Tip # 1
Get a liner. A liner is a small piece of cardboard or ruler or folded paper that is placed under a row of book print. A liner is usually 1 1/2″ wide by 6″ long and easy to make. The best are made from an old file folder. By placing a liner under a row of print, the eye is forced to go in a straight line across the page by blocking out the other visual distractions. Using a liner will increase reading speed by 1/4 and also enhance reading comprehension.
THE REASON it works: The human eye is drawn to interesting things. On a page of print, interesting things may be the spaces–not the words, or it may be bold print or italic print or oddly shaped letters. The use of the liner will train the eye to follow one line of print. It also trains the eye to move along the print. A person who uses their finger to follow a line of print will read slower because of the brain time it takes to move finger, see word, read word, move finger, see word, read word, move finger. The liner cuts that down to move liner, see word, read word, see word, read word, etc. Use of the liner cuts out approximately 1/4 to 1/3 of the brain work and lag time. Use one until the reader becomes very proficient or whenever the reader is tired or the information to be read is boring.
Tip # 2
Quite often people think the ability to pronounce the words is the same as reading–it isn’t. Understanding what is read is reading. Sometimes students will read words as fast as they can. Listen closely to the student read. If they are reading words fast, they aren’t getting the meaning. Tell the student to take a breath at every comma and period. Suddenly what they are reading will make sense to their ears and comprehension goes up to match the student’s ability to make the sounds of words correctly.
These tips and others are included in the small book So…Teach Them to Read & Write…Easily by Nina Sipes available at www.amazon.com and our own [ Order Page ].