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/ Word Reading

Word Reading

Purpose

Decoding & fluency

Summary

The Word Reading drill helps learners practice decoding a series of words that contain a series of target letter-sound combinations. Focused practice decoding words containing target phoneme-grapheme combinations is helpful for orthographic mapping & fluent reading.

Materials Needed

This exercise is conducted orally, you will need a list of words to read aloud.

How to deliver

  1. Show the learner the first word in the list.
  2. Ask them to read the word.
  3. Continue through all the words in your list until you reach the end.
Suggested script
"We're going to read some words where [insert spelling] makes the [insert sound] (eg. 'ay' makes the /ā/ sound.)."

Common Issues & Prompts

Issue: Learner reads the word incorrectly or cannot read the word

  • Do this: Support the learner to continuously blend the word. You can remind them of the target sound-spelling pattern if necessary. You can model it for them if needed.
  • Example: The learner reads ‘drain’ as ‘dran’. Say “Remember in this word the ‘ai’ spells the /ā/ sound. Try again.”
  • Then: Move on to the next word. It’s a good idea to revisit the difficult word before the end of the drill.

Additional Tips

  • Continuous blending is the easiest way for your learner to decode unfamiliar words. Instead of sounding a word out like '/s/ /c/ /r/ /ĭ/ /p/ /t/' which has 6 sounds to retain in short term memory, if you blend the word like 'ssscrrriiipppttt', the learner is more likely to hear and recognise the word. You can do this a few times, speeding up each time if needed.

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