• Once children recognize letter combinations, they're able to build their vocabularies.small girl reading image by enens from Fotolia.com
  
  Teaching young children to decode words is a slow process, but it doesn't have to be a frustrating endeavor. The alphabet is a marvelously efficient system for conveying ideas, but adults have long forgotten how difficult it is to learn the sounds of individual letters and letter groupings needed to decode words. Techniques that assist children with visual cues and that spark their imaginations are most likely to get them excited about decoding new words and retaining what they learn at home and in the classroom.
  
  

Visualizing Basic Words

• Visual enhancements assist word decoding by reinforcing words' sounds and meanings. Basic code words include "run," "cat," and "fast," which can be pronounced correctly by articulating each letter. Select 10 basic code words and sound out each letter with your students, saying the entire word aloud once the children pronounce each phoneme. Tell the children to write each word down and draw a picture representing the word. The children will associate the word's pronunciation and meaning with their drawings, helping them retain what they've learned. If a child's picture seems particularly abstract or strays from the word's meaning, have her tell you about her picture and go through the word's sound and meaning again if she hasn't grasped it.
  
  

Decoding Simple Polysyllabic Words

• Once your class can decode basic syllables, move on to more complex word decoding by creating a list of animals, such as tiger and lion, with syllables that are easy for children to decode. Write the words for the children, breaking them down into their individual syllables. Prompt your class to read each syllable, then have the children quickly say the syllables together. Once the children have combined the syllables into the word, ask them what the word is and what it means. Repeat the exercise with more diverse word groups to decode.
  
  

Decoding Words With a Silent E

• When your class understands basic word decoding, introduce the students to more complex phoneme groups with words ending with a silent E. Begin by pairing each child with a partner, and give them a list of simple words such as "slim" and "bit." Help the children decode these words by explaining that each syllable has only one vowel sound. Have one child read the words, and have his partner clap every time she hears a vowel sound. Once they've completed the first list, give them a second list with similar words ending with a silent E, such as "slime" and "bite." Repeat the clapping exercise, reversing the roles of the reader and the clapper, and explain the concept of the silent E again to the children who are pronouncing it. After the children have read both lists, ask them what they noticed about the different sounds of the words on each list, then explain the concept of long and short vowels.