"sounding out"

When it comes to reading with young children, we notice as educators all the different ways that they try to read words. When these children are trying to read and they are stuck they try to sound out the word. In some cases this can be beneficial but in others it just doesn't work the way it is intended to. Our language is made up of words who don't sound the way they are spelled and who even sound the exact same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. 

When I was in my field experience this semester I noticed the student's constantly trying to sound out the words and getting stuck because they were frustrated when they didn't make sense. I had come to realize different strategies to help these children learn how to read these words without such a struggle. It is important in these situations to tell these children to take a step back and look and see if it looks right or if it makes sense in the sentence that it is in. This forces the child to look deeper at the story and its content. Also as a teacher in these situations it is a good idea to involve the pictures in the figuring of the word. Guide the child's thinking towards the picture and how it is incorporated and would make sense in the sentence. This helps the child connect the meaning of the pictures with the meaning behind the words. These are just a few ways to help the students really look at the text and focus on connecting the story with the meaning.