The Spaced Out Letters Approach

Hi VSE Friends. I'm going to tell you about the spaced out letters approach. Words are easier or more difficult to read depending on how close the letters are. This word is much easier to read than this one. When there are large spaces in between the letters in a word, it takes very careful attention to the letter sequences to be able to read it. This approach is all about getting your kiddos to practice reading words with large spaces in between the letters. I've used student strips here just to space the letters out myself, but Microsoft Word has a special feature that will allow you to space out all the letters in words in a whole document. That special feature is called the format feature, or you can just space them out yourself if you're using Google like this. All right, keep in mind that when you're practicing this strategy with your kiddos that viewing distance is very important. Words that are a little farther back that they're viewing from a little farther back, they're a little bit easier to read in this format than they are when they read them up close. So keep that in mind as you're practicing with your kiddos. I hope you're able to use something from this strategy in your classroom to help your kids become better readers.