Learn to Readwith

Strategy

By: Melissa PiercePhoto by: Courosa

Your goal in the first grade is to learn

HOW TO READ.HOW TO READ.

Here are 7 reading strategies to be

SUCCESSFUL!SUCCESSFUL!

Strategy #1

Get Your Mouth Ready

Get your mouth ready to: say the sound of the first letter in the word

M ouse – Your lips should be touching.

O ctopus – Your mouth should be open like an “o”.

S tep - Your mouth is only slightly open and air is barely blowing through your clenched teeth.

Getting your mouth ready to make the correct sound gives you a running start at the word!

Let’s practiceLook at the underlined word. Get your mouth ready for the first sound

1. Max the dog sits on a mat.

2. Tom the duck waddled to the pond.

Strategy #2

Sound It Out

c - a - t

Sound out each letter of the word

Look at the three letter word below. You should hear 3 sounds when you say that word.

b a t

Say the sounds slowly, then quickly

b a t b a t

Let’s PracticeSound out any words below that you may not know. Be sure to look at

each letter carefully.

1. The ball rolled across the street.

2. Jack and Jill ran down the hill.

Strategy #3

Look at the Picture

If you are stuck on a word, use the picture to give you clues that might

help you figure it out.

I went to the circus and saw elephants doing tricks!

Let’s PracticeRead the story below. What is the underlined word? Use the picture method to help you.

You may often find animals like the rhinoceros in Africa. Rhinos eat only plants and give birth to live young.

Photo by: Derek Hatfield

Strategy #4

Does it sound right?

Guess a word……does it sound right?

When you get stuck on a word, it is okay to try to guess what the word is, but you have to make sure it sounds right and makes sense in the sentence.

My dad has a big red truck.

My guess: dig

Does it sound right? No, it doesn’t make sense.

Strategy #5

Reread

Sometimes all we need to do is go back and read the sentence again.

When you read a sentence and something doesn’t make sense it’s probably because you said a word wrong. Go back and read it again, and you might just get it right on the next try.

I robe my bike to school. (something isn’t right)

I rode my bike to school. (that’s better)

Strategy #6

Look for a Chunk

Break a hard word into chunks you know and then put the sounds

together to make a word.

Molly skipped down the path.

Break into chunks you know: sk i pp ed

Put the sounds together to make the word: skipped

Photo by: Mads Boedker

Let’s PracticeTry breaking the words underlined below into small pieces that are

easier to sound out.

1. The red fire truck went speeding down the road.

2. I use a toothbrush to brush my teeth.

Last Strategy #7

Ask for Help

Make sure you try all your other strategies before you ask for help.

Works Cited

• Clipart from Boardmaker Plus software, Microsoft, and Discovery Education Clipart Gallery

• Photographs from flickr– Courosa, Reading March 2, 2009 via flickr,

Creative Commons attribution– Hatfield, Derek, Animal Kingdom, October 5,

2010 via flickr, Creative Commons attribution– Boedker, Mads, Skipping, August 19, 2010 via

flickr, Creative Commons attribution