Three words that give us the basis to support the boys practise their reading aloud and to help their confidence.

The goal that is important to remember when we are using Pause, Prompt and Praise – is …

• we read to understand (or make sense) of what is read so prompting and praising is a key component of the process.

Reading should be an enjoyable activity so it is important that we are relaxed, interested and supportive which in turn supports the reader, enables them to make mistakes without concern and is comfortable to ask for a word when they have exhausted their own range of resources.

To enable enjoyment reading text needs to match a child’s reading level. This enables the child to easily read most of the text and therefore is able to develop fluency and understanding.

To supplement reading enjoyment it is important the area is well lit so the text can be easily seen, the area is comfortable both in seating and temperature and the time is not rushed, squeezed in between other activities or seen to be something that has to be done to tick off a homework activity.

Pause – Carefully follow the text as the child reads.

• Try not to jump in straight away when an unknown word is encountered.
• Wait (5 seconds) and give time for them to have a go or self correct.

Prompt – If the child is able to successfully work out the word it is sometimes a good idea for you to suggest they start the sentence again and re read the whole sentence to establish meaning.  Alternatively if the word is too difficult you could try comments like:

• Miss the word and read on for clues
• Look at the beginning sound
• Check the picture
• Go back to the beginning of the sentence and re read.

If the prompts do not work simply ask – would they like help / how about I tell you?

Praise – Praise can be given for effort, decoding and successes.  Sometimes it can be worthwhile giving a reason for why you are praising to encourage the child to attempt a similar process the next time you read together.

Katrina James – Learning Enhancement