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Activity and strategy

Breaking Down the Sentence

Tips to break down sentences for beginning braille readers who are struggling on the path to braille literacy

My first grade student is struggling with reading the sentences in his books. The spacing between words seems to be too close for him and then the line of braille can be stimulating to him, as he wants to run his over the braille as opposed to focusing on reading it.

We are taking the in-class readers and breaking down the sentences. Each word in the sentence becomes a flashcard. He is learning to read each word and then put the words in order to make sense. Once he is able to do this easily, we will move on.

fish flash cards
Braille word cards: fish, can, you, see
can you see fish?
Can you see fish? Print with braille label

Sentence strips:  

The first set he is introduced to have the words spaced further apart (3 spaces). When he can do this with little to no difficulty, on the next sentence strip the words will be spaced 2 spaces apart until we get to the normal 1 space.

After he can read the sentence strips effectively with little to no difficulty, he’ll get the book back. Right now, I have plans for two books to try with him in this way. The way he does with the books will determine if I do another book, if we can move on, or if I need to try something new.

breaking a sentence collage

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