When you come to a word that you don't know how to say or what it means, try one of these strategies:

1. Skip the word, read on a sentence or two, then come back.  Try to figure out the work or put another word that makes sense in its place.
2. Break the work into parts.  Use your finger to cover part of the word.  do you see any words that you know or can you sound it out now?
3. Sound it out.
4. Use picture clues.  Look at the pictures on the page to see if they give you any ideas about what is being said.
5. Ask someone for help.
6. Use a dictionary.


When you have read something that doesn't make sense to you, try one of these strategies:

1. Reread the sentence, paragraph, or page that is confusing. Sometimes this helps to understand the words better.
2. Reread the confusing part aloud in a whisper.
3. If a word is causing confusion, see the ideas above.