something together, not only do the folks learn about each other, but they also form a bond as well. Knowledge of the material being discussed is shared and new information can be gathered by anyone paying attention to the talk, which oftentimes results in further discussion and verbal exchange. This is true about any genre of reading from newspapers to novels.

Depending on the text that is being shared, questions are oftentimes a great way to initiate conversation. Why do you think she wore that yellow hat to her friend's house? Are these people really considering the long-range effects of this legislation? What would you have done if the bear started chasing you? When should that meeting take place? The text also gives guidelines for vocabulary, especially if there are words that the reader does not know anything about. With early readers, taking some of the vocabulary from the text before starting to read the words, helps to prepare the reader for possible stumbling blocks. Keeping a dictionary close at hand can certainly be helpful when the vocabulary is a little more complicated.

In the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, talking about the name Goldilocks might be a good place to begin. Defining forest and porridge are also good ideas. Using much expression and different voices will help comprehension to grow, too. Each reader can take a different part like a play to add interest to the reading. Pausing to clarify part of the story will benefit new readers as the story progresses. Papa Bear's bed was too_____. Mama's bed was too______. But Baby Bear's bed was just ______. Be sure to repeat the same passage clues with emphasis so the listener or new reader will hear the patterns. Ask questions at the end of the story to pull it altogether. Did Goldilocks ever see the bears again? Why was she in the forest in the first place? Right and wrong answers are not necessary, just ideas to think about.

More difficult reading can be presented the same way. I still remember reading Hatchet with my middle school son. The vocabulary and the questions were just as important to our shared reading time as any activity that was done with students in my classroom. Time to discuss the content and use the vocabulary was vital to understanding the text. Sharing ideas about the story helped us to connect with the character and his predicament, while drawing us closer through the time we shared. No point in reading, if the understanding and comprehesion are lost. More on fluency in shared reading next time...

Shared Reading

2009-07-17T21:24:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone again!
As readers are getting ready to read for the first time, or improve their reading skills at any level, sharing reading time with other people is very important to reading success. Shared reading time provides practice for listening to language patterns and developing a fluency for language as well. Very early readers will appreciate the flow of language and expression that is being heard, and more advanced readers will appreciate the differences and similarities in reading styles.

There are so many skills that can be practiced while sharing reading time. Vocabulary development is always part of the mix whenever folks are learning to read anything. The more vocabulary that is heard and/or discussed, the more comfortable the reader will become with the new words. So, as anyone is reading outloud with others, it is extremely important for pauses in the text, in order to discuss words that may be new or unknown to the learner. At the same time, stopping to discuss the story or text information will improve comprehension for the learner as well. (In my next post tomorrow, I will give some specific examples of using text for comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency.) The most instructive times for readers are during shared reading times.

By taking time to discuss vocabulary and lead the learner to further comprehension, development of thinking and communicating skills is also achieved. Everyone enjoys reading something that is understood easily and can be discussed knowingly. And laughing together about characters or plot will certainly provide enjoyment for all the participants. Leading the learner through new material as a partner gives invaluable support to a self-concept that could use some bolstering. Until tomorrow...

Building a Foundation for Success

2009-07-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

Good Evening!
Time to work on building a foundation for reading success. Using information from the last conversation, vocabulary is basic to understanding. In the process of giving directions to follow, it is necessary to take note of the vocabulary that causes some confusion in the learner. Does the student know how to draw a square, or find the right color to use, or recognize the difference in sizes? If the student does not know what a nose is, or what the word desk means, it is very difficult to follow the directions.

These vocabulary challenges can be met in daily routines while the student is working on directional vocabulary as well. Having the student find something in the livingroom shaped like a square takes only a moment. Looking for specific colors during a walk around the neighborhood will strengthen knowledge of colors. Counting the number of birds sitting on the fence will help to cement number value concepts into memory.

When a student is ready to use paper and pencil, drawing two big red squares, then three little blue squares, or four orange medium-sized squares will provide training for the directions, vocabulary, and listening skills all at once. Taking the vocabulary that seems to be challenging the student and incorporating two or three elements for practice can help the learner to reach success at a faster pace. The vocabulary becomes the foundation and strength that will lead to reading success. Concrete words like desk and nose just need to be drilled and repeated, much like when anyone is practicing vocabulary for a new language. What is the name of this? What is that called? Can you point to the desk? In this case, "practice makes perfect". Practice provides experience with vocabulary to make a stronger reader.

In the next edition, reading aloud with all stages of readers will be discussed and encouraged. Suggestions for shared reading will be provided. Until next time.......

Ready to Read

2009-07-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

Greetings to all!

Hope you celebrated the fourth of July safely and in an enjoyable way.

I am back to begin an approach to developing reading skills. First and foremost, anyone who hopes to read well needs readiness skills to prepare for success in reading. Young and old or anyone in-between needs to have auditory and visual perception in place to be successful. Likewise, in any language, student perceptions are vital to understanding reading skill concepts.

Simply put, students need to understand some directional words; up, down, over, under, between, next to, middle, etc.
If the student has trouble understanding these basic concepts of direction, reading will be somewhat delayed until the understanding is in place. This is true because as words are read, the shape of the word as well as its configuration is being remembered. Recognizing letters and numbers requires an awareness of the size, shape, and facing direction of the symbols, in order to master the names of the symbols and remember their formations.

Giving directions orally to a student to follow with paper and pencil can demonstrate student understanding of the concepts. With very young children crayons can provide the same information. For children in preschool age groups simply giving oral directions to follow will determine understanding, which is what adults are doing when they say,
"Point to your nose. Where is your ear? Can you show me your tongue?"

With paper and writing tools, the directions can be a little more specific. Draw a big red square. Put a blue X inside the square. Use your green color to make a circle around the
square. Continue to use as many directional words in the exercise as possible to determine understanding of the concepts. Without paper, give directions having students respond physically; sit down next to the pillow, crawl under the table, put you hand on top of your head, jump up and down three times.

If the student demonstrates difficulty with the concepts, it is time to review and practice the directional words for mastery.
This can be done with simple practice as the student is going through daily activity. One direction at a time maybe three times during the day, provides needed review without having the student rebel against tedious response. After a week or two, check for general understanding again, and repeat the drill or move on.

Tomorrow, I will provide some advice about other readiness skills that can be practiced during the same time directional concepts are in play. Have a good evening!

Introducing readiness

2009-07-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Learning to read is an important skill to achieve in order to fully appreciate the world around us. Using reading everyday, people entertain themselves, apply for work, stay informed about current events and personal business. When someone is able to use reading skills to accomplish even ordinary tasks, or provide themselves with enjoyable time scanning magazines and newspapers, self-concept is elevated and personal worth is improved in the eyes of the reader. But certain amounts of readiness must be achieved before reading can be successful, whether the reader is a young child or a matured adult. I hope in the days ahead, as in days from my past, I can help some future readers to find success and many hours of reading pleasure.