How NOT to Teach Reading: Go Back and Fix Error

I Guess Not!

Part Five of a 12-part video series showing the flaws of common word reading strategies taught in schools-- Moral: Do not teach struggling readers to guess!

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Go Back and Fix Error - Fix-up Bear Strategy

This strategy is akin to strategy #4: Does it make sense? When a sentence has been read and something doesn’t seem quite right a child is encouraged to go back to find and fix the error. But simply getting to the end of a passage is not the goal of reading. Rather, comprehension is the goal. Comprehension is undermined when a child guesses at words rather than reading them.

It is very important for a reader to monitor their reading and self-correct if something is misread. Research has shown that most children who do a lot of guessing based on context usually guess incorrectly. Explicitly teaching the structure of English words will empower correct word reading and mindful comprehension.

Watch the video below for an example of Fix-up Bear compared to our strategy based on structured literacy. Contact us if you have any questions or concerns about your child's ability to read, write, or spell.