Word-solving Strategies for Clifford for President

word-solving-strategies-for-Clifford-for-President--free-work-pgs

Word-solving strategies can be fun with books like Clifford for President by Mark Mcveigh. Books that children find interesting enough to try to decode the words and understand the story are motivating enough for sneaking in some teaching. There are quite a few word-solving strategies, although a few end up being used the most by early fluent readers. For more information about fluency, please see my explanation post on the subject.

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Skippy Frog Word-solving Strategy Skip it and Go Back to Try Again

This is one of the most frequently used strategies for children. Adults may use this or other strategies without thinking, but for children in the early fluent stage of reading, it may have to be pointed out and practiced. Children who read and just stop when approaching an unknown word do not have the necessary word-solving strategies. This one works very well.

Stretchy Snake encourages children to slowly whisper the sounds in a word to blend them together.

This actually works better than “sound it out.” Isolated sounds that are heard individually do not make words. By whispering slowing and blending the letter sounds, the word may more easily be heard.

Elephant Ears encourages children to listen to see if the sounds match the letters.

Children soon understand when the teacher or parent pretends to have elephant ears, and it means to listen to the letter sounds. Perhaps the child has the wrong “a” sound, or is using a hard “c” instead of a soft one. The sounds must match and make sense. With all these strategies, some children will like a few more than others. This may help for a child who tends to say the first letter of an unknown word and then stop reading. Encourage the child to read all the way through the word to the end.

Fix-up Bear is the strategy that asks if a word sounds right, looks right, and if it makes sense.

Fix-up Bear: Does the word sound right, look right, and make sense?

Children may try to read fast to sound grown-up. Teachers tell students good readers make sure a word sounds right, looks right, and makes sense before continuing to read. “Good readers” is what we say to avoid saying, “You should . . . ” to give the child a role model.

Lips the Fish

Lips the Fish is sort of a trick as the child gets his or her lips ready to read. By getting lips ready, the sound is already forming in the reader’s mind. How do they get ready to read? By knowing sounds. But a child may be tired of hearing he or she should sound it out. Teachers and parents may be tired of saying that over and over, as well.

Trying Lion is for when one strategy doesn’t work, try another!

Trying Lion is for when children are figuring out which strategies may be most helpful. When one doesn’t work, another one may be tried until a child has a comfortable set of word-solving strategies.