Shadowing Practice: Learn To Read As An Adult: 5 Steps For Beginners - Free Lessons Included | Learn Reading - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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I'm April McMurtry, the developer of LearnReading.com.
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I'm April McMurtry, the developer of LearnReading.com.
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In this video, I will show you exactly how to read.
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I created the LearnReading video courses especially for adults who either could not read or could not read well.
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So if that is you,
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then this video is for you.
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You are the inspiration behind my entire curriculum.
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And I hope that you will stay with me through the end of this video
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so that I can show you exactly how to read.
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Also, In this channel, I will be sharing every detail on every aspect of learning how to read.
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So if you are interested in learning more about how to read or if you are interested in teaching someone else,
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then I invite you to subscribe to this channel
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and click on the bell icon so that you can be notified when new videos are uploaded.
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Okay, let's get to it.
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In order to learn how to read,
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one thing is absolutely essential before you begin to look at letters on a page
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that is what is called phonemic awareness
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phonemic awareness is being aware of the smallest unit of sound within a word
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and this does not come naturally to a lot of people sometimes the sounds within a word can sound muddled
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or blended together or they turn into other sounds when you try to pronounce them for instance pillow comes out as pillow.
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Someone without a strong sense of phonemic awareness will be unaware of the sound of in pillow.
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It seems to them like an eh,
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so phonemic awareness needs to be established before the letters will begin to make sense within a word.
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The good news is phonemic awareness can be learned or developed at any age.
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You just need a proper teacher and a lot of practice.
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To begin developing phonemic awareness,
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you can start with a few simple exercises.
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First, look at any object around you,
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say the name of that object very slowly,
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and try to pick off just the first sound.
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For instance, if you see a lamp,
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you would stretch it out,
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lamp, and then pick off just the first sound,
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l, and then repeat with another object.
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When this has become simple for you,
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continue with the exercise but build on it.
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Try to identify each and every sound within the word.
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So if your word was lamp after you stretched it out,
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lamp, you would then try to separate every sound within that word,
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l, a, m, p.
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And pay special attention to the vowel sounds in the word
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when you are stretching it slowly to make sure that you are seeing it correctly when it is separated.
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And finally, when you are feeling that you are separating all of the sounds cleanly and clearly,
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add to this exercise by isolating the last sound and then identifying another object that begins with that sound.
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For instance, if my word was lamp,
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after I stretched and separated the sounds and identified the last sound as p,
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I would then look around and try to think of or find a word that begins with that sound,
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such as plate.
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Then after stretching and separating the sounds in plate and identifying the last sound as t,
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I would then look for a word that began with that sound such as truck and then continue practicing the activity.
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Learning how to stretch, separate,
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identify, and eventually manipulate the sounds within a word will develop your sense of phonemic awareness
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and then you will be properly set on the path to becoming a successful reader.
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I have provided a sample phonemic awareness worksheet for you as a free pdf
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and you will find the link to it below in the description next to the number one.
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The second thing you must know before you can learn how
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to read well is what the proper sounds of the alphabet are.
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Most people think they know these,
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but they are surprised when they discover that they are wrong.
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The sound for P is not puh.
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The sound for H is not huh.
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And the sound for Y is not wuh.
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If you are going to learn how to blend letter sounds together to make a word,
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you must know exactly what those letters say.
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There can be no guessing and no almosts if you you are going to read well.
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I have an audio clip which I invite you to listen to in
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which I very clearly and slowly say the most common sound that each letter of the alphabet will make.
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I also have this in PDF format
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if you would like a hard copy of what the proper pronunciation of each letter should say.
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You will find the link to
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that audio clip below in the description next to the number two
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and the free PDF of those sounds next to the number three.
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You must know what those correct sounds are before you begin reading.
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So, so far we have talked about two essential pre-reading skills that must be established before you begin blending letters into words.
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And I'm actually going to throw in one more at this point.
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Sight words.
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Sight words are words that cannot and must not be sounded out or decoded,
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but they do often occur in everyday print.
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So these words must be learned in an entirely different way when learning how to read.
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First of all, there are several popular lists of sight words,
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but most of them contain words that can actually be decoded.
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So I have condensed those lists and created a list of true sight words,
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which only contain words that should not be sounded out by emerging readers.
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And I won't be referring to this list of true sight words as we discuss this topic.
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So sight words can be difficult to learn.
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There's no way around it,
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but even though they are difficult words,
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the way to learn them is actually simple.
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In a word, exposure.
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You need a lot of exposure to sight words,
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and it is critical that a student never try to sound out
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or to code or blend a sight word when learning how to read.
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So the way to learn sight words is to learn to recognize the word as a whole unit.
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I use a reading guide such as this one
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to circle sight words
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when we come to them in written text as a reminder to look at
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that word as a whole unit and not a sum of its parts.
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When we are just learning sight words,
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I introduce just one at a time and then practice identifying that sight word within a page of those already learned,
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circling each one as we go,
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and saying the new word louder.
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Once you can easily locate and say the word several times on the page,
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you can then engage in other practice activities using only words that you have learned.
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Remember, there must be no reason to guess.
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to a very controlled set of words.
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Only those that you have learned is absolutely critical in practicing and we'll talk more about that later.
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I have a list of 80 true sight words for you as well as several activities
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that you can use to help master these words
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and there will be a link for those below next to the number four.
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So now we are finally ready to start talking about how to actually read.
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This next step is so important.
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It is where most of the errors lie in those who struggle with reading.
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This most important skill that must be developed is what I call carefully controlled blending.
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Now that you have phonemic awareness skills so the letters in the word will begin to make sense.
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And now that you know the pure and correct sounds that those letters make,
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and now knowing that when you come to a sight word it must not be decoded but read as a whole word,
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you are now ready to combine these skills and begin blending.
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Controlled blending is the technique of training your eyes
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and your mouth to focus and study one grapheme or letter at a time.
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Graphenes, by the way, are the proper term for the letter
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or a combination of letters that make a certain sound or phoneme.
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Controlled blending involves the extremely careful progress through a word.
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I again recommend the use of a reading guide when blending for several reasons,
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but most importantly, It creates a multi-sensory experience and engages more senses than just your eyes.
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And you can learn more about reading guides in the link next to the number five.
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To blend with control, you must think of your reading guide,
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your eyes, and your mouth as being a connected unit
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and moving together without any of its parts moving ahead or lagging behind.
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You must focus and force your eye and guide
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to not move ahead in the word before your mind and mouth have had time to articulate that phoneme.
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Moving slowly is the key.
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Just like practicing the piano or any other skill,
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you must master the basics before you can flourish and become fluent or proficient.
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So even though you may be used to guessing
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and want to just read the passage as quickly as you feel you should be reading it,
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please do yourself a favor and slow down and train your brain to develop extremely carefully controlled blending.
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You can see video examples of the proper use of controlled
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blending as well as what it should not look like
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or common errors at LearnReading.com in the free How to Teach Reading course.
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And you can have access to this free course by clicking on the link below next to the number six.
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So controlled blending is the extremely careful movement through a word.
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However, the material you use when you practice this skill is almost as important as the skill itself.
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Which brings me to the fifth requirement to learn how to read.
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Generous practice with controlled text.
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Controlled text is reading material that only contains words which you have already learned how to read,
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so there is never a reason you would have to guess at a word.
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You want to break the habit of guessing and develop the skill of reading.
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So controlled text is absolutely essential.
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It can be difficult to find reading programs that teach all of these essential skills,
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as well as provide the generous amount of practice with controlled text that's needed to really solidify your reading skill.
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And that's why I developed the Learn Reading Program.
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Every lesson teaches just one new grapheme,
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just one new phoneme, just one new sight word,
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and you have access to paired card sets for activities and games,
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as well as supplemental books,
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which were written especially for every lesson in the Learn Reading Master Course.
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And these books contain five short stories per lesson to practice reading with that carefully controlled text.
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The Learn Reading Master Course is an online video class with me as the teacher.
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I will teach you 83 lessons in the order that you will encounter those graphemes and phonemes in the real world.
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It includes all aspects of reading instruction,
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such as those we've discussed,
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as well as vocabulary development,
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fluency, comprehension, and much more.
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And, And since I am a professional dyslexia specialist,
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I of course use multi-sensory teaching techniques throughout the program.
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And if you're interested in learning more,
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you can just visit learnreading.com or click on the link below next to the number seven.
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But for my friends here on YouTube,
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I want you to know that I will be posting very comprehensive videos on each topic that we've addressed today,
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as well as many others.
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there will be a video dedicated just to developing phonemic awareness,
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one video dedicated to the memorization of sight words,
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one on how to use a reading guide,
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and even a video on the importance of sketching or visualizing what you are reading to help with comprehension,
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and many others.
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So if those are topics that interest you,
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either as a learner or as a teacher or tutor of reading,
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I hope that you will subscribe to this channel
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and click on the bell icon so that you can be notified when these and other important videos are uploaded.
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I hope you have found this information useful
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and I look forward to sharing more with you soon because everyone deserves a chance to learn reading.
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About This Lesson
This lesson is designed for adult learners who are beginning their journey into reading. Here, you will practice essential skills such as phonemic awareness, which is crucial for understanding how sounds work in words. By engaging in simple exercises, you will learn to identify the sounds in various words, improving your overall reading ability. This foundational skill is not only beneficial for personal reading but can also assist in language learning contexts like IELTS speaking practice. As you progress, you'll notice how these skills enhance your communication and comprehension, making reading a more enjoyable experience.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Phonemic awareness - The ability to recognize and manipulate the individual sounds in words.
- Stretching words - Enunciating words slowly to hear their component sounds.
- Identifying sounds - The process of breaking down words into individual phonetic components.
- Last sound - The final phoneme in a word, helpful for creating associations with other words.
- Practice - Engaging consistently in exercises to improve your reading skills.
- Object names - Using common items to practice phonemic awareness through their names.
- Vowel sounds - Important components in words that can change the meaning and pronunciation.
- Sound blending - The technique of combining individual sounds to form words.
Practice Tips
To enhance your learning experience, consider using shadowing techniques with the content presented in this lesson. Shadowing involves listening to a speaker and immediately trying to replicate their pronunciation, tone, and pace. Since this video provides clear and deliberate explanations, it is an ideal resource for shadowing practice. Focus on these aspects:
- Listen carefully to how sounds are articulated. Repeat phrases while paying attention to the subtle differences in sound.
- Match the speed of the speaker. Since the video is structured for beginners, the pacing allows for easier imitation.
- Segment your practice. Start by slowing down complex phrases before gradually increasing your speed. This will help solidify your understanding of phonemic awareness.
- Utilize each exercise mentioned in the video, such as isolating sounds and creating new words based on them. This not only builds your vocabulary but also prepares you for the IELTS speaking practice.
- Practice regularly. Consistency is key. By setting a specific time for your practice sessions, such as using this shadowing site, you will make steady progress in your reading and speaking skills.
By integrating these techniques into your English learning routine, you'll find that reading will become increasingly accessible and enjoyable, paving the way for improved communication skills in various contexts.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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