Transcript Getting started with reading and writing

Understanding the
Reading Process
1
Understanding the Reading Process
Today we will be looking at...
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Strategies used by fluent readers
Phonics
Language Experience Approach
Social Sight Vocabulary
Dolch List
How to support learners
Some Do’s and Dont’s
2
What does reading involve?
Reading involves a number of skills –
we do most of them automatically,
so maybe you’re not aware of them
3
Strategies used by fluent
readers
•
•
•
Look at illustrations or headlines
before starting to read, to activate
background knowledge
Scan for particular information
Read for meaning - re-read parts that
don’t make sense
4
Strategies used by fluent
readers
•
Read carefully when needed, or scanning
otherwise
•
Skip over difficult words and read on to
keep the meaning alive – it’s easily lost
if you stop too often
•
Guess at new words (using phonics and
context), trying to find words that fit
with the meaning of the text as a whole.
5
How do we deal with an unfamiliar
word?
When faced with a
threatening situation, his
palms exsensudate and his
heart beats faster.
6
How do we deal with an
unfamiliar word?
Skip it?
Guess from context?
Try sounding it out?
Look it up?
Ask someone for help?
7
~Phonics~
8
Phonics
Phonics is the method of teaching
reading which makes learners
aware of the connection
between the letters and the
sounds they make.
26 letters and 44 phonemes
9
Phonics - Why?
The traditional “look and say” method had
a lot of limitations
 Memorising whole words doesn’t work –
our memory can only handle about 2,000
– 3,000 words (and we’ll know this many
by about age 12)
 Which is easier – memorise 20,000 words
(your average daily vocabulary) or just
over 100 sound pictures?

10
Phonics – What?
Letters are pictures of sounds that the
learner already knows.
 Sometimes two or more letters work
together to make a sound (e.g. ch)
 Sometimes a sound is represented in
more than one way – e.g. green, team,
happy.

11
Phonics – How?
•
•
Start by raising awareness of the
sounds that make up common words.
Letters don’t ‘say’ anything or
‘mean’ anything. Change your
phrasing – instead of What does
the letter say? Try What do we say
when we see that letter?
12
Start by raising awareness of the sounds
that make up common words.

Start simple, with one letter sound
pictures & start with the ones your
learner knows.

Then, move onto blends

Use plenty of games!!

Keep it fun!!
13
Even when we know and
understand all the words we still
may not grasp the meaning of a
piece of text.
14
~Language Experience Approach~
15
Language Experience Approach



Explain that you will write down some
things the learner says...ask open ended
questions such as what, where, why,
when, how?
Allow time for discussion.
When learner has a few ideas and
sentences, write them down one at a
time.
17
Language Experience Approach



Read the sentences back to learner and
ask if he/she would like to change
anything.
Do not change grammar or syntax unless
learner suggests the change.
Write the sentences clearly in lower
case, on a clean page, breaking it into
lines.
18
Language Experience Approach
For example:
I’m going to Killarney
To the Gleneagles for a week
With the ballroom dancing
We go for a holiday
There is about three hundred people go
We take over the hotel for a week
Now what do we do with it??
19
Language Experience Approach



Read the first sentence to the learner
pointing out each word as you go.
Ask the learner to read the sentence
with you, still pointing to each word.
When learner is confident, ask him/her
to read it alone – point to each word
until you think he/she can manage alone.
20
Language Experience Approach


Repeat this for the second sentence,
but only if learner seems confident.
Repeat these steps until learner can
read the entire text with confidence.
Then What?
21
Paired Reading





Read the piece to learner first and then read
together.
After a few read-throughs, let your voice fade
away, only coming back if the learner gets into
difficulty.
Review words that caused difficulty.
When you’re looking at a problem word, read
back to look for clues and then ask the student
what they think the word is.
Draw attention to any helpful feature – maybe
another similar word or part of one – pointing
out patterns can be a big help
22
~ Social Sight Vocabulary ~
23
What is Social Sight
Vocabulary?


A stock of easily recognisable words that
your learner processes easily
Choose words that are:
• Part of the learner’s vocabulary
• Of interest to the learner
• Necessary for work
• Useful for shopping, health & safety,
recreation, etc.
24
Taken from www.sqa.org.uk
25
Social Sight Vocabulary –
Why?
Helps your learner build up a collection
of words that can be recognised
instantly
 This makes the reading process less
laborious
 Practise makes perfect! The more often
the learner sees a word, they sooner it
will become a sight word.

26
Social Sight Vocabulary – How?
Teach a few sight words in each session,
initially taken from language experience
pieces.
 Say each word clearly and use it in a
sentence or ask the learner to put it in
a sentence and write down the sentence.
 Write it on a card and ask the learner
to repeat it several times
 Keep the cards – why not start a file?
 Mix the cards up and ask the learner to
pick out a word you say

27
Social Sight Vocabulary – How?



Review the words regularly, in games and
activities and puzzles or wordsearches.
The Dolch list words are essential sight
words.
“The Dolch Word List is a list of frequently
used words compiled by Edward William
Dolch, PhD, a major proponent of the "wholeword" method of beginning reading
instruction. The list was prepared in 1936.
The list was originally published in his
book ”Problems in Reading” in 1948.” Wikipedia
THE DOLCH LIST
Taken from www.scoileoin.ie
One quarter of all that we read consists of
the following 12 words:
a
it
and
of
he
that
i
The
in
to
is
was
29
If you add the next 20 words, you’ve
covered one third of all reading
All
Are
As
At
Be
But
For
Had
Have
Him
His
Not
On
One
Said
So
They
We
With
You
30
Add another 68 words and you’re up to half
of all reading
About
An
Back
Been
Before
Big
By
Call
Came
Can
Come
Could
Did
Do
Down
First
From
Get
Go
Has
Her
Here
If
Into
Just
Like
Little
Look
Made
Make
More
Me
Much
Must
My
New
No
Now
Off
Old
Only
Or
Other
Our
Out
Over
Right
See
She
Some
Their
Them
Then
There
This
Two
Up
Want
Well
Went
Were
What
When
Where
Which
Who
Will
Your
Being able to recognise these 100 words
enables students to cope with a wide range of
reading material.
31
So what do we need to do as tutors?






Set up our classes and materials in a way that supports
our learners
Start with what they know already
Help learners become aware of the links between
sounds, letters and words – PHONICS
Help them develop a good basic sight vocabulary
Ensure that they have a range of strategies for
decoding unfamiliar words, and for adding new words to
their vocabulary
Make sure they understand what they’re reading and
that they learn to check their own understanding of
what they’re reading.
32
DON’T...





Give material too
advanced/difficult.
Jump in too quickly.
Make learner sound out every word.
Dwell on unsuccessful words.
Tackle too many new/tricky words
in a session
33
DON’T...




Use the same material over and
over.
Expect your learner to enjoy what
you like to read.
Make reading a chore.
Ask learner to read lists of words –
keep things relevant to real life.
34
DO...




Encourage learner to read to the
end of a sentence.
Give time to attempt each
sentence.
Encourage reading for meaning.
Help learner scan the text to “get
the gist” and for difficult words,
before reading.
35
DO...




Highlight successes
Use a variety of reading material.
Encourage reading in phrases and
sentences.
Find ways to make reading fun!
36
Don’t forget For a beginner, a key skill is the
confidence to give it a try, confidence to
sound things out, confidence to try out
new approaches to long words.
Often this involves breaking very old
habits – it’s vital that your learner
feels safe to try things out and has a
range of strategies at their fingertips
37