Understanding that spoken words are made up of smaller parts, called phonemes, is a crucial step early readers take in developing proficiency in reading and spelling. Teachers help students recognize beginning and ending sounds of words by holding up picture cards and having students tell the beginning or ending sound. They use colored chips to help students identify the individual sounds in words. The teacher says a word, and the child repeats the word sound by sound, pushing up a chip each time he hears a sound in a word. Students can practice counting syllables by clapping in time to the syllables in words.
Early readers learn to associate the letter sounds with the letter names. They practice this activity by reading alphabet books that show pictures that begin with the same sound as the letter, such as z for zebra. As they progress, students can write and illustrate individual or classroom alphabet books. Teachers work with students in small groups to reinforce the sounds of short vowels, long vowels and consonants by having students read leveled decodable books, according to Jerry L. Johns and Susan Davis Lenski in their book "Improving Reading Strategies and Resources."
Fluency, or reading sentences in a manner that sounds like natural speech, is an important component of reading comprehension. Teachers model fluency by reading stories aloud to children using natural expression. The instructor can also read a passage aloud and have students echo the text after her. A writer on the Reading Rockets website notes that students can practice fluency by reading passages to a partner or by choral reading in unison with the teacher or other fluent adult reader.
Students increase their vocabulary skills indirectly through classroom read-alouds. Teachers help students understand the meaning of new vocabulary words by stopping and discussing unknown words or providing examples. Students can also create word maps, which are graphic organizers that have the name of the object in the center surrounded by words that describe it, to help them remember the meaning of new words.
Teachers help early readers develop comprehension skills by having students make predictions during read-alouds; for example, she can ask the children what they think the story will be about before they begin reading the text, or stop at key points in the passage to ask the class what they think will happen next. Children can also practice comprehension skills by closing their eyes during a read-aloud and forming mental images of the story.