Part 5 (Continued): Teaching Dyslexic Kids to Decode New Words

 

The “Blocking” Technique & Digraph Mastery

One highly practical strategy is helping children confidently tackle unfamiliar words is by spotting reliable letter patterns. The book Teach Your Child to Read introduces a simple, tactile “finger-blocking” method starting around Chapter 20.

This technique builds directly on phonics knowledge and gives kids a concrete, hands-on way to isolate and recognize common digraphs (two letters that make one sound) like ee, oo, ea, ai, etc.

Why This Works Well 

In the initial stage, many children often struggle with visual parsing of longer words. 

 

The finger-blocking method:

 

Reduces visual clutter by physically covering parts of the word.

Strengthens the connection between the known sound pattern and the full word.

Builds confidence through predictable success and immediate feedback.

 

Step-by-Step “Finger-Blocking” Technique (Using “ee” as the Example)

 

Today’s Lesson Focus: Teach students how to make out new words by spotting familiar letter combinations.

Materials: Printed word lists (or write on paper/whiteboard), index fingers ready!

Introduce the target combination

Sound out “ee” clearly and have the child repeat it while looking at the letters. Remind them this makes the long /ē/ sound (as in “see”).

Model with a word — “beef” 

Child uses left index finger to block the letter(s) before “ee” (the ‘b’). 

Uses right index finger to block the letter(s) after “ee” (the ‘f’). 

Now only “ee” is visible → child says the sound they already know. 

Lift the right finger first → child sees “eef” and blends it. This is easy as the child already knows the sounds of the letters.

Lift the left finger → full word “beef”. Child reads it aloud.

 

Variation for longer words:

Example from the book — “cooking”.

Spot “oo” (known sound). 

Block before/after to isolate “oo”. 

Blend “cook” + “ing” (suffix they already know).

 

Word List Practice – “ee” Family (Direct from the Book)

Here’s a ready-to-use list for your sessions:

beef been beep beet

eel

feed feel feet

heed heel

jeep

keel keen keep

meek meet

need

peek peel peen peep

reed reef reek reel

seed seek seem seen seep

teem teen

weed week

If you like, move on to 5 & 6 letter words:

creek

sleet

sheep

green

queen (Here ‘qu’ is one sound)

screen

street

three

freeze

cheek

Start with 5–8 words per session. Have the child:

Finger-block each one.

Read aloud.

 

Progression Tips

Gradually remove the fingers and let the child do it visually only.

Move to multisyllabic words and common suffixes/prefixes.

Always link to meaning and real reading.

 

This method is explicit, systematic, and gives immediate “I can do it!” moments — crucial for rebuilding confidence in dyslexic learners who have often experienced repeated frustration with reading.

Teacher/Parent Note:

Praise the process (“Great finger blocking!”) more than the outcome at first. Keep sessions short (10–15 minutes) and end on a success. This finger-blocking strategy is a fantastic addition to any structured literacy toolkit. It turns “mystery words” into solvable puzzles using skills the child already has.