Sometimes when we are worrying about the big goal of getting someone literate, we lose sight of the fact that every little milestone is a big thing. Watch for the signs that your student is improving in reading and celebrate each and every sign! Here are a few that are easy to overlook:
- Your student is reading/recognizing more print in the environment, like signs, labels, or advertisements.
- Your student turns on the closed captioning and is looking at the words while watching a show.
- Your student can read simple directions or recipes.
- Your student is texting or messaging more on social media.
- Your student is playing word games, like doing word searches or apps that use letters/words.
- Your student is using the internet more independently.
All of these things are signs that students are paying more attention to print and are getting more meaning from print. Keep going!! You can nurture and encourage these things to keep the ball rolling.
Be sure that you are modeling reading every chance you get for your student and pointing out the ways that reading makes your life easier. And celebrate! It’s a big accomplishment for a person with reading challenges to use print more frequently in their life.