Before I start this post...this is my disclaimer...though I may have been a teacher and considered highly qualified to teach a child to read there is no perfect method and sometimes I am not always sure what's next or how to teach it. Since I believe there is no perfect method, I believe the best person to teach a child to read is the one or ones who know him/her best...the mommy and daddy! Each child will learn differently and at a very different pace. I am also posting this for a friend who asked me to...I would love anyone to add what has worked for them or their teaching K tricks!
Read, Read, Read
This is SUPER important...if we want our children to love to read and to want to read, reading must be more than just part of the bed-time routine. I used to read as Tanner ran laps around the house but one day he finally sat and listened. We read cookbooks, maps, receipts(yep...it's true), food labels, comic books, magazines, street signs, etc. I tell parents to read so much when you're in the grocery that people are looking to see if your crazy...read your list out loud, read nutrients, read sale signs...you get it!
A,B,C's...we read lots of books with the A,B,C's to expose T. to the alphabet. (Side note...T. finally sang his A,B,C's, recognized his letters and learned most of the sounds all within a 2 month period...talk about his timing! I thought he would be the only child to go to K unable to sing his ABC's!)
Reading Readiness
Learn to look for the signs of reading readiness.
Some
Reading Readiness signs…these are from the blog
1plus1equals1. *I new T. was ready when he started rhyming, could answer questions about stories we read and he started saying the letter a words started with.
•Your child pretends to read books
•Your child knows the sounds letters make {not just the names of the letters but the sounds they make {think: Leapfrog Letter Factory}
•Your child notices environmental print—signs, TV show names, street signs, store names, cereal boxes, etc.
•Your child knows where the words are on a page in a book
•Your child knows that we read from left to right and can imitate this action as you read.
•Your child can retell a story you read in his/her own words {showing the ability to comprehend and retell}
•Your child holds book the proper way {not upside down or sideways}
•Your child recognizes his/her own name and other familiar names or words {mom, dad, siblings, etc.}
•Your child shows an interest in writing and pretends to write {or is already writing letters}
•Your child understands rhyming words
•Your child understands beginning sounds {ask-what sound do you hear at the beginning of the word “cat”?}
•Your child is interested in learning to read!
During this phase of Reading Readiness we:
watched this...best video ever
read this
-I made a few games that I would be happy to share if someone wanted them
and played lots of this
and this
We also talked about all the signs and words around us as we were in the car! He learned to recognize Chik-fil-a, Target and Hope first...wonder what we do all week!
Teaching Reading
My reading program consists of phonics, sight words and easy readers. Some people are avid fans of just the phonics approach or just whole language but we like a little of both!
My very favorite
beginning readers are the
phonics-based readers by Nora Gaydos. Tanner prefers these to the
Bob Books. The Nora Gaydos books are really funny...I would have started with these if I had known about them sooner! These books are so great because they start with simple 3-letter words and simple sentences. They also have comprehension and rhyming questions at the end of the Nora Gaydos books...added bonus! Tanner was always so excited when he read by himself even if it was just...Mat sat.
...we used the first BOB books Set 1, then Nora Gaydos Clever Critters:Now I Am Reading Level 1: Advanced and are just starting level 2...it's hard!
Leveled readers come after beginner readers and are a little bit more difficult to find good ones. We love these...most words are CVC or sight words with some extras! Some say level 1 but are really difficult...just know you have to open each one and see if it's appropriate for your child's ability level!
We have been enjoying these lately. I used the highlight tape to highlight his sight words.
I am also using the $5
sight word activities from
1plus1equals1...You Can Read. Tanner loves all of the activities and we put his sight words into a word cube that we roll and play games with. The program came with Bingo, cutting, playdough boards, writting, etc. I originally started with the Dolche list but then found this resource and it really helped organize me. I also recommend adding number and colors words. We started sight words by making a book with pictures and family member names! We have a sight word wall in the playroom. He just glues the new words on as we learn them.
Phonics-"Associating a letter sound with a letter" . Teach 1-2 letters at time and teach the sound they make. It is best to teach the letters out of ABC order. Teach short vowels first "the middle mystery" sounds(I always wrote then in red). Associating an action with vowel sound like "i" says /i/ like "itchy"...have them pretend to itch. Once your child has mastered the individual sounds you can start working on blending them together. Letter magnets are a great tool for teaching reading as well. Use them on the fridge or on cookie sheets. We played several games such as making letters with playdough, writing or hiding them in sand, hide and seek with the sounds, I Spy, scavenger hunts and more...all while practicing the sounds. Tanner loves to make silly words!
****WARNING...once your child can spell and read your world changes! Tanner knows what words we are spelling and he has written some hilarious words just practicing writing CVC words..."S..E..X" was his lastest...no he doesn't know the meaning!!! AGH!
