What do you do when you meet a word you cannot say? Be honest. Skipping it is an answer, and a common one.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Notice what you do first when a word is new
- Choose one strategy you will actually try next time
When a word looks new, your brain already tries a trick. Watch which trick you use.
On the board, join the words that mean the same thing. You have never studied them as a list. Each time, notice what your brain did first, and point to the label below that matches it. Do not race.
- Sound it out
- Spot known letters
- Guess from shape
Any of these counts. You already have a language trick.
That first move is your trick. Remember it for later.
Now try the same instinct with your ears. Short clips will play. Show thumbs when you have a guess; we will name the language together after the second play. Notice whether you listen for rhythm, a familiar sound, or make a quick guess from one sound you caught.
Open your copybook now and write the one thing you will try next time you meet a word you cannot say.
Make your plan specific. A line such as "I will listen for a sound I know" or "I will look for letters that match a word I already know" is much more useful than "I will try harder".
You can borrow one of today's labels if it helps: Sound it out, Spot known letters, Guess from shape, Listen for a sound I know, or Ask them to say it again slowly.
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