Word Families to Improve Reading Fluency | Episode 82

TD Flenaugh discusses strategies for improving children's reading fluency through word families. The episode focuses on the CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) pattern, emphasizing the use of short vowel sounds, and the concept of "magic E." Flenaugh introduces -ID and -IDE words, explaining how children can recognize patterns to read more efficiently.

The importance of reading connected text and sight words is highlighted, along with the use of tools like ChatGPT and Project Read AI for creating decodable passages.

Get your book bundle The R.E.W.R.I.T.E. Method and The R.E.W.R.I.T.E. Method Workbook to help children fall in love with writing.

Transcript

TD Flenaugh: 0:06

Do you want to know how to get your children reading fluently? Well, this episode is for that especially so you want to tune in like subscribe. We're going to get into how to make it our students read fluently, and that's reading like we're talking if they sound like robots, it's really slow, then we're gonna figure out how to change that. Let's get started. Hi. Thank you so much for joining the following for learning podcast. We have this podcast to help parents and caregivers with having the resources, strategies and tools needed to make sure that their children are on track for learning and to stay on track for success. We're gonna go ahead and get started. So let me just tell you, I have had an accident in July, and I have had back problems since then, been going to the physical therapy. I'm sitting down today because I am having a little setback today. So anyway, anyway, we're going to get started. So here we go. So we're going to be talking about word families today. So word families is a way to help our kids become more fluent. Word families have to do with recognizing the patterns in words so that they can not just read one word, but read dozens of words with similar patterns. So today we're going to first look at some ID words with the ID at the end. Now these are very simple, three letter words with the CVC pattern. By CVC, we mean vow, sorry, we mean consonant, vowel and consonant. Okay, and here we go with consonant, vowel and consonant. The rule for that is, again, this middle vowel is always going to be the short vowel sound. Okay, so that's what we know about the rules for sounding out words with the CVC pattern. Now, to make it a little bit more challenging, you might add another consonant to the end, for example, with vids. So obviously we know that they may not know a word like video, but vid is short for video, so you could use that word, and then you could put an S at the end. And some people speak that way anyway, as we know again, lids. So we have our consonant, we have our vowel, we have our consonant, we have another consonant. The rule is the same. It's a short I sound, ih, okay. And in that same vein, we have the IDE words, which would be eyed at the end. Now here is a vowel, consonant, E. So here is like a magic E. This magic e meaning it's silent, and it makes that vowel sound say its name. So instead of IH, the short I sound, it says I so it is saying I'd so we have the eye and the e is silent. You don't hear it, but if you don't have the E there, then you're back to saying bid. So this is what we mean about helping the kids understand the rules for sounding out words, and then the word families help them to recognize these same patterns and get away from sounding out every letter the ID, the ID instead of that they can See, oh, all these words have the ID sound in it. All I am doing now is the ID. They have that first sound, and they're putting the ID with it. The ID bid, VID did. Vids hid. They skip it. Did. Vids hid, lids, Kid slid lid RID. Sid, so I have a capital S here, because we're gonna call the character in the little passage we're reading. Sid, now remember, you don't want your kid just reading list and list of words without reading passages. They need to read connected text. So we're reading it words. We should have a passage with ID words in it. If we have an eye list that we're reading, we should have a passage with I'd words in it. So let's go through these. I'd words, bide, hide, rise. Side again, the same thing you are understanding that the IDE says i You're understanding the rule of the silent E, making the I say its name I but I bide, and you don't have to sound this out. No, yes, the kids will begin with sounding out all of these words, right? But with repeated readings and repeatedly showing them different word families, they'll begin to see these rules and understand the patterns and internalize the rules for how to sound out words and transfer that information to new words that they're reading. So this is very key. They are transferring the knowledge of how to sound out one word to another. So even as we do practice in other videos, not all of them gonna have the ID, but they'll start recognizing it. Even if it's that Ed, or if it's that consonant, vowel consonant, they'll start to get it. Okay, I added as well the ccvc, which is the consonant, consonant, vowel consonant, that's where you have a blend or a diagraph or something in front of it. We talked about diagraphs in another video, but here we're talking about the blend. So this two letters both have their own sounds, ooh, but it's problematic if you're just look if when you could put it together, slid right. So this takes some of the guesswork out, the more they could recognize patterns. And they will not recognize patterns at first, but you helping them to identify these patterns, helping them to read these words and do repeated readings and practicing for fluency. And I really like to emphasize that fluency is reading like you're talking, right? So sometimes people have gotten it twisted up over the years, and they think that fluency means that you're reading your speed reading. You're reading as quickly as you can. And then you'll find that some of the kids really don't even know what they were reading at all, right, like, what were you reading? And the purpose for reading, of course, is that you are reading so you can understand. And as they get older, is not just reading for understanding. Is reading to learn. They learn about science, math, social studies, histories, whatever they're learning. They're often told to read something about that. So they are reading to learn as they get older. In the early grades, if the student is progressing in the way that you know they're supposed to, they are learning to read from K pre K through three. And then we go into the transition of reading to learn. You're really using reading as a tool or a method for learning content information. Okay, so let's get back to it. We went through our CVC word CVCC, when you maybe add an s at the end, we have two vowels, right again. Same thing here. We have a couple of words that we've added a couple of word parts, such as a blend the bar, beat, sorry, the BR, the GL, and the SL. So when you have added these to the words, then you are making it more complicated and helping to expand the amount of words that they're able to read. Okay, I've left the sight words blank here because what I'm using is chat GPT to create a reading passage using these words. I just plugged in these words and had chat GPT do that. I have also used project read AI, and that link is here as well. So that you can see, I'm going to put the link in the show notes, so that you can see that's a resource for using. You know, decodable passages. Again, decodable passages are passages that are predictable because they are really based closely linked to the words that they've already worked on. So of course, that is a tool you use for early readers. But of course, as they learn to read again, teaching them the rules, focusing on patterns, so that eventually any book that's put before them, they're able to sound out the words, read the words, and not just read them, but. Also comprehend and know what they're reading. And with that, we are going to take a short break so that you can see more information about the books that I offer as these kids are going to be learning writing, the rewrite method and the rewrite method workbook are your go to resource for helping kids to learn to fall in love with writing. It has the tips, tools, resources, strategies and skill building activities to help kids fall out of writing and into loving to write, get your book set Today. All right, get that book. Okay, falling for learning.com we offer the book. We also have resources there. And at falling for falling in love with learning.com we have my blog, and again, I will put the links here at the show notes for you. Okay, so let's get into our passage that we have based on this, that we have created. And again, I just went down the alphabet. You see it's alphabetical basically, because that's how I did it with this. So I'm giving you a resource for just the reasons why you built these in. And of course, you could use this various tools and curriculum out there, but I would just want you to know the reason why this is set up the way it is. And of course, that could help you to really adapt things for your child. If you're at home reading with them, which you should be, we all should be reading with our kids, right? Even if they're, um, older kids, you could still read articles and all of that. So let's get to the video. I mean, to the video. We're in the video. Let's get to the passage. Okay, and I don't think you can see this very much. I'm gonna slide it over a little bit so you can see a little better. Okay, good. All right. So here we go. SID on the slide. Sid did not bide. He slid on the slide. A kid with a hat slid on the wide slide. It was too hot to glide, so the ride. And then I, I just crossed this I was gonna made his backside, right? I just like to make it funny a little bit hurt his backside. So these are some side words we added to it. This had side in it. That's why I decided to use it again. When you are doing this with kids, because it is a predictable, connected text, right? It has words that they already read. You give them the first read. You do not read it for them, like I've just done for you. I'm just showing you, right? But you have the kids read it first. They should be able and give them pay, you know, give them patience, give them grace. Sound out the help them. Sound out the words. Let them know they can sound out the words, because, of course, they've read these words earlier. So sounding out these words is not a big problem. And so you need to make sure that you give them the confidence and the experience of reading a text independently. First, if you just read it for them, it's easy for them to kind of copy you or whatever you want to know, what they know and what they're retaining. And the more they do this, the more confident they'll be and that'll help them along the path of becoming independent readers. Very important. What I'm going to do now is underline the sight words for them. Now, because I've used long vowels and consonant, vowel, consonant, like the three letter word, we're going to assume that the kid can read other three letter words, such as with the you know, and we'll point them out, but I will be just doing side words again, sight words and different people call them different things. It doesn't matter that much. The reality is, if you are a proficient reader, an adult level reader, you have lots of words that you know by sight. But I'm using sight words in the way that these are words that they have not been taught the rules for, and they may not follow the rules. So they also may not, may not follow the rules at all. And again, we'll go into that detail, so you may hear high frequency words, right? There's certain words in the English language that appear all the time, the word the if you're reading a science text that is at the college level, the word that is going to be in it. If you're reading a very you know, elementary level, first grade level text, you're going to have the word the in there, so it's. High frequency words, sight words, they're used interchangeably. There are some differences, but it doesn't matter that much. So, all right, so the word, the the word on, it's just a short on, it is probably part of their sight words, right? The you might need more challenging, maybe more challenging for kids, but it's one of the earliest sight words that they learn. But again, it's a good way to review. Did not buy. I do want to point out the word bide means to wait. It's not something that we use this very often, but you know, as you're just trying to find words that fit into the word family, you may come across some kind of weird words and just let them know it means, wait, he slid on the slide. And don't be surprised how this is on the slide. On the slide, the kid may need to get help on each word the first time they read it. And with this connected text you want to read it, I would say a minimum of five times. You could even have them annotated, and I'm annotating right now for sight words. Okay? On the slide, he did not buy so he again, it is a word that's a sight word, right? They may not have learned these other long vowel sounds, the he, and notice how the it doesn't really follow the rules. It would maybe be he the and some of them people say that, but we know that when we speak, we say the right. Most of us aren't saying the even though it follows that rule, it does not follow the rule. Okay? So another one the here's the word uh. When kids see this, when they're reading, they usually say a right, but we know when we're speaking, we say, I had a party, right? Uh, the word the letter A, says uh, we don't usually say, I had a party. Now, of course we could say it, either one works, but just let them know, because you want to associate the way they speak to what they're reading and writing. A kid with. So that word with, again, it's a sight word. Later on, they'll learn like the T H and all that. And again, you may teach the T H there. Teach the T H, the the uh, the and then here's what if. So you want to quickly show them like the rule for how to sound it out, and then you want to give them some practice with it so they could get used to it. Okay, a kid with a hat. Again. Here it is, again. Kids might get tripped up. This is a capital A. That's a short a, depending on their level, so be aware of that. Those are maybe some little barriers with a hat. And I can put in a CVC word here. It's not one of the ID words, ID, but I put it in there because, you know, it should be a predictable enough it's a pretty simple word. It's not a sight word. But again, like I said, if you're a really good reader, a lot of words, you know, by sight, very few times you would have to sound out words. If you're a very, you know, college level, adult level, reader, again, we have the again, wide side, again, came right from the list, predictable, connected text. It, it's, again, a very simple word, like on it is part of the sight words. But you don't really have to do a special like lesson like it doesn't follow the rules. Just remember on it. And you want them to get very comfortable with it, so that every time they see the word on, they're just saying on instead of ah, on, right? You want to get them past that. Here's the word to and was so. Was doesn't follow the rules. It says what the A says, Uh, and then it says was. It doesn't say was right. It says was so, when you see kids writing. You might see them write w u z. They might write the words w u z, because it's not clear to them that you know they're just reading phonetic they're writing phonetically. So you may see them write that and not know the difference. Okay, so now we're going to go to Hot again, a three letter word, CVC. They should know how to read this. Here's two with 1o glide. Again, came straight from the list. Here's the word so, so again, that long O they are not maybe familiar with. So you help them with that, to get familiar with that the the. Ride hurt, and I just made it, you know, I'm just being silly here. Hurt his backside. So you could just tell them what that word is. It has side in. It has a word back. They may not be familiar. You just let them know. A lot of them have been able to go down a slide when it was really hot and experience that little burn, right? So again, you are helping them understand the rules. You're helping them get comfortable. And I said, again, have them read it at least five times. Don't have them just read it one time and then read it to them. Help them annotate it. Notice those patterns go back right and again. You can have a list that you go over with them, and I'm going to write the sight words for them right here we had on the he, a uh, with right we're writing these sight words, and so it's part of a list that you can help. And they could read that list every day, and then read the passage several times as well. So you're getting them very much used to reading the words. You can put the to and the to right next to each other, so they could know the difference. And you may or may not put this on here so they could read it every time. But I just added a couple of words to help them out. And so there you have it. This is how we get students from sounding out each word to recognizing patterns in words, to learning sight words, to reading passages in a fluent way. So having them read it at least five times and annotating the passage is going to help them get to the point where they're reading it like they're speaking. You could even have them draw a picture of what the story was about to make sure that they go back to the text, label the picture with words from the text, right? So really making sure that they understand what they're reading and that they're able to understand the rules for sounding out words so they could transfer that knowledge to any text that they read. Okay, so thank you again for joining us. We know that you love your kids. You're doing things for them all the time. We want you to make sure you give them the competitive advantage, and that's why you can watch filing for learning and get those resources and information to make it, make sure your kids are on track for learning and to stay on track for success. Thanks again for joining us. 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