Coaching Readers

Often children will come to you for help with their reading material. Sometimes the family routine includes reading with each other. When you are tempted to give a child a word, or say the traditional “sound it out”, try some of these strategies instead:

 If a child needs help with one-to-one matching:
o Use your finger to track your words
o Point under the word(s)
o Did it match? Did you have any words left over? Was it just enough words? Try again.

 If the reader needs help dealing with difficult words:
o Why did you pause?
o Back up, try it again…get your mouth ready (for the first sound, and then slide through the word
o What would make sense there?
o Do you know any part of the word?
o What could it be? Does that look right? Does that sound right?
o Think about the story
o What can you do to figure this out?

 If the reader isn’t self-correcting:
o Check it…does that sound right?
o Does that make sense? Try it again.
o Does that look right?
o Was there a tricky part?
o Can you back up and try again?
o I noticed you seem unsure…what are you noticing?
o Do you think you are right?

 If the reader isn’t reading with fluency:
o Can you put your words together and say it quickly?
o Say it as if you are talking
o Look at me. Say it to me as if we’re talking.
o Try it like this – child repeats you while looking at the words.
o Can you read it again and help me really feel what is happening in the story?

 If the reader isn’t thinking about the text:
o Sometimes the picture can help us think about the story.
o So let’s review; what’s happening now?
o What are you thinking?
o Oh no…what do you think will happen next?
o Does that make sense?
o Huh? Let’s go back…