4 ways to help teach primary aged students learn to read

4 ways to help teach primary aged students learn to read

Teaching reading can seem like a hugely complicated task. Yet, learning to read accurately, fluidly, with good comprehension and stamina is also a crucial set of skills for school success. Despite this, many schools have a surprisingly large number of students who don’t master the skills they need to read in a sophisticated manner.

Of course, reading entails more than just looking at a word on a paper and saying it aloud. As a result, teaching reading entails much more than simply teaching phonics. Reading requires students to decipher the meaning of printed words. To do this, they must be aware of the various sounds in spoken language and be able to apply these sounds to written letters. Ultimately, they must be able to automatically recognise the majority of words and read related material smoothly while paying attention to syntax, punctuation, and sentence structure. Learning to read is complex and requires patience and strategies.

That’s why we’ve put together this overview of reading strategies to help primary learners. We cover what practices should be included in your child or students’ early reading programs. Each section explains how children can benefit from each stratergy.

1. Learning letters

Sounds simple, right? Yet, you might be surprised to learn these things about properly introducing letters.

Firstly, letters don’t have to be taught in alphabetical order! For instance, if you taught the letters a, m, t, and s, the child could begin reading a few simple words straight away. Which may be an exciting and motivating accomplishment for young students.

It is important to note that mastering a single letter involves two different skills:
Identifying the letter visually, and memorising the sound associated with the letter. Remember to expose them to the letters you are teaching as much as possible.

2. Sounding out

The sounding out approach, in which children are encouraged to read aloud, pronouncing each letter or combination of letters until they recognise the word by sound. This is one of the most effective ways to teach reading.

3. Sight words

Simultaneously, teaching children memorised sight words (also known as common vocabulary) reduces the cognitive load of decoding sentences. The idea is that the fewer words children must sound out, the more attention they will have to process a higher number of terms and comprehend terminology they have never seen before. Using flashcards or spelling practice to memorise these words that will most likely appear in children’s books might also assist in minimising the cognitive load involved with sounding out phrases and short sentences.

As children become more proficient readers, they read less aloud and recognise an increasing number of words by sight. This allows them to read more quickly. They can also accomplish more with the texts they’re reading, such as following more sophisticated plots, comprehending precise details, and making inferences and predictions.

4. Reading together

Parents are also urged to read to their children. Since instilling a love of reading begins at home. Although very young children may not grasp what you are reading, they will get an understanding of how books function, including the distinction between print and images.

They’ll start to expect interesting and engaging stories if reading becomes a habit. They will also be more interested in reading books on their own if they have formed positive connections with their parents through adequate quality time spent with them.

If you’re practising reading with your child or student, make sure there aren’t too many words on a page and start with individual words before moving on to phrases and sentences. Since too much text at first can be overwhelming for a beginner reader.

Overall, just make sure to have fun with the process and remember that choosing the “right” books and the “best” way to teach reading depends on each child. No two individuals will master reading at the same time or pace, and patience and persistence are a must, particularly for kids who struggle with learning difficulties or differences.

We can help!

We can help you learn to read! If you would like us to spend some time with a student who is learning to read, call us on 0409 083 909 or send us an enquiry and we will contact you!