SCAFFOLDING STRATEGIES BOOKMARK
Building Independence, Not Dependence
🎯 THE GOLDEN RULE
Start with LESS support, add MORE only if needed. Goal: Smallest clue that helps them succeed!
📊 THE SCAFFOLDING LADDER
(Start at Level 1, move up only if needed)
LEVEL 1: WAIT TIME ⏰
- Count to 5-7 silently
- Let them think!
- Often all they need
LEVEL 2: FINGER TRACKING 👉
- Slide finger under word
- Helps them focus
- “Let’s track together…”
LEVEL 3: PROMPTING QUESTIONS ❓
- “What’s the first sound?”
- “Do you see a chunk you know?”
- “Does that make sense?”
LEVEL 4: FIRST SOUND CUE 🔤
- Give beginning sound
- “This starts with /st/…”
- Let them finish it
LEVEL 5: PICTURE CUE 🖼️
- Point to illustration
- “Look at the picture”
- “What’s happening?”
LEVEL 6: CHUNKING ✂️
- Break into parts
- Cover portions with finger
- “See a little word inside?”
LEVEL 7: BLEND ASSISTANCE 🔊
- Say sounds with them
- “/c/…../a/…../t/… cat!”
- Gradually speed up
LEVEL 8: TELL THEM 💬
- Give the word
- “That’s ‘giraffe'”
- Then: “Read the sentence again”
🌟 PROCESS PRAISE PHRASES
Instead of: ❌ “Perfect!” ❌ “You’re so smart!” ❌ “Good job.”
Try: ✓ “You worked so hard!” ✓ “Great strategy!” ✓ “You didn’t give up!” ✓ “You figured it out yourself!” ✓ “You tried again!” ✓ “Smart thinking!”
🎭 CATCH & RELEASE
When they’re truly stuck:
- CATCH (5 seconds) Give word quickly “That’s ‘stream'”
- RELEASE (immediately) Hand it back “Now you read the sentence”
- KEEP MOVING Continue story Don’t dwell on it!
🎯 CHOICE = ENGAGEMENT
Offer choices to build ownership:
- “Which book tonight?”
- “Your turn or mine?”
- “One chapter or two?”
- “Want to try this page?”
Pressure kills joy. Choice creates it!
⏱️ THE 5-SECOND PAUSE CHALLENGE
This is for YOU, not your child!
When they pause at a word:
- Take a breath
- Count: 1…2…3…4…5
- Wait a bit more
- THEN decide if they need help
More often than not, they’ll solve it!
✅ QUICK CHECK
After each reading session:
☐ Did I wait 5 seconds before jumping in? ☐ Did I start with a LOW scaffold level? ☐ Did I praise the PROCESS not perfection? ☐ Did I offer at least one CHOICE? ☐ Did I use “catch & release” when needed?
3+ checks = You’re building independence!
🚫 AVOID THESE!
❌ Jumping in too fast (robs them of “aha!” moment) ❌ Stopping at every error (kills flow) ❌ Taking over when they struggle ❌ Only praising perfection ❌ No choices offered ❌ Forcing harder books
💡 REMEMBER:
Independence isn’t taught—it’s GROWN.
Your job: Create safe space to try. Their job: Try, struggle, succeed.
Trust them. They’re more capable than you think! 🌸
Words That Bloom | www.wordsthatbloom.com Building Confident, Independent Readers