There are a lot of things for a teacher to consider as they teach reading in their elementary classrooms. How we teach reading or the Dos and Don’ts of Teaching Reading can be daunting as there is so much for us as teachers to consider. Today though, we have chosen 8 tips that will help keep us focused on the key things that really do make a big impact!
#1 – Don’t Allow Students To Close Their Eyes, Look Away Or At You
Now, of course, we don’t mean that students can never look at us or ever close their eyes!
Students develop habits of looking away from the text when they come to a word they can’t read. But we need to redirect and train them to keep their eyes on the text instead.
When students look away or appeal to me, I laughingly ask them if there are letters on my face. Or on the ceiling… or on the floor… when they look there. The students think this sounds ridiculous and we laugh. Then they get back in the text and we try decoding instead. Yay!
#2 – Do Be Sure To Include Phonological Awareness Instruction
Tip #2 of the Dos and Don’ts of Teaching Reading makes for fun lessons but is really important. Phonological awareness and phonemic awareness are critical for learning to read and write.
Poor readers, in most cases, have shown to be weaker with phonological awareness. And phonological awareness is not just for our readers who find reading difficult. This knowledge when taught explicitly is helpful to all of our young readers.
#3 – Don’t Let Students Avoid The Work Of Decoding
Sometimes our students struggle to decode. It can be hard work. But if it is a skill that has been taught, we need our readers to do the hard work and not avoid it.
We can scaffold, differentiate, and model for our students how to work through the problem solving of decoding unknown words. This will be an on going process since we are always introducing new skills.
It is also another reason why it is essential to know each student individually and what they have already learned so we can help them be accountable for the skills they have acquired. When students build their decoding muscles and their confidence, they become a partner in their own learning!
#4 – Do Include Comprehension Instruction
Teaching decoding is and should be an important factor in teaching our students to read. But sometimes we can focus so much on the phonics piece and then comprehension can get left behind.
Remember, as we teach our students to read, understanding what we read – comprehension – is our end goal! Try different activities like using Roll It Cubes with comprehension questions. I have included a comprehension piece in each of our phonics binders because it is just that important!
#5 – Don’t Allow Overuse Of Segmented Blending
As students have learned individual phonemes, it becomes important that we do not allow them to overuse segmented blending. /s/ /t/ /o/ /p/
It is important for our readers to recognize and begin blending sounds together to increase their automaticity and fluency. For many of our readers who struggle, sounding out each sound individually and then putting the word back together places too much of a load on their working memory.
Using blending boards, and phonics binders with blending practice are perfect for helping students to strengthen these skills. If they cannot blend into units, decoding multisyllabic words becomes extremely difficult for them.
#6 – Do Use Assessments To Direct Next Steps For Instruction
If you are not new to our blog, then you know how strongly I believe in the benefits of progress monitoring or weekly assessments. We absolutely need to make decisions based on relevant data and not based on feelings or opinions.
Once you have done a quick check, use that data for making effective decisions in what the next steps should be for instruction. Don’t leave it to chance!
#7 – Don’t Use Busy Work In Place Of Meaningful & Purposeful Activities
I see lots of fun activities everywhere, but a great question to ask ourselves would be – Is this activity busy work or is it meaningful and purposeful practice that will move my readers towards success? This question should be the litmus test for whether it will show up in my room or not. I always feel that I don’t have enough time with my readers as it is, so I sure don’t want to waste any of the precious instructional or learning time that I do have with them!
#8 – Do Remember To Take Time To Review
This last do is pretty simple but oh, so easy to forget or feel like we don’t have the time! I can be guilty of it too. But our students need those quick, simple reviews of what they have already learned to keep those skills fresh and solid.
One great way I have found for myself to get in some consistent review is to schedule it. Do it right at the beginning of the lesson. Remind them of what they have already learned. Also, set a timer! Time moves so quickly in our classrooms that before we know it, we have used up almost all of our time and we didn’t get to half of what we needed to teach. A timer can be one of the most important items you use. Set it for 3 minutes or whatever you have time for and when it goes off, you move on to the lesson!
Of course, there are many, many other important dos and don’t for teaching reading. I’ve just included a few this time. What would you add??
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