Beginning Reading (continued)

Beginning reading is the solid foundation on which almost all subsequent learning takes place. All children need this foundation, and research has shown the way to building it for students with diverse needs and abilities. 

Teaching Tips: Reading Words

1. Develop explicit awareness of the connection between sounds and letters and sounds and words: Teach letter-sound correspondence by presenting the letter and modeling the sound. Model the sounds of the word, then blend the sounds together and say the word. 
2. Attend to (a) the sequence in which letter-sound correspondences are taught; (b) the speed with which the student moves from sounding out to blending words to reading connected text; and (c) the size and familiarity of the words. 
3. Support learning by modeling new sounds and words, correcting errors promptly and explicitly, and sequencing reading tasks from easy to more difficult. 
4. Schedule opportunities to practice and review each task, according to the child's needs, and give them top priority. 

References

Chard, D. J., Simmons, D. C., & Kameenui, E. J. (February, 1995). Word Recognition: Curricular and Instructional Implications for Diverse Learners. (Technical Report No. 16). Eugene: National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators, University of Oregon. 

Juel, C. (1991). Beginning Reading. In R. Barr, M. L. Kamil, P. B. Mosenthal, & P. D. Pearson (Eds.), Handbook of Reading Research. (V 2, pp. 759-788). New York: Longman. 

Smith, S. B., Simmons, D. C. & Kameenui, E. J. (February, 1995). Synthesis of Research on Phonological Awareness: Principles and Implications for Reading Acquisition. (Technical Report No. 21). Eugene: National Center to Improve the Tools of Educators, University of Oregon. 

Stanovich, K. E. (1994). Romance and Reality. The Reading Teacher, 47, 280-290. 

Based on "Shakespeare and Beginning Reading: The Readiness Is All'" by Edward J. Kameenui in "From the ERIC Clearinghouse," TEACHING Exceptional Children, Winter 1996, pages 77-81.