What do you do if you have a reluctant reader? Play games and more games.
At the end of every level of Gilead Success with Phonics, review the sounds from that level and check that children can read the words from the easy books without having the pictures (video 1). Also read and spell common words using sounds that have been learned. Read them in the “easy plus” books (video 2). Then dream up lots of ways to practise these.
Only ask children to read words when they know the sounds in them. If they forget a sound, don’t keep asking, just remind them what it is. (Check out the memory aids on video 1.) This is critical in rebuilding the confidence of a reluctant reader. Success builds success.
Adapt, adapt, adapt … Make small cards with the common words from this, or any, level that only use the letter-sound combinations that have been learned to that point.
Print the Word Race game board on A4 card (at least 200gsm).
Choose nine word cards to practise. Attach these to the Word Race game board with reusable adhesive.
Take turns to throw the die and move around the game board. You might like to race around two or three circuits.
There are two lists of words for Level 7:
- boy, down, for, look, now, or, out, saw, that, them, then, this, too, when, which, with
- about, bird, brown, found, good, how, more, own, room, soon, these, three, under, white, why, yellow
Other games could include bingo or memory with word cards or sound cards (just letters and/or memory aid cards).
Another game using word cards could be to make up stories.
Take turns to choose six cards at random from a set, or choose six words for your friend. Make up a story orally that includes each of the chosen words. Each time a word is used, put its card on the table. If you are using it a second time, tap it, or make up something silly like waving it …
E.g. When a “boy” found a footprint, he went to take a closer “look”. Was it a dinosaur footprint that he “saw”? “When” did a dinosaur make it? “Or” was it an alien’s footprint? Oh dear, “now” he could see that it was only his dog’s footprint. “Or” was it? …
The more outlandish the story, the more a reluctant reader will forget that they are reading and just enjoy it.
Click on the bottom right hand corner of each video to see it full screen. If you have trouble seeing the videos try check sounds, common words and games
To see the other videos go to Videos for Children
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