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Why My Child Can Read a Word on One Page and Not the Next

By · Reviewed by Philip Weaver · Last reviewed

In our experience, some children read a word, then miss it a page later. No study we hold has measured that pattern. Our explanation is that the word is only partly learned. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first. If no skill has gone, start with the teacher.

TL;DR

  1. In our experience, some children read a word, then miss it a page later. No study we hold has measured that pattern. We searched for one and found none.
  2. Our explanation is that the word is only partly learned. That is our view, not a study's finding. In our view, the story can help a child read a partly learned word. In our view, where the story helps less, the child may miss the word.
  3. Landi and colleagues (2006) ran two small studies of children at one school. The children read more new words correctly in a story than in a list. Later, the children remembered the words learned in a list better. That gap was bigger for less skilled readers. These were new words, not words the children already knew.
  4. In our view, some children need more practice before a word sticks. When your child misreads a word, point back to the sounds. Do not just say the word.
  5. If you see reading trouble, act on it. Our position is to put support in place now, not to wait and see. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor. If no skill has gone, start with the teacher.
“

Sounding out means matching letters to their sounds and blending them into a word. Schools call it decoding.

”Sounding out

A word read on one page and missed on the next

In our experience, some children read a word, then miss it a page later. No study we hold has measured that pattern. We searched for one and found none.

Our explanation: a word still being learned

Our explanation is that the word is only partly learned. That is our view, not a study's finding. In our view, the story can help a child read a partly learned word. In our view, where the story helps less, the child may miss the word.

In our view, some children need more practice before a word sticks.

We built this explanation from studies by Landi, Share, Ehri and Nation. We hold no study that follows a known word from day to day.

Studies of how children learn new words

Landi and colleagues (2006) ran two small studies of children at one school. The children read more new words correctly in a story than in a list. Later, the children remembered the words learned in a list better. That gap was bigger for less skilled readers. These were new words, not words the children already knew. The study did not follow known words from day to day.

Share (1999) had typical readers read made-up words. When sounding out was blocked, the children learned the spellings less well. Share concluded that sounding out is key to storing a word's spelling. These were made-up words and typical readers. We could read only the study's summary.

Ehri and Saltmarsh (1995) compared children with reading difficulty with beginning readers. The two groups did as well at reading made-up words and spelling words. The children with reading difficulty needed more tries to learn 16 words by sight. The study was small. We could read only a short summary that others wrote.

Nation, Angell and Castles (2007) had typical readers meet new words while reading. The more times the children saw a word, the better they learned it. Some learning lasted after seeing a word only once. These were typical readers, not children with reading difficulty. We could read only a shortened summary of the study.

Those findings are about groups of children, not a promise about yours.

Helping a word stick

In our view, some children need more practice before a word sticks.

When your child misreads a word, point back to the sounds. Do not just say the word. Teachers correct this way. We hold no study of this correction on its own.

Suppose the sounding out is not there yet. In our view, start there. Ask the school for systematic, explicit phonics instruction by name. The National Reading Panel found that systematic phonics instruction significantly improves reading achievement.

If you see reading trouble, act on it. Our position is to put support in place now, not to wait and see.

Our page on sight words covers words like said, which do not sound out.

If a reading skill has gone

Some children could read and now cannot. In our view, that is different from a word still being learned. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor. In our view, make that appointment soon. We cannot tell you why a skill was lost. Tell the doctor what your child could read before, and what is different now. If no skill has gone, start with the teacher.

When to ask for help

Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.

If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.

Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.

In the classroom

1

In our view, note words read in a story but missed on their own.

2

Two sentences for an email home: "Some words she reads on one page, she misses on the next. Which words do you see her miss in class?"

Key Takeaways

1

In our experience, some children read a word, then miss it a page later. No study we hold has measured that pattern.

2

Our explanation is that the word is only partly learned. That is our view, not a study's finding.

3

In our view, some children need more practice before a word sticks.

4

When your child misreads a word, point back to the sounds. Do not just say the word.

5

Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor. If no skill has gone, start with the teacher.

“

List three words your child read on one page and missed on the next. Ask your child to read each one on its own, then sound it out. If no skill has gone, take the list to the teacher.

”What to do tonight

What to use next

free

Free resources

Downloads and free programs.

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Dyslexia screener

A set of questions you answer about what you see at home. A screener is a starting point, not a diagnosis. If your child might need formal accommodations (an IEP or 504 plan), or you suspect a vision, hearing, or medical cause, pursue a professional evaluation too — that's the only route to those supports.

course

The 5-Minute Reading Fix

A short reading and spelling practice. Each word appears letter by letter. The picture comes only once the word is complete. So guessing from the image is not available. It includes writing words from memory. That practices the spelling and the writing of a word at the same time.

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Common questions from parents

Why does my child know a word one minute and not the next?

In our experience, some children read a word, then miss it a page later. No study we hold has measured that pattern. Our explanation is that the word is only partly learned. That is our view, not a study's finding. In our view, the story can help a child read a partly learned word. In our view, where the story helps less, the child may miss the word. In our view, some children need more practice before a word sticks.

Is inconsistent reading a sign of something?

The research we hold cannot say. In our experience, some children read a word, then miss it a page later. No study we hold has measured that pattern. In our view, this pattern shows where to start, not what to call it. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor. If no skill has gone, start with the teacher.

Should my child practice a tricky word on its own or in a story?

In our view, do both. Keep reading stories together, and practice a tricky word on its own too. Landi and colleagues (2006) ran two small studies of children at one school. The children read more new words correctly in a story than in a list. Later, the children remembered the words learned in a list better. These were new words, not words the children already knew. We do not claim that study tested practice at home.

What if my child could read and now cannot?

Some children could read and now cannot. In our view, that is different from a word still being learned. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor. In our view, make that appointment soon. We cannot tell you why a skill was lost. If no skill has gone, start with the teacher.

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