Reading Mistakes? Do I correct?
Short answer: Yes, you should correct mistakes in your child’s reading.
WHY?
Errors in reading affect the overall reading comprehension and enjoyment a child experiences. The more errors, the more these things are affected.
HOW:
You don’t want to interrupt the reading or create negativity with reading.
First let’s look at some of the common mistakes in reading:
—skipping a word
—mispronouncing a word
—substituting a word
—dropping or adding a suffix
—skipping a line
—paying no attention to punctuation (periods, commas, question marks)
Here’s several ways I help “clean up” reading:
Gently tap my finger on the area of the mistake
When a child reads aloud to me, I always want the child to first try to correct the word themselves. Therefore, I very gently tap on the area where the mistake occurred. I do not talk. I do not tell the word or the line of the area, I just bring attention to it silently to see if the child can make the correction independently.
Guess what? Often, this is all it takes! This is a good practice I’ve adopted and works like a charm.
2. I repeat back verbatim exactly how the child read it.
Sometimes children aren’t listening to themselves when they read and they don’t realize that what they said might not have made sense due to an omitted word or even a substituted word.
I read the sentence as the child read it just to see if it is noticed that the meaning is different than it should be. Sometimes the child notices and sometimes he or she does not. It’s just one tool in my tool bag that I try sometimes. You can wait until the end of the sentence or the end of the page so as not to interrupt the thought process.
3. I direct the child to notice the letters and syllables in the word.
I might give a hint like “Look for a smaller word inside that word,” or “look for a smaller chunk.”
If there is a blend, a digraph, or basically any pairing of letters that make a special sound/sounds (such as vowel teams or welded sounds), I point those out especially if the child isn’t noticing.
Sometimes, I point out that the word has a suffix or a “tail” (as it is sometimes nicknamed). If a child takes the suffix off and reads the base word, it is easily added back on to make a longer word.
If I have instructed the child in syllable types, I remind the child the word has a specific syllable type. If you want to see more about syllable types, check out my video here.
The Post-it Note Method
If I have a post-it note handy, I will write the word on the note and mark it. I might underline or circle a section of the word that needs attention. I might scoop the word into its different syllables or circle the suffix. That way, the book is preserved, but the child has the post-it handy for when the book is reread independently.
4. I give the child an index card to track print.
Having an index card (or even a bookmark) to move along each line can go pretty far on “cleaning up” reading. Sometimes, this is the only action needed to get the child to pay more attention. If a child prefers to use a finger to track print and does well that method, that is acceptable too.
5. I model the reading and have the child imitate.
In the case of a child not paying attention to punctuation, I remind the child of what to do when they see punctuation and then read some sentences aloud the wrong way AND the correct way. I ask the child to imitate reading the sentences the correct way. It can be fun to have the child read the passage the wrong way, but it is not necessary. The main idea is to get the child to see and hear the difference of paying attention to punctuation. Sometimes readers who aren’t yet fluent will stop at the end of a line, rather than stop at the end of a sentence.
Even small words can make a difference in the meaning of the text, so it actually is important that you hold your child accountable for every word when reading. If there are TOO many mistakes, then the child is probably reading a book that is too difficult (at least for now) and more support may be necessary from the parent.
Test your child on an easier level book to see if those same mistakes exist there. If so, then use an easier book for practice before moving on to higher level books. When you gradually add in higher level books, books with fewer pictures and more words, you can gradually help with any issues.
If you feel like NONE of this is working, consider having your child’s eye sight tested. It might be just a simple problem there that needs addressed.
Remember, you are your child’s most influential teacher!