Kids Corner - How I teach Sight Reading

Sight reading is the ability to look at a written word and know what it says without sounding the word out. Young people, and people of all ages with dyslexia, find it difficult to sight-read, and it can take a long time to learn in traditional ways. So, what do I do to help people learn to sight-read more quickly?

·         Build confidence – sight reading is a skill that takes a long time to learn. I help learners improve by building their confidence to try and keep going.

·         Small steps – When we begin, maybe we will only learn 3 words. But, those are 3 new words! Next lesson we may have 5, then 7. We go at your speed, so you feel comfortable and proud of yourself.

·         Repetition – We will build on the words you know. Each time we read people will see the words they have learned before, this will help learners to read the new words around them.

·         No pressure and lots of fun – Learning can be stressful, so I take the pressure off for learners. All we need to do is try, and see if it works.

·         Silly jokes – I keep the atmosphere light. My learners enjoy meeting with me, and this helps them to WANT to improve their reading.

People who enjoy their lessons, are encouraged, and rewarded for effort, and are given a realistic small step reading plan, learn to sight read well. Reading is all about patience, and that is something I have a lot of!