Presentation

  1. 1

    Lay out three or four pictures.

  2. 2

    Take one phrase strip and read it slowly, pointing under each word.

  3. 3

    Read it again smoothly. Look at the pictures and place the strip under the one it describes.

  4. 4

    Invite the child to read the next strip and find its picture.

  5. 5

    Continue until all strips are placed.

  6. 6

    When the child is secure with phrases, introduce sentence strips with a capital letter and a period, pointing them out.

Extensions, easiest to hardest

  1. Sentence strips with two sentences
  2. Strips that differ by one word (a red hat / a red hen) so the child must read every word
  3. The child writes a sentence for a picture

Control of error

The pictures; strips that do not fit any picture show a reading error. Some sets have matching symbols on the backs.

Ready to move on when the child…

  • Reads phrase strips smoothly without pointing under each letter
  • Matches sentence strips to pictures correctly
  • Reads sentences that include known puzzle words

Try “pink tower”, “tummy”, “diaper”, “grace and courtesy”, or “October”.