How do I use The Reading Gym?
TRG is easy to use. Just determine, through formal or informal assessments, which vowel sounds your students need to practice. If your student needs to work on the long vowel team, ee, select the book, Exercises with Long Vowel Teams. The book is arranged alphabetically, ai through ui and clearly marked with each sound appearing in the top corner of the pages. The word lists appear first and then the sentences. This differs from most traditional series where you would have to look through the scope and sequence to find where a particular sound was introduced. Now you have the appropriate phonics lists for leveled phonics practice. A reading fluency program was never easier to use.
I already have a reading program. Why should I use The Reading Gym?
Even if you use a sequential reading fluency program it is likely that you will still need word lists and sentences for your student to continue practicing their skills. TRG provides tons of leveled phonics practice with phonics lists to improve reading fluency.
Can I use The Reading Gym alone as a complete reading program?
TRG offers a wide variety of material for the reinforcement of phonics skills (long and short vowel sounds, syllabication, prefixes, suffixes) and fluency skills (comprehension, expression, fluidity). The books can be used as a basis for teaching and practicing these skills or as a supplement to other reading programs. As long as your student is given the opportunity to apply what he has practiced in TRG to the context of stories or longer text on his reading level, TRG offers materials for a complete program. TRG is a great resource for phonics lists. It allows for leveled phonics practice to achieve reading fluency. The website offers free phonics materials and games as well.
How can I teach my students to read with better expression through The Reading Gym?
The sentence section is where expressive reading practice takes place. For leveled phonics practice begin with sentences on or below the level of the word lists your student has been practicing. After he reads a sentence, the teacher may wish to model it with better expression, emphasizing italicized or bolded words as well as exaggerating the breaks in the sentences. Find and practice both statement and questioning sentences.
For additional practice, copy the page on which you are currently working. Number six of the sentences from one to six. Take turns rolling a die and reading the sentence that corresponds with the number rolled. Then roll again to move a piece on any board from a game or for a non-competitive activity, roll to accumulate shells, craft jewels, buttons etc. which can be sorted or arranged in interesting patterns. With only six sentences, chances are great that the same sentences will be read over and over again. Even if they become memorized, expression improves with each reading and reading fluency soars.
What is the importance of learning to read in phrases?
Phrase reading helps children learn to find stopping places within sentences where they can think about what they’ve read. It helps them to develop better comprehension, expression and fluency. Click on "Bite by Bite" for a related article on improving reading fluency through better phrasing.
Why is The Reading Gym so helpful?
With leveled phonics practice, comprehensive phonics lists to read and free phonics material and games to use, reading fluency skills improve and better fluency skills are embedded for life!