When teaching students how to read, the idea of deliberately teaching nonsense words might seem pointless. However, there's a method to this madness. Teaching nonsense words is pivotal in developing a child's foundational reading skills. This blog post will explore the importance of why you should teach nonsense words to build reading fluency.
What is a Nonsense Word?
A nonsense word is a word that lacks any clear meaning, because it is not a word found in an English dictionary. These words can be used in language development or literacy assessments in Kindergarten or First Grade. Teachers also might use nonsense words to assess students' phonetic and decoding skills, as they require students to apply their understanding of letter-sound relationships without relying on prior knowledge of real words. For example, “zeb” or “tob” are nonsense words that follow the CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) pattern.
Nonsense Words Prevent Guessing
Do your students struggle with immediately guessing a word when reading? For example, they are reading a story and guess the word “hat” instead of “ham” because they already know the word hat and are using the first two letters to guess, not sound out. Teaching nonsense words helps eradicate the habit of guessing words based on context or appearance. Students who solely rely on these strategies may miss out on developing essential decoding skills. Nonsense words demand a more systematic and phonics-based approach, discouraging reliance on shortcuts and encouraging a deeper understanding of letter-sound relationships.
For more ways to help students who are struggling with blending, check out this post here: Why are My Students Struggling to Blend CVC Words
Nonsense Words Help Master Decoding and Build Confidence
Learning to decode unfamiliar words is a crucial aspect of becoming a proficient reader. Nonsense words provide an excellent practice ground for decoding, as they strip away any reliance on memorization or prior knowledge. When students encounter new words in their reading journey, the skills they've developed through decoding nonsense words become invaluable.
When students realize they can tackle words that seem bizarre or unfamiliar, it empowers them to approach any word with a sense of assurance. This confidence extends beyond just reading nonsense words, and can help them build their CVC word fluency.
Two Activities to Practice Nonsense Words
Roll and Read Activity
The first activity is a simple nonsense word roll and read. Instead of creating a roll and read with real words like “cat” or “pig” that students may already have memorized, you will create one that has made-up words like “zad” or “pib”. Explain to your students that you are going to play roll and read, however all the words are silly, made-up words that don't mean anything! Your students will love this activity because saying these nonsense words is hilarious to five and six year olds!
You can use this editable template to create your own Nonsense Words Roll and Read activity!
Find the Editable Roll and Read on TPT here.
Real or Nonsense Word Sort
Another way to practice nonsense words is with this real or nonsense word sort. You will put up two headings- real words and nonsense words. Students will take turns picking a word card, sounding it out, and deciding if it's a real word or a nonsense word.
If students are having a hard time figuring out if it's a real word or not, you can have them try to use it in a sentence. If they can use it in a sentence or describe what it looks like, then it's a real word!
This real or nonsense word sort is found in the CVC Words Center Activities pack here. This CVC Words Center Activities resource includes 12 hands-on and engaging activities to practice CVC words!
Find the CVC Word Centers on TPT here.
Using Nonsense Words to Build Reading Fluency
To help students learn how to read fluently, using these nonsense words is a simple way to practice decoding. These nonsense words serve as powerful tools for developing phonemic awareness, decoding proficiency, confidence, and spelling skills. By teaching nonsense words, educators can help their students become fluent and confident readers.