The big ideaA long passage is many short, careful pieces. Mark your place and check as you go.
How it works
A long passage is many short, careful pieces, one after another.
Mark your place: slide a ruler or a finger under the line you are typing, then move it down to the next.
Read a small chunk, a phrase or one short sentence, then look at the screen and type just that chunk. Small chunks mean small jumps for your eyes, and fewer places to get lost.
At the end of each sentence, glance at the screen to check it matches. At the end of a paragraph, rest your hands and roll your shoulders.
Ways to keep your place, and ways to lose it.
Example 1: Keep your place
Lay a ruler under the line you are typing.
Type that one line.
Slide the ruler down to the next line.
Now you always know your line: slide, type, slide, type.
Example 2: Type one sentence
Read a small chunk of the card: Next, crack two eggs.
Look at the screen and type just that chunk.
At the end of the sentence, glance at the screen and check it matches the card.
Grandma Zuri's card, line 2 marked.
Example 3: Spot a muddle
Compare the card with the page, line by line.
The page has the line Next, crack two eggs twice.
The line Then stir the batter is missing.
A quick check at the end of each sentence would have caught it.
Rafa's page: line 3 doubled the line above it.
Example 4: Lines that look alike
Some lines look almost the same, so your eyes can jump between them.
These four start the same but end differently.
Read each line closely to the end before you type it.
Four lines that start alike.
Words to know
chunk
A small piece to read before you type, like a phrase or one short sentence.
place
The line you are on, which a ruler or a finger keeps for you.
paragraph
A group of sentences. Rest your hands when one ends.
Watch out
A whole page at once is too much to read before typing: take a small chunk.
Typing wherever your eyes land makes lines skipped or doubled.
At the end of a paragraph, rest first. Skipping a line, or staring hard at the keys, does not help.
A quick check now is easier than a long hunt later.
Try it
What can you slide under the line to keep your place?
Is a phrase or the whole page a good chunk?
When should you glance at the screen?
What do you do at the end of a paragraph?
Answers: 1. A ruler · 2. A phrase · 3. At the end of each sentence · 4. Rest your hands and roll your shoulders
Try at homePick one short paragraph from a book. Slide a ruler or a finger down the lines. Read a small chunk, type it, and glance at the end of each sentence. When the paragraph is done, rest your hands and roll your shoulders. Then read your page beside the book, line by line, with the grown-up.
For grown-upsSit beside your child with a real book and watch for the ruler or finger moving down the page; if they lose their place, praise the check that found it.
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