IREC Parent Pipeline
CAFE Strategy: Look in the Middle
Learning to read words that contain more than one vowel or words that contain vowel patterns that can make more than one sound such as /ow/ like in cow and /ow/ like in snow can often be challenging and confusing to young readers. Your child is working on how to Look in the Middle to help with developing the ability to automatically read words. In class, we have introduced the most common sounds for the various vowel patterns (English is very irregular so like most strategies there are exceptions). This strategy also helps children move towards correctly spelling complex words. The following ideas provide you with suggestions on how you can assist your child in becoming a better reader.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
Have your child use his/her fingers to cover everything but the vowel pattern. Say “look in the middle”. Next remove your right finger, at the end of the word and read the chunk. Finally remove your left finger and read the whole word.
Here are some examples of how it works:
rain 1. ai 2. ain 3. rain
float 1. oa 2. oat 3. float
shower 1. ow 2. ower 3. shower
2. Research shows that people who are strong spellers visualize (make a picture in their mind) of what the word should look like. When your child is trying to spell a word, have him/her stretch out the word orally and listen for the vowel sound. Then have him/her write down all possible ways to write that vowel pattern. Next write the word using all the options. Finally decide which one looks correct?
Here are some examples of how it works. Your child wants to spell:
sprout 1. ou/ow 2. sprout/sprowt 3. Which one looks right?
night 1. i-e/igh/y 2. nite/night/nyt 3. Which one looks right?
cute 1. u-e/ew/oo 2. cute/cewt/coot 3. Which one looks right?
Thank you for your continued support at home!
CAFE Strategy: Look in the Middle
Learning to read words that contain more than one vowel or words that contain vowel patterns that can make more than one sound such as /ow/ like in cow and /ow/ like in snow can often be challenging and confusing to young readers. Your child is working on how to Look in the Middle to help with developing the ability to automatically read words. In class, we have introduced the most common sounds for the various vowel patterns (English is very irregular so like most strategies there are exceptions). This strategy also helps children move towards correctly spelling complex words. The following ideas provide you with suggestions on how you can assist your child in becoming a better reader.
How can you help your child with this strategy at home?
- Brain research indicates that the brain likes rhyme so rather than trying to sound out each individual sound in a given word, try encouraging the use of Backwards Blending. Backwards Blending is an approach that allows your child to identify the vowel pattern, then create a word chunk and finally read the word.
Have your child use his/her fingers to cover everything but the vowel pattern. Say “look in the middle”. Next remove your right finger, at the end of the word and read the chunk. Finally remove your left finger and read the whole word.
Here are some examples of how it works:
rain 1. ai 2. ain 3. rain
float 1. oa 2. oat 3. float
shower 1. ow 2. ower 3. shower
2. Research shows that people who are strong spellers visualize (make a picture in their mind) of what the word should look like. When your child is trying to spell a word, have him/her stretch out the word orally and listen for the vowel sound. Then have him/her write down all possible ways to write that vowel pattern. Next write the word using all the options. Finally decide which one looks correct?
Here are some examples of how it works. Your child wants to spell:
sprout 1. ou/ow 2. sprout/sprowt 3. Which one looks right?
night 1. i-e/igh/y 2. nite/night/nyt 3. Which one looks right?
cute 1. u-e/ew/oo 2. cute/cewt/coot 3. Which one looks right?
Thank you for your continued support at home!