How to Stop Sounding Out Words Letter-By-Letter
Did you ever sit and listen to your child read, but a longer word comes up with a vowel team or a bossy r and your child does NOT recognize it?
Here are a few examples:
crowned display person turning light bowling
Your child might sound out the word letter-by-letter like this:
“c-r-o-w-n-e-d”
So, what’s missing and how do you fix it?
Your child might be trying to read a book that is above his or her independent reading level.
If that is the case, you’ll encounter numerous words on each page where this is happening. It’s just too much. Read the book TO your child or put it on the shelf until later. It’s not a good fit for your child to read at this time. It can cause frustration. Read more about GOOD FIT BOOKS HERE or WATCH MY VIDEO.
Your child has not memorized the special groupings of letters.
For example, in the word “crowned,” your child might. not recognize that OW is actually a team that makes a sound together.
Additionally, if your child does not know common suffixes (and their sounds), it can be difficult to recognize groupings of letter like: -ED, -ING, -LY
What can you do about it?
Train your chid to recognize these spellings (groupings)of letters.
Some children might know that OW can make two sounds:
as in snow or as in cow
However, they can fail to RECOGNIZE the ow when it’s in a brand new word.
For this situation, I recommend drawing, highlighting, underlining or using letter tiles (or cards) to train your child in recognizing the two letters as a TEAM.
So, if your child is reading aloud to you and guesses or stalls on a word with one of these “teams” of letters, keep a stack of post-it notes handy. Jot the word down on the post-it and circle, underline, or box in the special team. Then, have the child sound out the word as they would normally do. I’ve used this method successfully with many tutoring children. If it’s a book I personally own, I’ll sometimes lightly write in the book (knowing I can erase it later).
Similarly, you can use an entire list of words printed out and have your child find the special teams in the words by highlighting them. I have not had to do this additional step with my own children, but it would help if more intense practice is needed. You could choose a reading passage with various types of words or simply a list of words with the same spelling pattern. Hand your child a highlighter or yellow crayon to highlight the teams so they “POP.” Then, go back and read the words aloud. Sale papers and newspapers are wonderful free resources to use!
Other children might not even be aware of a particular letter team. So, if they see a word like “morning,” they are unaware of the “BOSSY R,” or “r-controlled vowel.”
In my tutoring, I generally teach a mini-lesson on the Bossy R using some fun YouTube videos. The bossy R starts appearing in books not long after a child passes the stage of reading simple short vowel words. The bossy R changes the sound of the vowel, so it’s important your child recognizes it when it’s there following a vowel.
I teach the child about the sound using a keyword and an image. Sometimes, the child already has exposure to a word with the bossy R in it and might even have the word memorized (just because it’s a common word). Two examples are: BIRD and CAR
For my own children and tutoring students, I have used a simple chart called my Reading Handy Helper. It is like a chart a teacher would hang in a classroom, but it’s the size of ONE PIECE OF PAPER. We laminate it and keep it handy for our reading practice times. When there is a word the child does not know, I ask him or her to look for that spelling pattern on the chart of help in knowing the sound. We play I SPY games with it so the child becomes familiar with where the items are located.
Yes, there are tons of sounds and spellings on the Reading Handy Helper. No, it is not include EVERY. SINGLE. SOUND. PATTERN your child will ever encounter. It’s just a tool to use to get your child most of the way there.
You will likely encounter words that are spelling with exceptions. Don’t make a huge deal of it. Let your child know that our words don’t always behave the same way. Many follow common rules we know, and some follow rules (but the general population are unaware of them). The main thing is to be sure that whatever sentence they are reading makes sense. That’s how most adult make corrections when they misread something. They are prompted to go back and reread when something does NOT make sense.
What if your child needs some help that is MORE INTENSE?
You can purchase flashcards with the spelling patterns (teams of letters) on them and quiz your child regularly.
You can BUILD WORDS with spelling tiles. Unlike Scrabble or Bananagrams, spelling tiles will have the letter teams together on the same tile. Here are a couple of resources:
All About Spelling Letter Tiles (magnetic)
Wilson Reading Spelling Tiles (magnetic with board)
You can also try an app, such as the Letter Tiles app from All About Spelling.
ONE MORE THING! It can be beneficial to increase your child’s phonological awareness with a study of syllable types. I have a free download briefly explaining each syllable type. Most of us were not taught this way and still many teachers nationwide continue to not teach syllable types, mostly because they lack the training. If your child can see and understand syllables, then reading a longer word becomes doable by reading it in chunks.
Want to submit a question?
Message Rebecca@TheParentTeacherBridge.com
Be sure to visit my YouTube channel where I’ve made numerous videos to tackle COMMON concerns parents have about their children learning to read.
Remember, YOU are your child’s most influential teacher.