MOOKs and/or teachers: Helping kids learn to read Q

[juliette21]

I have been helping my DS1 (who will be 6 tomorrow!) keep on top of his reading and "trick words" this summer, and I was unsure if it's okay to tell him the word if he is stumped? I go through the strategies his K teacher gave him at the end of school, like the Stretchy Snake and Eagle Eye, and I always ask him to sound it out or tap and blend, but sometimes he gets frustrated.

I don't think he was introduced to the 1st grade trick words during K, at least they weren't sent home to practice. I don't think you're supposed to tap and blend out longer words like "nothing" or "number" right?

Hopefully some teachers will weigh in here. My DS1 seems to do better when I read the sheet to him the first time, then he goes. I will only read the words the first time we go over the sheet, and then the next time we practice I do not read them to him. He seems to have a good memory and either recalls it from the last time or is able to sound it out better when I've read it to him first. I'm not sure if this is okay to do or not? Is it helping too much? 

Sorry that was long, hopefully it made sense!

[cjeanette]

If E can't get it after sounding it out once I usually tell her.

[jinkies]

At that age, i think it is more important to help him enjoy reading than to make sure he is reading everything himself.

I'd help him with hard words so that he gets enjoyment from what he's doing instead of being frustrated.

[rugbywife]

There needs to be a constant balance between reading with purpose (to teach new vocabulary/ fluency skills) and not making the child so frustrated that they end up hating reading.

So I would say to continue working with the strategies you have and focusing on phonetic decoding, but don't force it to the point that he no longer enjoys reading.

[spk926]

It's fine. When you tell him the word you keep the flow of the book going and that helps with comprehension. If you're telling him every 3rd word then the book is too difficult. But a few words in the entire book is fine.

A lot of those tricky words can't be sounded out or a strategy used to decode them. They're sight words and just have to be known once seen. So don't worry if you come across a word and can't figure out how to decode it with DS.

[barefootcontessa]

I am not sure what you mean by trick word -- do you mean sight words? Our reading curriculum adds more and more sight words each year. I see no problem telling him the word if he does not know it.

[juliette21]

Aug 13, 2015 13:08:50 GMT -5 barefootcontessa said:

I am not sure what you mean by trick word -- do you mean sight words? Our reading curriculum adds more and more sight words each year. I see no problem telling him the word if he does not know it.

I think they are essentially sight words, my son's school called them "popcorn words" at the beginning of K and those were words like a, the, for, has, have, on, at, etc. By the end of K they started sending home sheets of "trick words" as they called them. These were a little harder, like where, when, were, again, etc. 

On the last day of K they sent home "1st grade trick words" to study over the summer. I am guessing these are just more advanced sight words? Any teachers up in here?

[spk926]

I teach first and those are sight words. Not sure why the school uses those silly names for them. Where, were, again, etc. are definitely sight words.

[juliette21]

Aug 13, 2015 13:16:20 GMT -5 spk926 said:

I teach first and those are sight words. Not sure why the school uses those silly names for them. Where, were, again, etc. are definitely sight words.

Thank you!!

So is the rule with sight word that they memorize them? So it's okay to help him along the first few times he sees them? Are you supposed to "tap and blend" those? Sorry for the barrage of questions!

[spk926]

Aug 13, 2015 13:18:41 GMT -5 juliette21 said:

Aug 13, 2015 13:16:20 GMT -5 spk926 said:

I teach first and those are sight words. Not sure why the school uses those silly names for them. Where, were, again, etc. are definitely sight words.

Thank you!!

So is the rule with sight word that they memorize them? So it's okay to help him along the first few times he sees them? Are you supposed to "tap and blend" those? Sorry for the barrage of questions!

Pretty much, yes. They typically don't follow any "rules" so trying to tap and blend them, sound them out, look for hidden clues in them, etc. doesn't work. You just see them and instantly know what they are. Hence why they're called SIGHT words. For us as literate adults almost all words are words we know right when we see them. We don't sound them out or look for more than a second and we know what the word is. That is the goal for his list of sight words too.

The thought (and how I explain it to my parents) is that kids know the sight words appropriate for their grade level they'll be able to read fluently and only need to stop periodically to use the strategies you listed to figure out a word.

[hopecounts]

The point of sight words is to recognize them 'on sight' and not need to sound them out.
I think reading through them with him the first time and then having him try to tap and blend/sound them out on his own first then you helping is fine.

[juliette21]

Thank you so much to everyone in this thread, especially spk926.