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HOW TO KNOW IF READING LESSONS ARE NECESSARY?

The earlier a reading difficulty is addressed, the more likelihood there is of a child succeeding in school and in life. His or her self-esteem will improve, and that will in turn lead to further success at school.

Reading should be up to the average level of the class by the end of Grade 2 (Grade 3 at the latest).

Children who struggle for years generally have a low self-esteem. They can mask this by bad behavior or even by being the class clown. It is far better to address the problem early, than leave it and hope for the best.

TOP INDICATORS FOR SUSPECTED READING DIFFICULTIES

• Avoids reading
• Confusion between letters and their sounds
• Consistent difficulty sounding out words
• Difficulty in blending sounds together to form words
• Knows something one day but not the next
• Difficulty in recognising sightwords which cannot be sounded out
• Difficulty recognising words out of context
• Not understanding what they read
• Poor recall of what they read
• Seems bright, but reading lags behind

WHAT TO DO

• If you are unsure, discuss your concerns with a Remedial Teacher. The earlier the intervention, the better the prognosis.
• Difficulty in three or more of the above areas indicates the need for intervention.

WHAT IS COVERED DURING THE LESSONS?

The subskills that underpin the ability to read and comprehend are built up. These would include the following, depending on the needs of the child.

  • Improving phonological awareness, which is the ability to manipulate sounds in words. This is crucial for learning to read:
    • Say ‘boat’. Now say it again, but don’t say ‘t’. Answer: bow.
    • Say ‘cloak’. Now say it again, but change the ‘l’ to ‘r’. Answer: croak.
  • Increasing sightword vocabulary. Sightwords are the words that are frequently used, but cannot be sounded out, e.g. they, would, said.
  • Increasing knowledge of phonics. These are the written sounds that make up words, e.g. ‘ai’ says ay. If the child knows this, he/she can sound out words like ‘rain’, ‘paid’, etc.
  • Building up reading fluency. Reading books of the correct level ensures success for the child.
  • Assisting the child to break words into syllables. For example, we break words between two consonants: hap/py, win/ter.
  • Comprehension, critical for success at school and in life, is developed by assisting the child to think about the text, visualise it and make inferences.
  • Ensuring success in every lesson builds confidence.
  • Ending each lesson with a game provides fun and enjoyment, so that the child is happy to return for future lessons.
  • Success builds success. A child that enjoys their lessons is much more likely to flourish.