When I Don't Know a Word
We want students to become independent readers. When your child comes to a word he/she does not know, let him/her try to figure it out. You can help by asking him/her the following questions:
- Look at the pictures. Is there something in the pictures that helps you figure out the word?
- Look at the first letter of the word. Make your mouth say that sound. Is there a word that you can think of that would make sense?
- Can you find a smaller word or chunk in the unknown word? Does this help you figure out the bigger word?
- Skip the word. Read to the end of the sentence. Can you go back and figure out the word?
- Do you remember seeing the word on a different page? Can you find it on another page?