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MarilynW
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| Posted: Oct 25 2007 at 7:47am | IP Logged
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Please would you share what programs (if any?) - you have used to teach your little ones to read. Ones that I have used or heard of are:
1) Teach a Child to Read with Children's Books (anyone useds?)
2) Hooked on Phonics
3) Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (I did not really like)
4) The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading
5) Sing Spell Read and Write
6) Phonics Pathways (I did not like)
I am trying to find something for my preschooler - he is begging me to teach him to read - I feel that the Jessie Wise and HOP are too old for him. I like www.starfall.com and the Letter factory dvds - but I do not let him have much computer or dvd time.
I read aloud a lot to him. Just not sure what phonics to teach.
Thanks!
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AndreaG
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My oldest learned to read when he was 4, I didn't really use any one program though, I bought a ton, looking for one that would work. He was so young, no set program was really a good fit. I ended up just doing a letter of the week thing, we made an alphabet book and did the Explode the Code Primers. Once he knew all the letters we picked up one of those BOB type books and started sounding out words. He had trouble getting the blending idea, so we played some games such as I Spy (for example, I Spy something that ends in /p/), and I would write words like "cat" and "can" on the marker board and have him point to the one I wanted. These sorts of games helped him isolate sounds in words and move on to blending. He was also able to spell words that I would dictate (with magnet letters) before he could read. Once he could read a bit, I just introduced phonograms such as /sh/ /th/ as they came up in his reading, I'd say something like sometimes two letters combine to make a new sound. In 2cnd grade we started Spell to Read and Write (based on the Writing Road to Reading) which teaches spelling through phonics,so he is getting the extensive phonics knowledge now, and was able to learn to read early without being bogged down by it at age 4.
This worked great for my oldest.
For my current 5 and half-year-old I am planning to do pretty much the same thing, but I am also using Sonlight LA K (which does the letter of the week thing)to give me the structure for working with him.
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Barbara C.
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My daughter has been asking to learn to read since she turned four (she's almost five now).
We started with "Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons". The hardest part for me was figuring out how they expected the letters to be pronounced. My daughter got bored with some of it after awhile, but I think it really helped her with the phonics part. She just wasn't developmentally ready to blend the sounds yet. We took a long break after about 25 lessons. Four or five months later I felt we should start at the beginning because I didn't know how much she had retained, but she wanted nothing to do with it.
Basically, at this point, we've been trying a variety of things. (My daughter doesn't handle tedium and repetition well.) We try to play verbal games that emphasize rhyming, beginning sounds, ending sounds, etc. We've worked on the computer at Starfall and using Reader Rabbit and other pre-school/kindergarten computer games. Her grandparents just gave her a Reader Rabbit workbook that she's been working on (I need to look for more). On television we've done the Letter Factory DVD's, and WordWorld on PBS. (My daughter often gets inspired to get a sheet of paper and write down the words she sees encounters on WordWorld).
The biggest thing I did (because money is in short supply here) was I made my own set of phonics/reading cards. Basically I took an index card and cut it in three sections (the first two the width of a ruler and the last one the remainder of the card). On the short pieces I wrote each letter of the alphabet, consonants in one color and vowels in another. I also made two of each vowel with a dash over the short sound. On the long card I wrote word endings like "-op", "-ot", "-at", etc. using the same vowel/consonant color scheme. Then we go through and match letters on the small card with a word ending card to make hop, top, pop, mop, etch. Then I may try to reinforce what we've worked on with BOB books or Dr. Seuss.
My daughter is not completely reading yet. We've been taking a break again (partly thanks to a nasty stomach flu a week ago), but I could tell that she was connecting more when we did a demonstration when my parents visited. We are not as strict about computer and television time as you may be, but I also did a learning style evaluation with her that said that computer games would really fit her style. We've also requested Boggle Jr. for her birthday. I'm basically throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.
You don't say how old your son is or if he already knows some of his letter sounds are not. If he is under four and doesn't know anything yet, I would keep it simple. Just use an alphabet puzzle, flash cards, or sandpaper letters and discuss words that start with that letter sound. My librarian also recommended writing the letters on post-it's and have my child stick them on matching household objects. My daughter also learned a lot from doing workbooks to write her letters.
And they say that reading aloud to them is the most important thing. They did recommend running your fingers under the words as you read, so they can make the visual/oral connection.
Maybe others can give you more info. on those other programs. Sorry, I can't help you there. Hope some of this long winding post helps.
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Stephanie_Q
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Haven't used it, but have Sound Beginnings by Julia Fogassy, which was recommended to us by my mother-in-law, who used it, and another homeschooling family we know.
Love2Learn.net has a review of this program. Seton K Phonics are also reviewed there. We are taking it very slowly with CHC materials.
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Lori B
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My kids at that age loved the Explode the Code beginner books (there are three). They teach the sounds of the letters in a very gentle, multi-sensory way. They *are* workbooks, but there is not really a lot of writing (some colouring, circling, etc.).
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marianne
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We have used Explode the Code with all of my readers with good success. We supplement with Bob Books and other activities.
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JuliaT
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Ihave used 3 out of the 6 that you have listed. I am the queen of phonics programs. For my oldest, we used 100 Easy Lessons. She more or less taught herself to read at 4 yrs. of age so this program worked very well for her. I do like the program. The problem I have with it is that it ends just as you are getting to the harder words. If you have a natural reader, then it is not problem. But if you have a child who struggles with reading, then it might not work.
Enter my ds. I knew that he was going to have difficulties with reading so I bought Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading. My logic was that they went on to the really hard words so I thought it would work well for us. But, it went way too fast for my son. He needed more practise and hand holding. I think that he may have a bit of dyslexia. The jury is still out on this, but I have this niggling thought in the back of my brain. We are now trying Writing Road to Reading. This is similar to Spell to Write & Read (I think that is the accurate title) but it is more confusing. But I am making up my way as we go and I think we may be seeing some progress. So we will stick with this.
Now with my youngest, I don't know what we will end up doing. She has been pestering me to teach her how to read, so I think we will begin this journey in Jan. when she will offically be 5 yrs. old. From where I am sitting now, I think we will combine Waldorf reading with WRTR.
BTW, I didn't like Phonics Pathway, either.
Julia
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Angel
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My dd was 4 when she started asking to learn to read. I gave her the MCP Phonics K book, which she liked, because her brother was doing MCP Phonics A (with which he had a love-hate relationship.) Both my kids liked the beginning of Phonics Pathways, and then shut down 1/3 of the way or less into it. Apparently it satisfied some need until that point!
Once she had her letter sounds down, we read Bob books... and I also used some free materials from starfall that a teacher friend of mine gave us; it was a book of little booklets that you cut apart and stapled. I also used a book of reproducible phonics booklets I got from Rainbow Resource (can't remember the name!) that the kids could cut apart and color, which they enjoyed. I wrote little stories for them, too... and we played with a Montessori moveable alphabet, making words and reading them.
Now if I had just thought to bring them to a developmental optometrist earlier!!
--Angela
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hopalenik
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Hi,
I used/use Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons for about the first 25 lessons and then can the program for Ordinary Parents Guide. We supplement with Bob books and CHC readers. Eventually I throw in some Seton Readers and the Sonlight Book list. I know so many people who use the TEach your Child to Read book successfully with mature 4 year olds. Since it is only a 18-25 investment, why not get both. The Teach Your Child to Read book gets them rolling the words off of their tongues better than any thing else I have seen or heard about. But the Ordinary Parents Guide is Thorough. Honestly because the Ordinary Parents Guide starts with vowels, consonants and then beginning three letter words -you could do it slowly enough. I don't think it is worth the money to spend a bundle on phonics programs.
Holly
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Macmom
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I'm with Holly, mostly.
I have taught 6 children (so far!) to read with 100 easy lessons at age 4.5 or so. (Yes, we usually stop around lesson 40 or 50, and use CHC's Little Stories for Little Folks readers. Maybe if you didn't try to slog through the WHOLE book, you'd like it better!) We also use the American Cardinal Readers around 1st-2nd grade.
But asap, I use "real" books, easy readers, etc... not basal readers. I want the child to feel the thrill of reading a real book.
Also, starting in 1st or 2nd, we use the Writing Road to Reading. It really is a GREAT basis for spelling and reading.
Phonics is the key, though.
Peace,
Macmom
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Molly Smith
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Hi Marilyn! I've now taught 4 children to read with 100 Easy Lessons. The first three made it about 3/4 of the way through before they "broke through", but my fourth did less than 1/2 and is reading well. We've never done the writing lessons and we supplement a lot with real books. The first kiddos did Explode the Code and Bob Books, but we didn't do that this time.
Now we go to the library weekly and my 5yo picks out 5 or 6 "readers" for that week. I sit with her and help with any words she doesn't know and then she reads them over and over all week. She has gotten very good at sounding out words, but her sight word recognition is excellent. This has been my most successful experience with teaching reading.
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julia s.
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Marilyn,
Now that I am working with my second child in reading I think the "right" reading program really depends on the child. My first one I used phonics pathways (he got bored around the 30th lesson) and it didn't seem to stick with him. Sonlight reading program (their readers were just too contrived -- although the easy readers they recommend were great). I looked at a 100 easy lessons and ruled it out because it just looked too confusing for me to implement -- visually speaking. The writing road to reading was just going to take too long for me to read through and get comfortable with to make it practical to teach. I later found out he wasn't pronouncing words correctly which was slowing down his progress for reading the words and that he was more of a whole words kid for reading. The best compromise I found for him was Valerie Bendt's Reading Made Easy. It goes over the hearing of the sounds with easy phonics and reading and writing (kind of the whole schebang) in a very mom friendly format.
My next son wanted something more independent. He likes to work on his own and feel in control. My sister had purchased Hooked on Phonics for us last Christmas and I use that with him. He can listen to the CD and work on the computer and it has sticker charts. These are all the things that really motivate this child. I can help him out when he's reviewing the words and the sight words without him feeling I'm driving the boat so to speak.
I looked at Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading and ruled it for my second child (it wasn't available for my first) because it was too much like I was telling him how to read instead of him feeling like he was accomplishing it on his own.
That's all I can write -- baby needs me.
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Oct 30 2007 at 9:40am | IP Logged
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julia s. wrote:
Marilyn,
Now that I am working with my second child in reading I think the "right" reading program really depends on the child. |
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Julia - you are so right. My dd learned in about 10 lessons from Teach Your Child in 100 lessons. The twins just laughed at this book - did not like it. I borrowed HOP and they did great with this. (all were 4 when I started teaching) My 3 going on 4 year old has all his sounds and loves Leapfrog and Starfall. But things like Teach your Child or OPG will not work - he needs a lot of visual stimulation - and nothing too complex as he is so young. I could take HOP out of the library - but I think he is a little young still
I am looking at something called the READING LESSON - it looks really interesting and cost friendly. www.readinglesson.com. I think it may be perfect for him. I do read out loud to him a lot - and I wonder if he would just learn through this too. But he wants "his work"
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SallyT
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If he likes Starfall, why not print out some of the sheets and readers from the site? You can print out the little story books and staple them together, and I often use those as readers. My younger kids also really like Starfall, and I do allow them limited time on the computer, because the little "games" for the letters have been very reinforcing for them.
They both (currently 5 and almost-4) actually learned most of their letter sounds from Starfall, and with my 5yo, who's been reading on a limited basis since last summer, I've used a combination of CHC readers, the first Little Angel reader, and titles of chapter books we read together -- he is the kind of kid who balks at the idea of a "lesson" (which is partly why I have to have so many different kinds of ammo to pull out), but will happily sound out a chapter title in The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver. Stop signs and other signs you see in the course of daily life also make for great practice.
My now-10yo taught himself to read at 5-6. Armed with a little phonics knowledge from his one year of school in England, he managed to figure out the little "bytes" of text in Usborne books we had lying around. He wanted to know the information, so he was motivated to put it all together. I keep hoping this is going to happen with my current 5yo, especially since he strenuously resists being "taught" . . .
Sally
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Teaching a Child to Read
