Whenever one is working with children or foreign-language persons or people who are semiliterate, Special Reading Aloud Word Clearing is used.
As in the Reading Aloud method, the person is made to read aloud to find out what he is doing.
It is a very simple method.
Another copy of the same text must also be followed by the word clearer as the person reads.
Startling things can be observed.
The person may omit the word “is” whenever it occurs. The person doesn’t read it. He may have some strange meaning for it like “Israel” (actual occurrence).
He may omit “didn’t” each time it occurs and the reason may trace to not knowing what the apostrophe is (actual occurrence).
He may call one word quite another word such as “stop” for “happen” or “green” for
“mean.”
He may hesitate over certain words. The procedure is:
- Have him read aloud.
- Note each omission or word change or hesitation or frown as he reads and take it up at once.
- Correct it by looking it up for him or explaining it to him.
- Have him go on reading, noting the next omission, word change or hesitation or frown.
- Repeat steps 2–4.
By doing this a person can be brought up to literacy.
His next actions would be learning how to use a dictionary and look up words.
Then a simple grammar text.
A very backward student can be boosted up to literacy by this Word Clearing method.