Guessing is a major problem for weak readers.  Each time the person guesses, he adds to his confusion.  By guessing I am referring to the guesses that new readers make at the small words that they find confusing like how, now and who.  I do not consider using context clues, words parts or logic as guessing.  The quick or wild guesses are the ones that keep weak readers from improving their skills.  I work with adults who are guessing the same words that young children, just learning to read, are guessing.  The adults have been guessing those words for years.  The weak reader needs to find a way to remember these little words rather than continuing to guess at them.  Developing mnemonic clues for these words is one way to enable the person to stop the guessing.    

This week’s clue provides weak readers with a way to eliminate the guessing for the words:  how, now and who.  I first help the person to recognize one of these words (who) and associate it with two other words (whom and whose).  Each of these words contains an o and they each refer to people. 

The word now can be remembered by seeing the word no in the word and associating it with the phrase not now.  

Using the concept of weighted learning, if the confusing word is not who or now, then it is how.