How Can I Help My First How Can I Help My First Grader Become A Grader Become A

Better Reader?Better Reader?

How Can I Help My First How Can I Help My First Grader Become A Grader Become A

Better Reader?Better Reader?Reading and Word AttackReading and Word Attack

Strategies Strategies

Reading and Word Attack Strategies

• Reading is so much more than just sounding out words. Good readers use a variety of strategies to help them understand the text.

• Reading is a multifaceted process involving word recognition, comprehension, fluency, and motivation.

Sometimes you can identify words without being able to construct much meaning from them.

Read the opening lines of Lewis Carroll's poem, "Jabberwocky," and you'll see what I

mean.

'Twas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe.

Finally, sometimes you can identify words and comprehend them, but if the processes don't come together smoothly, reading will still be a labored process. For example, try reading the following sentence:

It           isn't          as         if          the          words

      are        difficult                   to          identify          or

understand,                   but          the          spaces

                   make                   you          pause                   between

     words,                    which                   means        your

        reading                   is                    less                    fluent.

• Reading in its fullest sense involves weaving together word recognition and comprehension in a fluent manner.

• Hopefully these reading and word attack strategies will help you guide your child towards reading success.

Make PredictionsMake PredictionsMake PredictionsMake Predictions

Helping your child make predictions Helping your child make predictions will encourage active reading and will encourage active reading and

keep him/her interested. keep him/her interested.

Retell and SummarizeRetell and SummarizeRetell and SummarizeRetell and SummarizeRetelling the story in his/her own words Retelling the story in his/her own words helps to build comprehension. It also helps to build comprehension. It also

allows students to discriminate between allows students to discriminate between main ideas and minor details.main ideas and minor details.

Making ConnectionsMaking ConnectionsMaking ConnectionsMaking ConnectionsConnecting the text to your child’s Connecting the text to your child’s

experiences and knowledge helps them experiences and knowledge helps them to personalize the information. It to personalize the information. It

sparks interest and builds sparks interest and builds comprehension.comprehension.

Story TalkStory TalkStory TalkStory TalkTalking about what you read can help Talking about what you read can help

your child develop language and your child develop language and thinking skills. thinking skills.

Word Attack StrategiesWord Attack StrategiesWord Attack StrategiesWord Attack StrategiesThe strategies help your child to The strategies help your child to

decode, pronounce, and understand decode, pronounce, and understand unfamiliar words. unfamiliar words.

Use Picture Clues

• Look at the picture.• Are there people, objects, or

actions in the picture that might make sense in the sentence?

Sound Out the Word

• Touch each letter moving from left to right through the word.

• Blend the sounds together and try to say the word

• Not all words can be “sound it out” words, some contain special sounds or follow a different rule.

• Words in motion

Look for Chunks in the Word

• Look for familiar letter chunks. (See handout)They may be

sounds/symbols, prefixes, suffixes, endings, whole words, or base words.

• Read each chunk by itself. Then blend the chunks together and sound out the word.

Connect To a Word You Know

• Think of a word that looks like the unfamiliar word.

• Compare the familiar word to the unfamiliar word.

• Look for like chunks and apply to the unfamiliar word.

Reread the Sentence

• Read the sentence more than once.

• Think about what word would make sense in the sentence.

• Try the word and see if the sentence makes sense.

Keep Reading

• Read past the unfamiliar word and look for clues.

• If the word is repeated, compare the second sentence to the first. What word makes sense in both?

Use Prior Knowledge

• Think about what you know about the story. (What has happened, what might happen next)

• Do you know a word that might make sense in the sentence? Try it.

Special Sounds to Special Sounds to Know AboutKnow About

Special Sounds to Special Sounds to Know AboutKnow About

Blends

• Blends are two or three consonants grouped together, with each letter keeping its own sound. (see handout)

Consonant Digraphs

• A consonant digraph is a combination of two consonants sounds that together represent a new sound. Some examples of consonant digraphs are:    

  sh--- shop ch--- chin   th--- thin  wh---- what   ck---- duck  ph--- photo

  qu--- queen ng----sang

Short Vowel Sounds

“This letter says his short name.”• When there is a single vowel in a short word or

syllable, the vowel usually makes his short sound. • These short vowels usually appear at the

beginning of the word or between two consonants. •  Examples of short vowels are found in these

words:   c a t ,  e n d,  p i g,  l o g,  b u s

• Okie Vowels

Long Vowel Sounds

“This letter says his long name.”• When a short word or syllable ends with

a vowel/consonant --e combination, the vowel is usually long and the "e" at the end of the word is silent (this rule doesn't apply in all cases).

• Examples of a VCe combination are:  b a k e,   r i d e,  p o l e, t u n e

Long Vowels

• When a word or syllable has a single vowel and it appears at the end of the word or syllable, the vowel usually makes the long sound.

• Examples are:  no    he    po/ny    

Vowel Digraphs

• If two vowels are beside each other in a word or syllable, the first vowel  is usually  long while the second vowel remains silent. Examples of vowel digraphs are:      

ai– maid  ee-- sweet  ea--bean      oa---- boat   ay-----tray   • “The first one does the talking, the second one does

the walking.”

• This rule does not apply to diphthongs.

Vowel Diphthongs

• Vowel diphthong refers to the blending of two vowels sounds, both vowel sounds are usually heard and they make a gliding sound.

• Examples of vowel diphthongs include:     oi--- boil      oy----- toy      au---- haul 

  aw----- saw   ew----- new    ow----  cow      oo---- moon    oo----- look    ou---  mouth

R-Controlled Vowels• When a vowel is followed by the letter "r", the vowel

does not make  the long nor short sound but is considered "r-controlled".

• Examples of "r-controlled" vowels are: ar--- car    er--- fern ir--- bird  or---corn    ur--- nurse

R is a bully!!

Helpful Reading Websites

www.starfall.comwww.pbskids.orgwww.readingrockets.orgwww.readinglady.comwww.trelease-on-reading.com