When students are reading from a list of review words, it is tempting to give a verbal response or even a nod after each word is read. However, you should try to minimize this during the drill. You don’t want your student looking to you for confirmation before they will go on tothe next word. Or worse, trying out different pronunciations until they get you to indicate they hit on the right one.
If a student does give more than one response on a word (ie, rat/rate), ask “which one is it” and have them explain why to make sure they aren’t just guessing both ways.
