Like most endeavors, reading requires practice. Early readers must practice reading aloud to a more experienced reader who will assist them with sounding out words, learning new vocabulary and attending to punctuation. The more experienced reader should model fluent reading and encourage the student to follow along and read out loud as well. Silent reading is not a productive activity for early readers.
Engage in phonics activities with students who struggle with letter combination and sound recognition. Use flashcards, games and books that address the sounds the reader finds difficult. Consider manipulatives to make letter combinations, verbal practice of sound combinations in front of a mirror and grouping words and pictures by letter or sound. Immediate recognition of letter and sound combination is required for fluency.
Learning new vocabulary provides one of the new reader's biggest challenges. Sight words are words that students see frequently in text that should be memorized for fluency. Interventions to improve recognition of sight words include repetition, memory games and challenges, flash cards and guided practice with a more experienced reader. Fun practice activities include reciting poetry, choral reading and echo reading.
Teacher-student ratios prevent teachers from engaging in extended one-on-one reading sessions with individual students. Parents, tutors or older siblings may help, but interactive reading programs also provide an additonal tool for reading practice. These programs give immediate feedback to students regarding their reading skills in a less public setting than many school group activities. Shy students, in particular, benefit from more private practice sessions.