The Three Cueing Systems
Meaning, Structure and Visual Information
Meaning
When learning to read, children are taught to problem solve using the three cueing systems (Meaning, Structure and Visual Information.) Of these cueing systems, good readers use the Meaning of the story first when faced with difficult text.
Often, children think that the first action they should take to problem solve a tricky word is to sound it out. Actually, this is the least effective "first move." The English language has many words that are not spelled the way that they sound, and if children stop to sound out all of the words they do not know, their reading becomes slow and labored, which in turn affects their comprehension. Rather than trying to sound out unknown words, children must learn to stop and look at the pictures and think about the story and what would make sense. Along with this "thinking about the story" (meaning), good readers make the beginning sound of an unknown word as a clue to what the correct word could be. Nine out of ten times, when a child uses the meaning of the story along with the beginning sound of the word, he/she will successfully problem solve the unknown text quickly and independently.
When faced with difficulty during at home reading, please prompt your child to think about what would make sense in the story first. Also, encourage him/her to make the beginning sound of the difficult word immediately (get his/her mouth ready to read). It is this quick decision-making that helps your child connect the beginning sound of the word to the meaning of the story successfully.
Using meaning to problem solve is the most important reading strategy that your child can use. It is the quick use of meaning that makes a good reader just that - a good reader!
Structure
The second cueing system that good readers use to problem solve difficult text is the structure of the English language. Basically, children think the words they read and ask themselves, “Does that sound right?” To introduce this cueing system, I talk about my son and how he spoke when he was two years old. I explain how he would ask for things differently than I would. For example, he would say "me cookie eat now." The children and I then talk about how adults and school-aged students do not talk like this. Instead, we would say "I would like to eat a cookie now." Children in Kindergarten have learned many of the conventions of the English language, and they can use what they know to help themselves read.
At home, please encourage your child to think about the story and what would make sense first (meaning.) If he/she still cannot problem solve the word, then ask him/her to think about what would sound right (this is a good prompt for structure.) Many times, if a good reader makes the beginning sound of an unknown word, thinks about what would make sense (meaning) and what would sound right (structure), the word will just come out.
Now that we have begun to focus on these two cueing systems, I am looking to see that the children are integrating their use. In other words, they should, as good readers, use both systems together to help problem solve on their own.
Visual Information
The third cueing system used by good readers is Visual Information. Essentially, this is the use of letters in words and how words look (size of words, known chunks in words, word prefixes and suffixes, etc...) The Visual Information of a word is the phonetic component of reading.
Remember, good readers use the meaning of the story and the structure of the English language as a first step when solving tricky text. If a child relies on sounding out the letters in a word before using the other cueing systems, s/he may become a slow, inconsistent reader. There are times, though, that meaning and structure will not help, and good readers must use the letters in the word to figure out the text. Using the Visual Information of a word is different than "sounding out" the word, though. Children learn to look for the largest known part of a word, and then jump, or "chunk," through the word. These "chunks" generally correspond with the syllables of the words.
To help an early reader learn how to "chunk" through words, s/he is taught to put his/her finger into the text to help him/her eyes jump through the word. At first, you may have to hold your child's finger to help show where the important chunks are. After a week or two, release this responsibility to your child and let him/her chunk through the words independently using his/her finger. Once s/he is quick and consistent chunking with his/her finger, encourage him/her to take it away and use only his/her eyes. As always, praise the use of good reading behaviors along the way.
Good readers are quick decision makers who integrate the three cueing systems to problem solve text on the run so that they can understand what is being read.
The above information was taken from internet resource www.oncoursesystems.com/school/webpage/324568/826950
Meaning, Structure and Visual Information
Meaning
When learning to read, children are taught to problem solve using the three cueing systems (Meaning, Structure and Visual Information.) Of these cueing systems, good readers use the Meaning of the story first when faced with difficult text.
Often, children think that the first action they should take to problem solve a tricky word is to sound it out. Actually, this is the least effective "first move." The English language has many words that are not spelled the way that they sound, and if children stop to sound out all of the words they do not know, their reading becomes slow and labored, which in turn affects their comprehension. Rather than trying to sound out unknown words, children must learn to stop and look at the pictures and think about the story and what would make sense. Along with this "thinking about the story" (meaning), good readers make the beginning sound of an unknown word as a clue to what the correct word could be. Nine out of ten times, when a child uses the meaning of the story along with the beginning sound of the word, he/she will successfully problem solve the unknown text quickly and independently.
When faced with difficulty during at home reading, please prompt your child to think about what would make sense in the story first. Also, encourage him/her to make the beginning sound of the difficult word immediately (get his/her mouth ready to read). It is this quick decision-making that helps your child connect the beginning sound of the word to the meaning of the story successfully.
Using meaning to problem solve is the most important reading strategy that your child can use. It is the quick use of meaning that makes a good reader just that - a good reader!
Structure
The second cueing system that good readers use to problem solve difficult text is the structure of the English language. Basically, children think the words they read and ask themselves, “Does that sound right?” To introduce this cueing system, I talk about my son and how he spoke when he was two years old. I explain how he would ask for things differently than I would. For example, he would say "me cookie eat now." The children and I then talk about how adults and school-aged students do not talk like this. Instead, we would say "I would like to eat a cookie now." Children in Kindergarten have learned many of the conventions of the English language, and they can use what they know to help themselves read.
At home, please encourage your child to think about the story and what would make sense first (meaning.) If he/she still cannot problem solve the word, then ask him/her to think about what would sound right (this is a good prompt for structure.) Many times, if a good reader makes the beginning sound of an unknown word, thinks about what would make sense (meaning) and what would sound right (structure), the word will just come out.
Now that we have begun to focus on these two cueing systems, I am looking to see that the children are integrating their use. In other words, they should, as good readers, use both systems together to help problem solve on their own.
Visual Information
The third cueing system used by good readers is Visual Information. Essentially, this is the use of letters in words and how words look (size of words, known chunks in words, word prefixes and suffixes, etc...) The Visual Information of a word is the phonetic component of reading.
Remember, good readers use the meaning of the story and the structure of the English language as a first step when solving tricky text. If a child relies on sounding out the letters in a word before using the other cueing systems, s/he may become a slow, inconsistent reader. There are times, though, that meaning and structure will not help, and good readers must use the letters in the word to figure out the text. Using the Visual Information of a word is different than "sounding out" the word, though. Children learn to look for the largest known part of a word, and then jump, or "chunk," through the word. These "chunks" generally correspond with the syllables of the words.
To help an early reader learn how to "chunk" through words, s/he is taught to put his/her finger into the text to help him/her eyes jump through the word. At first, you may have to hold your child's finger to help show where the important chunks are. After a week or two, release this responsibility to your child and let him/her chunk through the words independently using his/her finger. Once s/he is quick and consistent chunking with his/her finger, encourage him/her to take it away and use only his/her eyes. As always, praise the use of good reading behaviors along the way.
Good readers are quick decision makers who integrate the three cueing systems to problem solve text on the run so that they can understand what is being read.
The above information was taken from internet resource www.oncoursesystems.com/school/webpage/324568/826950