From FreeReading
What to do
- Write the story on the board. Be sure to write it on a single line.
- Today is a big day. You are going to read your first story. Get ready. Wait until everyone is sitting ready.
- I'm not going to read this first. You're going to read each word as I point to it. Remember to sound out the word silently if you don't recognize it straight away. Ready?
- Point just beneath the first word Fog. Pause for three seconds. What's the word? Praise students when they get it. Note that they may need help with the sound for uppercase F.
- Repeat for sat and on, pointing beneath the word, pausing for three seconds, then asking: What's the word? Try to ensure you are bringing all students with you. If needed, give individual students a chance to start again from the beginning of the sentence.
- For the word the, say: The next word is a trick word. Point beneath the word and pause for three seconds. What's the word? Students: the. Good!
- The next word is a normal word; not a trick word. What's the word? Students: land.
- Okay, now let's read the story again from the beginning. Go back through the story with slightly shorter pauses. Give individuals who are not following a chance to read the story on their own. That's it. You read it! Fog sat on the land. Picture it: a layer of fog just sitting there above a field of wheat or grass. Still. Quiet. Fog sat on the land.
- Since this is a sentence, it starts with a capital letter (point to the F), and ends with a period (point to the period). Sentences always start with a capital letter and end with a period like this.
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