Reading Longer Words: The Secret to Making it Easier!
Having tutored children one-on-one for long periods of time and having homeschooled my own three children from the beginning, I can confidently say that the ability to read longer words can be wrapped up into one skill: seeing the words in smaller chunks.
Sounds simple, right? But what if a child cannot see where one chunk ends and another begins?
Well, there are several things at play that help your child see chunks:
VOCABULARY
First of all, no child is going to read a longer word with ease and confidence if it’s a word they’ve never even HEARD before. So, vocabulary plays a part. Basically, are you talking with and reading to your child? If so, then vocabulary is likely not a problem for your child.
MEMORIZATION
Some chunks can be memorized. Think of particular vowel teams like “ee” or “ou.” Consider also suffixes that are added to words such as “ed” or “er” or “ly.” These are just a few examples. You can see more on my Reading Handy Helper. For my own children, they memorized these chunks alongside of images that represented words with those chunks. Once memorized, those chunks seem to “pop out” when reading a longer word, and the child’s brain can say, “I know what that part of the word says!” This process works even if the “chunks” or letter teams have more than one sound they make. Just memorize them as you go.
SYLLABLES
Understanding syllables and vowel sounds within them makes all the difference when seeing a word in chunks. Did you know there are different types of syllables in the English language? Did you know there are rules for dividing syllables? Some children learn to read better by studying those syllable types and rules.
Look at this example:
table = ta - ble
(open syllable) (consonant-LE syllable)
*Open syllables have a long vowel sound, so the A in “ta” says its name.
More and more teachers are gathering training on systematically teaching syllable types, but there are many across the country who are still unaware. In all of my years of college, I was never taught about syllable types.
It is possible to learn to read without the instruction of syllable types, but I would highly recommend teaching them since they give a structure and set of rules for pronouncing words.
In my course for parents, Next Step Reading, I walk you through the syllable types and how to help your child learn the basic rules of reading longer words.
Check out my other blog post, How to Stop Sounding Out Words Letter by Letter!
You can find more resources at The Parent Teacher Bridge store or The Parent Teacher Bridge Youtube channel!
Remember, YOU are your child’s most influential teacher!