need to review the alphabet continually is important. Children often confuse their b’s with their d’s and their p’s with their q’s. In some countries, there is no faster way for a kid to become labeled as dyslexic than to pronounce a “b” as a “d” or a “p” as a “q.” These letters are similar and if the student has not paid particular attention to them, they can be very easily confused. As you give learners the opportunity to review these confusing pairs over and over, they will begin to get them right and all without the necessity of branding them as dyslexic for life! This is not to say that dyslexia is not a possibility, merely that children should not be written off so quickly just because of what might be genuine confusion of elements that clearly look alike.
Building Fluency: Ramping Up
By page 100, learners should have grasped the basic concept and be doing a marvelous job of reading. The overall flow, in general, may be too choppy as learners focus too much on sounding individual words rather than reading in chunks. Instructors or parents ought to model reading from page 100 with an emphasis on how words flow into one another and request that learners read after that fashion. This will lead to a distinct improvement in the overall flow and quality of the learner’s efforts. This should be kept up, with frequent reminders when it seems that the learner has lapsed into the habit of sounding out individual words rather than focusing on clusters of words.
Text size and white space
In the first 148 pages, a large font is used. This is no accident. The large size and white space make the text less intimidating for beginning readers. As the book progresses and the learner’s reading ability improves, smaller and smaller fonts are used.
g or g; a or a
In this book, g and a are predominantly used. These forms predominate in written works while g and a are mostly used when people write by hand. In my own experience, it does not pose much of a problem for children when g and a are introduced to them as easier ways to write g and a.
Supplementary activity: Using the Whiteboard
Draw a table on a board and break down words in syllables, for example, CA NA DA. For very young learners, have them repeat after you first the letters (C-A) and the sound (ka).
Thus:
C-A [ka] N-A [na] D-A [da]
At this point pause and ask them to read out the word: CANADA
You may demonstrate this process a few times until they catch on. Here’s a sample:
The table below is simply to assure instructors that children have all the sound units they need in this book to become confident readers.
Sound unit samples/phonemes in Read Assure
The above has been provided to assure instructors and parents that this book has all that is necessary to help a beginning reader master as many sounds and words as possible.
In reality, however, the table above need not form a major part of the instructor’s use of this book in helping the new learner. What is required is the instructor’s own confidence in his or her reading ability and pronunciation. This is why a native English speaker or someone of near-native ability will be much better equipped to help the new reader than someone who never learned to master English reading.
Why many non-native speakers still cannot speak English well: one theory
In many non-English speaking countries it is not uncommon to hear people lamenting that even though they have been studying English for many years they still cannot speak English. For some of these individuals, it is a matter of great consternation that after making so much effort fluency in English still remains elusive. Upon closer questioning, however, one finds out that even after so many years of apparent study these individuals cannot sound out many English words confidently. Their reading may be choppy and they may linger over many words unsure of how to sound them out. Because they never learned to read with ease they may never have formed the habit of reading English books. Often, these frustrated learners will say that they know a lot about grammar but studying grammar books is not the same as making reading a habit.
It is only the individual who has learned to read fluently and with ease who is likely to find reading a pleasure. Learning to read fluently will not mean that one automatically has a free pass into English comprehension. The reader, however, who makes the dictionary a constant companion while also making reading a habit will soon find a whole new world to explore.
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