I'm going to include a variety of different tips and suggestions. You just have to try them out to see which ones work best for the child you are assisting.
- I usually tell them that I have an easy strategy that can help them become good readers in very short time and I ask them if they'd like that. I've never had anyone tell me no. I guess if they did, I'd ask them to just try it for a little bit before they decide.
- The majority of struggling readers I've ever worked with have a similar problem and and a similar solution. When they get to an unknown word, they guess something that makes sense, but the word they use almost always starts with the very last letter of the actual word.
- I tell them how I'm going to help them read through words they don't know and explain what it's going to look like. I generally find a word on a random page and show how to read through it with my own hand. That way, when you are guiding them through the process, they will understand what you're doing. In the next bullets, I will explain what I do.
- I have them do what I call Reading Through the Words. They have to use their right hand for this whether they are right or left handed. Their left hand hides parts of the word that are needed for decoding it.
- If they came to the word 'protect", I would have them close their right hand and extend their index finger, which I call their pointer finger. They hold their hand horizontally over the word with only the first letter or two on the left exposed. I start with one letter if it's a single consonant but usually do the first couple of letters if they are part of a consonant blend like 'str' in street, 'pl' like in place, etc.
- I say as they are looking at the 'pr', "Get your mouth ready.What sound does that make?" which means they are supposed to tell me that first sound. This step above any other step is vitally important, because they are blocking the end of the word and are not coming up with a word that starts with that end letter.
- After they say 'pr', I gently guide their wrist to the right to show them how to read through it as I stop at the first likely chunk of the word, starting first with any blends and then to syllable chunks. It just depends. They will say 'pr' and I would guide to the syllable so they say 'pro'
- I would make the next letter/s visible and guide their hand through it as you are reading it together out loud: pro-t-e-ct. (Try not to sound each letter out phonetically like they did when I was in school, because to be a fluent reader they need to sound less choppy and to do more blending of sounds.
- If the child were to read the word: pro-t-e (long e) ct, you would say, "Do you think it is 'proteect' or 'protect' ? When the child answers correctly, tell him that's just what good readers do. They make sure it looks right and sounds right. (It's important to give struggling readers lots of strokes as they are building up their confidence. Actually, it's the lack of confidence that I saw that held people back instead of their actual reading ability. Once they have some strategies like Reading Through the Word, etc. and they hear themselves being fluent instead of choppy by sounding them out words phonetically, they start taking more risks to read.)
- When the child is reading even phrases well, it's important to share that he's sounding much more fluent like people talk (rather than reading word, word, word which makes reading choppy.)
- Although this will play a major part in helping the child develop his confidence as he learns to read through unknown words, you have to get him motivated enough to try it.
- I tell them that I will read one page and they can read as much or as little as they like on the next page as long as they read at least one paragraph and I have them agree to that. (In the beginning, they may read the least amount possible, just because they can and to see if you really will do what you say you will.)
- When it's their turn, remember to direct them to put their hand up to the unknown word and read through it as discussed above.
- Anytime that they say the wrong word when they are reading aloud and go back and put the correct word in instead, compliment them. Say, "That's just what good readers do. The go back and make sure it looks right and sounds right." (Since they are tested in school on accuracy, this is very important. If they read the word 'small', but it was really the word 'little', they would be graded down, although it basically means the same thing.)
- After several sessions and the child's developing his confidence, I would go to the next level of helping him to monitor himself. I would get a small clear snack cup of sorts and put 10 pennies in it. Tell him he is doing so well you want to help him become able to correct himself when he reads through the wrong word.
- Say that you are going to take one penny point out for each word that he reads through and doesn't correct on his own. You want to see how many penny points he has at the end of the session. When he starts to read right through a word incorrectly and go on to the next, swish your fingers around in the cup to rattle the penny points. It's an obvious auditory reminder to him to go back and correct that word so you don't take a penny point out. Eventually, after several sessions, he'll start monitoring himself. Also, you can do it the other way, with all the pennies out and put one in for every time they read through a word with their finger, re-read a sentence to say the correct word, or when they are reading fluently. These are all positive.
- Taking the child to the library to get books or to the book store to buy books during this time is very positive. Make sure the books are just a little below or right at his ability level. If he has to struggle too much, he may shut back down. Additionally, you can't always go with how a book is labeled for readability. Some books that say they are easy readers, really aren't. You have to skim through the book to see if there are too many ten dollar words in the book that might throw him for a loop.
- If the child has to read a book for school that has lots of words on the page, here's a strategy I've used. Some struggling students are overwhelmed by the vast amount of words on the page. I have them put a bookmark or a half piece of paper horizontally under the sentence they are reading. It blocks most of the text on the page, so they can just focus on the current sentence. This helps take a lot of the stress away.
- For the most part, they suggest Expository Books for struggling male readers. (Those are factual books on dinosaurs, trains, planes, or any other topic that interests them. It should be a little easier than his ability to read to build on success rather let him struggle through it.)
- My favorite books to read with young boys are Encyclopedia Brown books by Donald Sobol. Actually, I liked to get two of the same paperback book to read together. They have the feel of a chapter book for struggling readers, but they are short little mystery stories about a similar aged boy detective. When the short story is over, the reader turns to a particular page in the back to see how the mystery is solved. I gave the student one to use to read as I read in the other book. It keeps the reader from feeling that someone is reading over their shoulder and relieves a little bit of the stress.
I hope you find these tips helpful. They have been very beneficial in helping me to assist starting and struggling readers feel and become more successful.
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