Empowering Your Child with Word Attack Strategies At Home
It’s homework time and your child is stuck on a word. Now what? Wouldn’t it be nice to have some go to
strategies to suggest each time they struggle with an unknown word? I have found success in the classroom with
these strategies. The pictures and catchy names help to remind the children of each strategy.
Flippy
Dolphin
Tryin’
Lion
Stretchy
Snake
Chunky
Monkey
Skippy
Frog
Eagle Eye
Lips the
Fish
Flip the vowel
sound. Try the
short sound and
if that doesn’t
work, try the
long sound.
Try again.
What word
makes sense?
Re-read
Slowly stretch
each letter
sound to read
the word.
Break apart the
word into
chunks you
already know.
Skip the tricky
word and read
to the end of
the sentence.
Go back and try
to figure it out.
Check the
pictures to
help. Do the
picures give you
a clue?
Get your mouth
ready to say
the word and
say the
beginning
sound.
When





using these strategies:
First read and discuss each strategy with your child.
Model how you might use them.
Practice using them as you read together.
Keep a copy of the strategies with you each time you read with your child.
Praise your child when you see them using these strategies.
NOTES:
 Not all strategies work for every word so try them all out.
 Sometimes it may take the use of two strategies to figure out a word.
After some time and practice, you will see them use the strategies more often. Eventually, they will become
more confident readers knowing that they have multiple ways to figure out tricky words. I hope you find
success with these strategies. Happy reading!
Megan Sikora
Reading Specialist
Mountain View Elementary School