As experienced readers, when we come to an unfamiliar word in a text, we are usually
able to use context clues to help us figure out what the word is. We use the accuracy strategy "Skip the Word, Then Come Back" without even thinking about what we are doing. We have enough experience and practice as a reader to know this strategy
works.
When children come to words they don't know, some stall on the unknown word and are unable to move on. These children must learn strategies to help them move forward. Your child is working on the accuracy strategy, "Skip the Word, Then Come Back". This strategy teaches a reader to skip over the word until the end of the sentence or passage. Then, the reader should back up and read the sentence again,
using the first letter or letters of the skipped word and their context clues to decode the
unknown word.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
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When listening to your child read, help him/her realize it is okay to skip over a word
and then come back to it. If, when reading, your child gets stuck on a word,
encourage the use of this strategy.
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Model this strategy for your child. Read aloud and stop at a word they may find
difficult. Think out lo
what it says. I will read the rest of the sentence and then come back to it to see if
can be helpful to a reader that is learning to use that strategy for the first time.
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Play a game of "Guess My Word" With your child. Write a sentence and cover up one word. Have your child read the sentence and guess what the word might be.
Then, uncover the first letter of the word and help them use the first letter and
context clues from the rest of the sentence to figure it out. You may also want to
reverse roles and have your child write a sentence and cover a word for you to
guess. This will allow you another opportunity to model this strategy for your child.
Thank you for your continued support at home!
