When the child becomes interested in reading and feels the need to recognize words more readily, special practice or drills in word recognition should be provided.  Such exercises should be given in special periods, with a maximum length of ten minutes rather than during regular reading lessons.  Such practices or drills should be lively, interesting and varied.  These exercises should be motivated by means of the child’s interest in play, games, achievement and competition.  Records of accomplishment and progress stimulate interest.  In the early stages, training in power and accuracy is more important than speed of recognition.  Some of the exercises should require an oral response and, in some, a silent response such as matching words and pictures.  A variety of materials are required including word and phrase cards.  The pupils should be grouped according to need for word-drill and in each case, the drill should be adapted to the needs of the groups.  In securing the best results, much will depend upon the resourceful management of the teacher.  Stone suggested the following practices used by successful primary teachers.

1. Place word cards for naming words such as box, chain, door and desk on or adjacent to their respective objects.  Ask one of the pupils to get the card for “box”, suggesting that all pupils observe the word carefully to be able to match the words and objects later.  Call on different pupils until all the cards have been collected.  Distribute the cards one by one and have the children place them.  Continue in this way, giving particular attention to pupils having difficulty.
2. Place color-cards along the blackboard ledge some distance apart.  Place the corresponding word-card in front of each color-card.  Proceed as in 1.
3. Make collections of large-sized mounted pictures and have similar matching of pictures, word pictures and phrases, and pictures and sentences.
4. Place word-cards in column on the chart, and have pupils name the words as they are pointed out.  Rearrange the cards frequently to prevent the child from learning the word by position.  Competition through races and games may well be utilized in such exercises.
5. Expose action words or short action sentences and have individual pupils respond in terms of action.
6. Write or print words, phrases, or sentences on the lower part of the blackboard.  Have them matched with corresponding phrase, or sentence cards.

 

Reference:

Stone, Clarence R., Silent and Oral Reading

By: Essel E. Reyes Alasasin E/S, Alasasin, Mariveles, Bataan