I've debated blogging about this but I'm hoping some of you can clear up my fuzzy thinking. If I've already asked for your advice via email please don't take this as your advice wasn't sufficient. Take this as my brain still can't grasp the concept. Ok? Ready for a long ramble? Here we go.
I'm struggling with teaching "how" to read. I was not taught in about phonics in school. I was in that time frame where sight words were the way to go. So to this day I cannot pick up the dictionary and read the pronunciation and pronounce the word properly. If I come across a word I don't know while reading I usually go with my best guess and just keep going. Bad plan, especially when you are your children's only teacher.
I know about lots of different reading curriculum, and I am sad to admit that I own quite a few; How To Teach Your Child How to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Phonics Pathway, Spell to Write and Read, and All About Spelling. I do NOT want to be a curriculum junkie. I hate spending money on things only to find out that they didn't solve the problem or that it wasn't a good fit for our family, etc.
So let's see if I can make this make sense.... When it comes to reading, without teaching sight reading or memorization (I guess that's the same thing), how do you teach your children when to use what sound when some letters have so many sounds? I have heard so many people say that their child just "learned" to read. Well how does that happen? Is this where the spelling part comes in to play. I know there are some rules like the silent "e" rule that changes the vowel sound to a long vowel. But what about "look"? How do they know that the "oo" makes that sound for that word?
Maybe I'm just not giving it enough time. Maybe I'm confused and think it's not suppose be so unnatural? Maybe my first reader girl is just a little more difficult to teach and grasp the concept?
I don't know. I have so many crazy hang-ups. Just so you know I've got a small one with Math but I see much more hope for it working itself out. LOL. I hope I don't drive myself crazy like this until the last little one we have graduates! Ah!
7 comments:
I have taught 3 girls to read successfully and they read VERY well!
A BEKA. & yes it is written for a classroom setting, but you can do it. And it gets the job done fantastically. Just buy the whole Kinder set you wont be sorry and your kids will really know their stuff!
I've thought about trying something different just for sheer surprise but why? when it works stick with it!
I've been homeschooling for 9 years and Ive seen a lot of stuff. NOTHING COMPARES!!!
Okay, well I can't tell you the how. I'm not that good! And some words are sight words. Plain and simple, you just have to memorize them. I've heard good things about A Beka as Rebecca mentioned about, but never used it. I am using Alphabet Island with Trey and LOVE it! I am learning so much about the why's and how's of phonics that I guess I just took for granted. I also think they make it really fun and simple with stories and songs and such to help you remember. We're just now working on the "h" digraphs {what's a digraph? yeah, I had no idea until this year either...it's when two letters combine to make one sound like "ch"}. So we're learning when to use "ch" and when to use "tch," etc, etc and there are rules but - who knew? Anyway! Now I'm rambling. :) This is just me guessing, but it sounds to me like you would be happier if you understood the concepts, so it might be worth it to find a curriculum or a book or a whatever that helped you so you could help Maggie {and the rest of your kiddos!}.
I went the solo phonics route the first time and what I found was that I spent a lot of time saying, "Well that one doesn't follow the rules, you just have to memorize it." So I'm using a combination from now on. Really phonics can be painstakingly slow to learn all the sounds.
So instead of making it part of reading lessons, I'm making it part of pre-reading by cutting out pictures from magazines with the prereader of a letter each week or so. Then throughout the week we review. Point to the "a", trace it with the finger, "a says..." and then do the three sounds it makes. The way I learned the different sounds each letter makes is in order of their most common sound first, so when they try to decode a word, there is a higher success rate. After that I'm trying the reading program from Simply Charlotte Mason which seems mostly sight based.
I've done too much rambling myself here, you probably already have a fair idea of what I do since I've posted all about it before :)
I'll wrap it up by saying that whatever you use, make sure you relax! I was a tyrant with Jared- drill sergeant terror and I regret it big time. I feel sure that even if you have delayed readers, they will indeed learn to read and once they do will take off past their peers! Enjoy your lessons, keep them short and sweet. The beauty of homeschooling is that you can tailor your program to each child's needs. And that if it does take a little longer for the reading to click for her, praise God she has a mama who loves her enough to keep her home because who knows what troubles she would have to endure at school because of it! Ok- shutting up now :) Good night!
Teach them Phonics first... I would recommend Abeka as well for this. They have one of the best early programs and it really does work.... and she will read... it will happen :)
I think that your oldest, like mine, is probably just going to be a late reader. I stressed about it with J, and I probably pushed him too hard and caused frustration for us all. She will learn to read. :) And your other children will most likely be "early" readers because they'll listen to her learning. Of course you know I use SWR and love it. Once you get a handle on using the program, it is so easy and makes so much sense. I obviously haven't seen every single phonics/reading program out there, but I think I can confidently say that there isn't one that does not involve some level of memorization. Rules are helpful, but there is always an exception! It's just the way our language is. I wish we lived close enough for me to be of some practical help. Let me know if you think of some way that I could. Teaching the first child is the hardest, but you can do it!!!! It's kind of like potty training. It's very overwhelming the first time and it seems nearly impossible, but of course you stick with it even when it seems like there is no progress. They learn and it's not nearly as hard the next time. Unless you throw a boy into the mix. :)
I've used How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with two of my children so far, and it's worked great for them. I'm curious to see if it will work for my 3rd or not; he's been much slower to pick up on letter sounds, so I'm guessing that teaching him to read will be a different adventure than it was with the first two! :)
But here's what I really wanted to say: Are you familiar with Starfall.com? That is a website that my kids have loved using, and I've been amazed at how much knowledge they've gained from that (even things like the "rules" about vowel blends, consonant blends, etc.). We don't have a TV, and we definitely limit computer time, but Starfall is a site that has proven its worth to us over and over. :)
Second, like Quinn said, relax! :) (Easier said than done, right?) :) Have you read anything by Raymond and Dorothy Moore? They are big-time proponents of delaying formal learning for home-schooled children. I don't delay lessons as much as they do, but I am comforted by their writings when I feel like, "Oh, no, my child is going to be so far behind!!!" :)
We started out with 100 Easy Lessons, and that got my eldest off to a start, but he grew bored with it after a while. Having a bunch of boys like I do, and reading that boys are often NOT visual learners, I did some research on teaching methods, and found a curriculum called Rocket Phonics. They have to memorise a phonics alphabet of 36 sounds, which is done by playing Bingo and Go Fish with the phonics cards. Then off they go! Zero memorisation from that point on, and the reading exercises are so fun. There are games and physical movement activities to help fidgetty little boys who learn best by DOING or moving, like some of mine. My eldest is 8 and reading years ahead of his age. My 6-year-old is currently learning to read, slowly. He has some learning difficulties, but he is having fun and learning. All the weird rules of our language are explained as the lessons go along, so they learn them as they go without any trouble. But, curriculum specifics aside - they will learn to read, no matter the type of learner, eventually! Take heart! :)
Post a Comment