How to stop a child leaving out words

[Debbie Hepplewhite]

You just need to be very honest with him.

His reading is getting sloppy especially where he thinks he can take short cuts.

This is very, very common.

Be patient with him and point this out to him. Explain that it might feel to him that it is more enjoyable to read more quickly, but that he may get the wrong understanding from getting the words wrong and it will give him bad habits for the future.

Ultimately, he has to cooperate in how he reads and he has to want to be an accurate reader.

I believe in kind honesty and explanations with learners.

[Judy]

If all else fails, you could use the 'cursor' (piece of card about the size of a credit card with a corner cut out) and move it slowly along the line of print and not move it on till he has read the word he can see properly. In fact, just the threat of that might make him be more careful!

[FEtutor]

As well as the explanation and the cursor you could try counting his guesses- (they add to your score)- and/or awarding points (to him) for new words he works out or paragraphs he reads without any guesses, and maybe challenge him, or reward him, to bring the guessing score down day by day. I've started keeping count of some (16 yr old + adult) students' blatant guesses in the hope of encouraging them to slow down and aim for accuracy.