The letter-sound technique teaches children the connections between letters and groups of letters in a word and how those letters become linked with sounds. When learning new and unfamiliar words (and sometimes learning how to read), children blend the individual sounds of the letters together and try to sound out a word. This technique allows children to learn the most common and most used sound of each letter. Teachers should not begin alphabetically; rather, teach each of these sounds in groups so children can use the letters to form several words at once.
Students at the intermediate level can read along with recordings, a fellow student or a teacher to practice reading and word pronunciation. Teachers can do this by assigning each student a passage to read in class or they can choose students at random so nobody can prepare. Reading aloud gives students confidence in their ability to accomplish reading tasks and sometimes helps them "hear" their repeated mistakes. The same exercises also help build oral communication skills. It's important for a teacher to supervise this type of exercise to catch mispronounced words or other mistakes.
As students get older and their reading abilities become more complex, allowing them to work in study groups can increase their ability to learn and identify words as well as practice spelling. These types of group activities can include comparison, contrast, analogy and, when difficult words present themselves, introducing phonics into the fray. Teachers can choose words found in daily conversation and appropriate for each grade level. They can give a spelling test at the start of class to see where students need work.
Intermediate-level students who learn how to proofread develop skills that teach them to be successful later in the classroom and in life. When students correct words in their proofreading, they retain them for a longer period of time. Teachers can do this a number of ways, including handing out a document that needs proofing or having the students correct each other's writing.