You will learn

  • Notice when reading does not make sense.
  • Go back and re-read.
  • Self-correct errors.
  • Keep a record of accuracy.

Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.

Student lesson

The lesson in 60 seconds

  1. Ask: does that make sense?
  2. Stop when it does not.
  3. Go back and fix the word.
  4. Count mistakes to track progress.

Words to know

monitor
to check how you are doing
self-correct
to fix your own mistake
error
a mistake
accuracy rate
the percentage of words read correctly

1. Discover: The wrong word

Chidi reads: The boy sat on the bench and ate a mango. He says benk. It does not sound right. He stops, looks again and reads bench. He smiles. He fixed his own error.

Think: How did Chidi know he had made a mistake?

2. Understand: Checking as you read

Idea 1: Monitor

Good readers monitor their reading. They ask, Does it sound right? Does it make sense?

Idea 2: Self-correct

When something is wrong, stop and self-correct: go back, look at the word again and fix the error.

Idea 3: Track

To find your accuracy rate, count words read correctly out of the total. 95 of 100 is 95%.

Remember: Monitor your reading, stop and fix errors, and track how accurate you are.

3. Worked examples

Example 1 (I show you): Notice

How did Chidi know?

  1. He listened.

Answer: it did not sound right

Example 2 (We do it together): Fix

What did he do?

  1. He looked again.

Answer: re-read and said bench

Example 3 (You try): Rate

What is the accuracy rate if 19 of 20 words are correct?

Show the steps and answer
  1. 19 out of 20 is 95 out of 100.

Answer: 95%

Did you know?

Fluent readers fix most of their mistakes without anyone telling them.

Why this matters

Checking as you read builds comprehension and independence.

4. Explore: Accuracy check

Check your accuracy.

  1. Read 20 words aloud.
  2. Count the errors.
  3. Fix them.
  4. Work out your accuracy.
Think about it: what did you notice?

You can monitor your reading.

5. Practise

Say it in a sentence

Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.

  • I noticed that ___ did not make sense.
  • I went back and ___.
  • I fixed the word ___.
  • My accuracy was ___.

Guided practice

Question 1. To check how you are doing is to ___.

monitor

Question 2. To fix your own mistake is to ___.

self-correct

Question 3. A mistake is an ___.

error

Independent practice

Level 1: Start

  1. To check how you are doing is to ___.
  2. To fix your own mistake is to ___.
  3. A mistake is an ___.
  4. Words read correctly as a percentage is the ___ rate.
  5. Chidi read the word ___.

Level 2: Grow

  1. What did Chidi say wrongly?
  2. What is the right word?
  3. What is 19 out of 20 as a percentage?

Level 3: Stretch

  1. Should you stop when it does not make sense?
  2. Is fixing errors good?
  3. Do good readers monitor?

Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.

6. Apply: English in everyday life

Read a page aloud and fix any errors you notice.

Show a sample answer

one page

Another one. Read a page aloud, count your errors and work out your accuracy rate.

Show a sample answer

a completed task

7. Common mistakes

Mistake: Rushing without checking.
Fix: Slow down and check your work.
Another mistake: Skipping the worked example.
Fix: Study the example first, then try.

8. Lesson summary and revision card

I can…

  • I can notice when reading does not make sense.
  • I can go back and re-read.
  • I can self-correct errors.
  • I can keep a record of accuracy.

9. Check and master

Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.

1. To monitor is to ___ how you are doing.

2. To self-correct is to fix your ___ mistake.

3. An error is a ___.

4. What did Chidi first say?

5. What did he fix it to?

6. What does Chidi eat in the sentence?

7. If something does not make sense you should ___.

8. 19 correct out of 20 words is ___.

9. 10 correct out of 10 words is ___.

10. Which question helps monitoring?

11. A high accuracy rate means ___.

12. Why track accuracy?

Challenge 1. A reader says The cat sat on the mutt. The picture shows a mat. Best fix?

Challenge 2. Which accuracy rate is highest?

Your result appears here after you answer every question.

10. Key takeaways

  • Ask: does that make sense?
  • Stop when it does not.
  • Go back and fix the word.
  • Count mistakes to track progress.

11. Next lesson

Next lesson: Story structure. Keep going with the next idea in this course.

Exam practice

These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.

  1. What does self-correct mean? [1 mark]
  2. What question helps you monitor? [1 mark]
  3. What did Chidi do when he made an error? [2 marks]
  4. Work out 18 out of 20 as a percentage. [2 marks]
  5. Explain how to monitor your reading accuracy. [3 marks]

Total: 9 marks.

Marking guide and model answers
  1. to fix your own mistake [1]
  2. does it make sense? [1]
  3. stopped and re-read [1]; fixed the word [1]
  4. 18/20 [1]; 90% [1]
  5. ask if it makes sense [1]; stop and fix errors [1]; track your accuracy rate [1]

Score guide: 8 to 9 = secure. 6 to 7 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.

Printable worksheet

  1. To check how you are doing is to ___.
  2. To fix your own mistake is to ___.
  3. A mistake is an ___.
  4. Words read correctly as a percentage is the ___ rate.
  5. Chidi read the word ___.
  6. What did Chidi say wrongly?
  7. What is the right word?
  8. What is 19 out of 20 as a percentage?
  9. Should you stop when it does not make sense?
  10. Is fixing errors good?

Homework

Read a page aloud, count your errors and work out your accuracy rate.

Answer key and marking scheme

Question Expected response Marks
1. To check how you are doing is to ___. monitor 1
2. To fix your own mistake is to ___. self-correct 1
3. A mistake is an ___. error 1
4. Words read correctly as a percentage is the ___ rate. accuracy 1
5. Chidi read the word ___. bench 1
6. What did Chidi say wrongly? benk 1
7. What is the right word? bench 1
8. What is 19 out of 20 as a percentage? 95% 1
9. Should you stop when it does not make sense? yes 1
10. Is fixing errors good? yes 1
Total 10

Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 monitor; 2 self-correct; 3 error; 4 accuracy; 5 bench. Level 2: 1 benk; 2 bench; 3 95%. Level 3: 1 yes; 2 yes; 3 yes.

Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.

Mastery and remediation

Objective Bronze (Developing) Silver (Proficient) Gold (Advanced)
O1 Notice when reading does not make sense Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O2 Go back and re-read Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O3 Self-correct errors Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation
O4 Keep a record of accuracy Shows this with help from an adult or a picture Does this independently and explains how they know Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation

Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.

If a learner struggles

  1. Find the misconception: Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.
  2. Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
  3. Show a simpler example: Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames.
  4. Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
  5. Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
  6. Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.

For parents and guardians

In this lesson your child practises a key Grade 3 English skill with clear examples and a quiz. You do not need to be an expert to help.

  • Listen while your child explains the idea.
  • Ask for one new example.
  • Praise effort and careful work.
  • Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
  • Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
  • Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.

Teacher package

1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration

Lesson objectives. Learners will: notice when reading does not make sense; go back and re-read; self-correct errors; keep a record of accuracy.

Prerequisite knowledge. Punctuation and expression.

Materials. Chart paper or board, pencils, picture or word cards, a reading book if available. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.

Preparation. Write the key words and examples on the board or on cards before the lesson.

Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.

6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities

Introduction (5 min). Introduce the idea with the opening example.

Explanation (10 min). Teach the key words.

Guided activity (10 min). Practise together.

Independent activity (10 min). Check understanding with the quiz.

Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.

Key questions. What is the key idea? Can I give my own example?

Teacher explanation notes. Move from the spoken word to pictures and then to print. Read aloud often, point to the words, and let learners hear and say before they read and write.

10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions

Support. Use the sentence frames and work with a partner. Extension. Create a harder example of your own.

Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.

Misconceptions. Rushing without checking. Slow down and check your work.

13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme

Use the quiz, the 9-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.

16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection

Remediation. Re-read the examples slowly and use the sentence frames. Enrichment. Make up your own example and teach it to someone at home. Homework. See above.

Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.

Sources and standards

This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Cambridge Primary and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.

Official standards for this topic area. Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (official site): Grade 3 » Reading: Foundational Skills. These pages list the standards that cover this topic area; read them alongside the lesson.

Research used to shape this lesson. Common Core RF.3.4c (use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary); IES What Works Clearinghouse foundational reading guidance; Cambridge Primary English Stage 3 (reading). These sources informed the lesson.

Scroll to Top