Last month I wrote about the power of Readers Theatre.
This week, I am working on bundling some early lessons for parents and teachers. They are my OCK, ACK, ICK, and UCK word family boxes. You can find each of these free and easy to download lessons on my website under the Resources section.
These lessons are interactive—either the parent and/or the child read the instructions aloud. The instructions lead to a student’s response. These lessons follow the format of reading the family of rhyming words.
Breaking the word into "word puzzles" further engages the students in multi-sensory instruction.
Focusing on the consistent OCK word family pattern allows a child to identify the subtle changes in consonant blends such as going from: ock-sock-stock or lock-block
For children who struggle with hearing the sounds, focusing on one change alone makes learning easier.
Recently, I began teaching another non-reading eight-year-old, Mans. Using this OCK box lesson tells me so much about him and his knowledge and use of language.
Mans reads from the instructions, "Find the sock. That's easy," he says.
"Find the block. That's easy, too," he repeats.
"Put the sock on the block. Okay. That's too easy," Mans continues.
"Block the hole in the box with the sock," we read together.
This time Man's picks up the sock, the block, and the box.
He examines the box and places it back on the table.
He picks up the sock and tries to put the block inside the sock.
Watching children act out the words provides insight into both their reading and comprehension.
Let's break this down: this sentence has many components, and each one needs to be addressed.
Firstly, having a block of wood on the table confuses the student. The word -block, now used as a verb instead of a noun, helps my students think and understand how language works.
“Block the hole in the box.” Block is the first word in this sentence and needs to connect with the following words. As skilled readers, we know what is required. Young, inexperienced readers use experiences to learn more easily.
“What was required to be blocked?" I ask Mans. Immediately, he knows what to do.
As a child is reading and acting out the words, they are building a learning experience that is never forgotten. As students succeed with the reading and the actions, repetition of this lesson is easy. They want to do it again and again.
This learning task is at the appropriate level for the student and lays the foundation for decoding and comprehending language. These learning tasks provide foundational learning for students who struggle with decoding - and comprehension. By connecting decoding, comprehension and the multiple uses of words aids students learning.
We cannot teach anyone anything. We can only help them discover it within themselves.
