Review and Repetition: Game-Changers for Readers Who Struggle

Have you ever learned how to play an instrument? Or learned to play a sport? Maybe even learned how to sew? One of the keys to becoming successful with a new skill is repeated practice, yet we often forget about this when it comes to readers who struggle. Many times, parents and teachers say, "Why isn't my child learning _________ when they've already seen it 10 times?"

Well, it could be that 10 times isn't nearly enough!

The number of repetitions required for each child varies. Students with dyslexia or students who struggle to read will need many more repetitions to solidify the neural pathways that make reading automatic.

That's a lot more repetitions that many of us would have guessed! But when we think about our own experiences learning something new, it's actually not that surprising.

My Experience with Review & Repetition

My grandma taught me how to sew when I was about 8 years old. I joined 4H that year and decided to take on a sewing project, even though I had never picked up a needle and thread in my life. Enter my patient and loving (but also particular) grandma. She sat next to me at the sewing machine and modeled, guided, and corrected me. Over and over we would practice different types of stitches, turning corners, and even adding those dreaded pleats (I grew up in the 90s, so everything was pleated). 

When I think back to those days sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with her, I can't help but think what an amazing teacher she was. And how SO much of how she taught me is what we need to be doing for our struggling readers.

Review

Whenever we'd first sit down to sew, we'd always familiarize ourselves with where we left off and she would review what she taught me from our previous session. It made me feel comfortable and a little more confident when we started by going over the things I'd already learned.

How this applies to teaching struggling readers:

Lessons should always start with a review of previously learned content. This activates the brain and is a great warmup for new learning. Review the most recent concepts and sounds that you've taught, along with any other skills that your reader is struggling with. Make sure not to review EVERYTHING you've ever taught them, as this will take entirely too long and certainly bore them before they've even started. In my Orton Gillingham training, we learned to review the last 2 or 3 concepts that we'd taught and anything else that was proving to be difficult.

What this could look like:

• Reviewing concept and sound cards in a flashcard-type style
• Simply asking, "What do you remember about __________?"
• Having your reader practice rereading words, phrases, or sentences from the previous lesson
• Playing a quick 5 minute game with words from the previous lesson or words that have been challenging for your reader

Review doesn't need to be anything prolonged or tedious. Just a quick 3-5 minute warmup will do!

Repetition

I can't tell you how many times my grandma had me practice something OVER and OVER again. If a line of stitches wasn't perfectly straight, she would lovingly correct me. And then she'd make me rip out the stitches one-by-one and try again. It never felt like a chore though, because she was so patient with me. She'd remind me what to do the next time and we'd try again, sometimes with her hands over mine guiding me right along. And guess what? The more I practiced? Yep, the better I got.

How this applies to teaching struggling readers:

After learning a new concept, our growing readers need many opportunities to practice. And that doesn't mean reading the same word list over and over again until it's practically memorized. Multiple exposures to the new concept or sound should be done in differing formats. Your reader should practice reading words, phrases, sentences and a story or passage with the new skill. Spelling words and writing sentences with the new pattern should also be practiced. Games are another great way to *sneakily* get some practice in. The more opportunities for practice, the better chances your reader has of retaining the information.

What this could look like:

•  Place words with the new pattern on index cards. Tape up the cards in frequently visited locations, such as the refrigerator, front door, bathroom mirror, a light switch, etc. Each time your child passes by the card (or opens the refrigerator, walks through the front door, turns on/off the light switch) have them practice reading the word on the card. After a couple days of this, switch up the location of the cards so they aren't simply memorized from being in the same spot!
•  Make spelling fun and exciting! Grab some sidewalk chalk and head outdoors. Choose a word on your child's word list and say it aloud. Have your child repeat the word, tap the sounds on their fingers, and then spell it with the sidewalk chalk. After spelling 5 words, allow your child 5-10 minutes of free drawing time before moving onto another group of 5 words.
•  Have your child reread his/her decodable story. To change things up, after reading it one time through with you, they can read aloud to a stuffed animal or pet, call grandma or grandpa and read over the phone, or even record themselves reading with a phone or tablet. Have them listen to the recording and then work on making the next recording sound smoother and more fluent!
• Repurpose games into reading review! Check out the free resource below and click the image to download a copy!

Here at Up & Away Literacy, we're big fans of giving review and repetition the spotlight they deserve. Even though they may not be the most glamorous parts of the lesson, they are critical for helping our struggling readers be successful.

If you're looking for an online reading program with consistent review and repetition built into every lesson, be sure to check out our LIFT OFF! to Literacy program. Learn more by clicking the image below!