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Strategies and Prompts
The following is a list of prompts that teachers often use with a beginning reader. The job of the teacher is to encourage the reader to use multiple cues and strategies, to learn to monitor himself as a reader, and to become independent. A good teacher chooses her "teaching points" with care so as not to frustrate the reader and break the flow of the reading. Assisting a beginning reader requires quick thinking!
EARLY BEHAVIORS:
"Read it with your finger."
"Did that match?"
"Were there enough words?"
"Did you run out of words?"
Have student locate one or two known words.
Prompt student to use specific information he knows. "You know that word. It's on your cards."
Repeat the word; then ask:
"Would that make sense?"
"Would _______ fit there?"
"Do you think it looks like ______?"
"You said _______. Was that right?"
Re-read page up to the error and stop.
If child needs more help, articulate first sound.
CHECKING ON ONESELF OR SELF-MONITORING:
"Point to each word."
"Use a pointer and make them match. "
"Look at the picture."
"Remember that they went to the shop and ..." (meaning)
"I liked the way you did that."
"Where was the hard part? " (attention to error)
"Was that OK?"
"Why did you stop?"
"What did you notice? " (if signs of uncertainty)
"I liked the way you tried to work that out."
Cover the problem word and ask:
"What do you expect to see at the beginning?"
"... at the end? " (encourage recognition of cues)
"... after the 'M'?" from letter sequences)
Then uncover:
"Were you right?" (after correct or incorrect)
"How did you know?"
"Try that again" (when more advanced)
CROSS CHECKING ON INFORMATION:
"It could be _______ but look at _______." (check one cue against other)
Offer possible words (so child can use letter knowledge)
"Check it! Does it look right and sound right to you?"
"How did you know?"
"What did you expect to see?"
SEARCHING FOR CUES:
"You said ______. Can we say it that way? " (structure/syntax)
"You said ______. Does that make sense?" (meaning/semantics)
"Does it look right?" (graphic)
"What’s wrong with this? "(repeat what child said)
"Try that again and think about what would make sense."(meaning)
"Try that again and think about what would sound right." (syntax)
"You almost got that right. There was something wrong with this line. See if you can find what was wrong." (visual)
"How did you know?"
"Is there any other way we could know?"
SELF-CORRECTION:
"I liked the way you found out what was wrong all by yourself."
"You made a mistake on that page (or in that sentence). Can you find it?"
"How did you know?"
"Were you right?"
FLUENCY:
"Can you read this quickly?"
"Put them all together so that it sounds like talking."
Model the reading. "Try it like that."
"Read the punctuation." (full stops, speech marks)
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