Words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently depending on their context can be perplexing for readers of all ages. What can you do? The answer comes from helping young readers build the skill known as set for variability. This episode of Literacy Talks unpacks this essential literacy skill and distinguishes it from the notion of guessing at the right pronunciation. It requires students to build cognitive flexibility and is a valuable predictor of a student’s word reading ability. Once students recognize that letters can have more than one sound and begin to address the mismatch between the sound of a decoded word and the words they recognize and know, they’re building the critical skill of set for variability.

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