Reading Fluency with multisyllabic words

[nature girl]

I feel like DD6 has been at around the same reading level for the past 2 years, she reads ER Level 2 completely fluently, but struggles a bit with ER Level 3. She can read 3-syllable words about half the time, but if a word is longer, or she doesn't get it right away, she panics and freezes, or just guesses. For example, this morning she got to the word "eliminate" and she just stared at it, wouldn't even try. She knows what the word means, I asked for a definition after we figured it out, so it wasn't that she was sounding it out in her head and thought it didn't make sense. (Sometimes she'll even guess a word that doesn't start with the first letter, so I think she's just freezing up.)

 

Have any of you been stuck at this stage? Anything you've tried that has helped? We don't use a phonics program, so far we've just learned through reading and it's worked well, but I'm willing to try one if there's something that can specifically help with this problem (and isn't overly boring...She has a very short attention span and seems to be physically unable to spend more than a minute on something that doesn't engage her.)

[HomeAgain]

We practiced with a homemade monster.  I'd write out ridiculously long words in large letters, and then we used an index card with a hole cut out in the middle to 'bite' it into manageable chunks.  We only had to do it for a very short time before he got over the fear of long letter strings.

[nature girl]

Ooh, I love that idea. I'll try that today! (I'm thinking I can even have her design the card to look like a monster face. :) )

[HomeAgain]

LOL Ours was bright pink with big teeth around the hole. I wish I had done a side view instead (to control the bites better), but eh.  Not used long at all. Every once in a while mine still gets a little stumped and all I have to do is say 'bite it!'.  I figure when we go into roots/suffixes/prefixes we can bring the same idea back on a smaller scale.

[FO4UR]

I wrote the Companions to the Treadwell Readers to work on decoding before meeting the words in the stories.  Many of the exercises build words from the root up ( help  helpful  unhelpful ), and that greatly reduces that freezing up at meeting a multi-syllabic word.  Levels 2 is for the child who reads short words and sentences easily, but needs help decoding larger words.  By the end of Level 3, the child should be able to read anything fluently.  (The Kindy/Primer level and the Companion to the 1st reader cover phonics, but are still in process.)

 

 

Use a 3x5 index card and cut a notch out of the top, left corner.  Use this as a cursor to uncover one sound at a time.  Go ahead and practice decoding large words before reading the story.  5min of decoding.  Then the actual reading will be much more pleasant.  

[displace]

We do "secret spy decoding". If we come across a word I write it out separately from the book and then we go though the process of breaking into syllables (find the first two vowels, consonants, decide if the vowels are long/short; repeat for whole word). Calling it secret spy decoding doesn't change anything except the perception that this is fun and familiar, not scary.

[FairProspects]

I wrote the Companions to the Treadwell Readers to work on decoding before meeting the words in the stories.  Many of the exercises build words from the root up ( help  helpful  unhelpful ), and that greatly reduces that freezing up at meeting a multi-syllabic word.  Levels 2 is for the child who reads short words and sentences easily, but needs help decoding larger words.  By the end of Level 3, the child should be able to read anything fluently.  (The Kindy/Primer level and the Companion to the 1st reader cover phonics, but are still in process.)

 

 

Use a 3x5 index card and cut a notch out of the top, left corner.  Use this as a cursor to uncover one sound at a time.  Go ahead and practice decoding large words before reading the story.  5min of decoding.  Then the actual reading will be much more pleasant.  

 

Do you have samples?

 

ETA: Nm. I found them. :)

 

[Chris in VA]

You may find exercises/activities that strengthen working memory to be helpful.

 

AFA curricula, I am pretty sure Adventures in Phonics has a workbook that includes pages on syllables. I think it's Adventures in Phonics C.

It's a good review for those who read already--dd used it in 2nd grade but she started reading at 4. It might be a little advanced for your dd.

[Ms.Ivy]

I absolutely love Webster's Speller for this issue. You can find links and descriptions on use on Don Potter's site and here: http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/webstersway.html

 

Basically, syllables that end in a consonant have a short vowel, and those that end in a vowel have a long vowel. The words are already broken up into syllables and progress from easy words to hard... but the difficulty of words is not determined based on word definition, familiarity, or length -- just phonics. I have used it with three kids so far and it is simply amazing for boosting their confidence and ability to read any kind of words, long or short.