Need Advice on Teaching DS to Read

[happy@home]

I am using Sing, Spell, Read & Write to teach my ds to read. I had already purchased it before I found HOD and the MUCH CHEAPER recommendations for reading.

We are in the 2nd book for K which is called "On Track".

I have never taught anyone to read and I am kinda nervous about doing it correctly. I put the words that we covered in the lessons on index cards as we went along. My ds had been practicing those words. I made sure to have him spell each word and we sounded them out together so that he didn't learn them simply by sight. He seemed to be getting bored with the cards so I gave him a Hooked on Phonics "book" that someone gave me because we still have several lessons in SSR&W before we get to a "book".

The first book is "Cat" and the pages went like this:

Cat.
Rat.
Cat can tap Rat.
Cat ran.
Rat ran. Cat ran.
WAP!
Rat sat on Cat.


DS "knew" the words cat, rat, ran, and sat. When he "read" the book I noticed that he was looking at the pictures and trying to guess what the words would say. He kept saying mouse instead of rat even though he "knew" that word. He was SOOO excited when he finished and shouted, "I read a book!!"

I just need some tips from you ladies that have done this before so that I do this right.

Is it a good idea to put his words on index cards for practice or will this lead him to learn them only by sight?

What should I do about ds trying to guess the words by what the picture is?

Any tips and advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks so much!

happy@home

[wertzeemom]

Actually, in ps, they teach kids to look at the "picture clues" to figure out what the words are. It's good for pre-reading skills, but I'm trying to get my 1st grader out of that habit now that she knows enough phonics to actually sound out the words! The workbooks that we used in kindergarten also have fill-in-the-blank words with pictures like - picture of a cat with c_t underneath. I think every hs mom worries about teaching our kids to read. We have the same tools as "teachers" have, but the advantage of 1:1 instruction and LOVE!

[icukirt]

When my son was in the early stages of reading I made cards with easy spelling words and found the object. I would put out 3-4 at a time and have him read the word and match it with the object. I also got a "moveable alphabet" and did the reverse...had him sound out the words for the object and spell the word. He did a lot of "cheating" in the beginning, but eventually caught on. We are going to start HOD next year, so we used mostly Saxon phonics. Ironically I got SSRW from a friend...I thought my son would take to it, but he didn't so it has been lent out to a friend and I might try it again for my dd when she is ready for phonics.

Another thing I used for my son were (some of you might cringe, but my son loved them)...the leap frog learning DVD's. He loved the vidoes and I think they were instrumental in the early days before we started with a curriculum.

I will take a picture of the word/object association I made and post it in the next day or two.

Remember each child is different...my son spoke and read early, but I know it is going to be difficult to teach my dd, who though she is developmentally on track and ahead in some ways she has an expressive speech delay...with her it will take more intentional effort I think. I'll be looking for advice soon...I just know it!!

You'll find the best way for your kiddos to learn and they'll do great!!
Kirstin

[happy@home]

Thanks ladies. Kirstin, I will look forward to your picture post. I have heard so much controversy over phonics and sight reading and dc in our ps not being able to read after they "graduate" from the "sight readers" about 3rd grade that I just want to be sure I do this right.

I look forward to additional tips and ideas from everyone!!

[Lynnw]

Thanks ladies. Kirstin, I will look forward to your picture post. I have heard so much controversy over phonics and sight reading and dc in our ps not being able to read after they "graduate" from the "sight readers" about 3rd grade that I just want to be sure I do this right.

I look forward to additional tips and ideas from everyone!!

Hi! I don't have any specific advice, but just wanted to encourage you. I understand about wanting to teach it right (after all it was the search for great curriculum that led us all to HOD!), but it will be okay if there are a few missteps along the way. I did not really know how to teach my oldest to read. I had a good phonics program a friend had used with success and we were off. The program used word families, so it took me awhile to realize that my ds didn't really have his vowel sounds mastered (seems so silly now that I did not realize this!) So, I switched to Phonics Pathways for awhile and it helped us over that hump. Then I added in Explode the Code books and they helped us over the next hump. Then we hit the "spelling hump" and I switched to Spell to Write and Read for awhile. (Now I'm considering yet another different program for my current K-er) I'm not advocating any of these curricula, per se, but just wanted to tell you that sometimes it's a 2 steps forward, 1 step back kind of thing. If it turns out that way for you, it's okay. The proof I have is this: that same ds is now 10 and somedays gets in trouble for reading instead of doing other school work . He was reading 1st grade readers in 2nd grade, but when we got to 3rd grade he took off. By spring of that year he was racing through the Chronicles of Narnia. (Btw, I'm planning to start DITHOR with him soon to get him to slow down!)

Anyway, I just wanted to say - don't worry too much, even if you do something "wrong" along the way (I did) - you will figure it out and it will work eventually!

Blessings,
Lynn

(P.S. If it's any consolation, my dd read her first Bob Book yesterday and after reading it 20 times, she proudly announced that she could also read it upside down, LOL!!!!! I praised her many times during the day as she read it and after that announcment I praised her again,but I cautioned her that reading means she is looking at the words and reading them, not just memorizing it. I think there is nothing wrong with being excited for his new reading skills, and then gently encouraging him to look at "rat" and sound it out with your help.)

[mskogen]

I understand what you are talking about. I taught my first child, ds, to read without many complications. We used Abeka. Purely a phonics approach using blends. I loved how well it worked by the end of 1st grade he was devouring books ( after finishing the emergent reader list). I started my 2nd ds with Abeka and realized very quickly the blend method was not going to work for him. I started looking for a different approach but still taught phonics. I found Happy Phonics and Explode the Code. We used the two of these together until middle of 1st of grade when we made the switch successfully to Abeka. He would looke at the pictures sometimes trying to figure it out or even look at me. I had to remind hime to look at the words. He is now devouring books (for a read a thon) and hasn't even begun the emergent reader program. This is my son who never liked to read until this year, just the last couple of months actually.
I guess what I am trying to say is I support a phonics approach over a sight word approach. Some words don't follow the rules and need to be memerized.
Children all learn at different rates. But they usually "catch" up to where they should be by the time they are @ 3/4th grade. I say this so you will be encouraged. You have to find the approach that works best for your dc.
I feel like I have rambled, sure hope this helped! If you have any questions ask away...

Michelle

[pollo_la]

I have not read the previous posts (not much time) but I'll tell you some quick thoughts that I just had. I am only in the middle of teaching my first dd to read, but I have researched the English Alphabet Code and read several books on teaching children to read, so I do have some pretty strong conclusions on the topic!

First, looking for picture cues to identify words is not good. It causes their eyes to skip around the page, and in order to develop strong reading skills they need to follow in a left to right pattern. Also, it does seem that by having the WHOLE word on the index card he is learning to read somewhat by sight. I would start breaking words up. instead of writing cat on a card, have the following LETTERS on cards... r, a, t, c, m, ect. Mix up the letters, and put them in different orders... even make up nonsense words and see if he can read those. Make up games where you use individual pieces of words instead of whole words for him to read.

Lastly, if you have the time and are really into figuring out more about how people learn to read there is a FABULOUS book called "Why our Children Can't Read and What We Can Do About it," by Diane McGuinness. This book will not in and of itself teach your child to read, but it will give you some wonderful insight into our language and get you heading in the right direction.

[happy@home]

Thanks ladies for your ideas on helping ds learn to read and for your encouragement that it will happen eventually. I have to admit that I sometimes get upset with myself that he doesn't already know how to read, but I NEVER let him know that. In ps around here kindergartners learn to "read" way before Christmas. But this is one of the reasons I was glad I was teaching him at home because when these same dc get to about 3rd grade they can't read because they aren't taught phonics. I know - patience is a virtue!!

Any more tips from anyone?

[happy@home]

First, looking for picture cues to identify words is not good. It causes their eyes to skip around the page, and in order to develop strong reading skills they need to follow in a left to right pattern. Also, it does seem that by having the WHOLE word on the index card he is learning to read somewhat by sight. I would start breaking words up. instead of writing cat on a card, have the following LETTERS on cards... r, a, t, c, m, ect. Mix up the letters, and put them in different orders... even make up nonsense words and see if he can read those. Make up games where you use individual pieces of words instead of whole words for him to read.

That is a cool idea! I even have plastic letter tiles that we could do this with.
I bought them a couple of years ago knowing that they would come in handy later on! That works if you don't forget what you bought!!

[crlacey]

We are in the middle of 1st grade phonics, so we don't have lots of experience yet. Though my DD did start to guess at the words until we started covering the pictures. The first few days were slow going, but now she will read a short story without the pictures then she'll describe to me what she thinks the pictures look like and then we look at the pictures. She seems to really be enjoying this more since it means longer interaction with me. And her reading has certainly improved. When we made the switch to no pictures, we also switched to using "100 easy lessons" and just jumped to the lesson number she would be on.
I hope you find a solution for your family.

[pollo_la]

Another fun thing you can do, is let your DS illustrate his own books. I do this with my dd all the time and it has really helped her! You can just fold some paper together to make your own books, or even get fancy and buy some blank books. They have some nice ones at barebooks.com. Anyway, start out simple. You write the sentences in first and then he has to read the sentences to illustrate the book. Maybe a book like this...

Sam
Sam sat.
Matt
Matt sat.
Sam Sat on.
Sam Sat in.
Matt sat on.
Matt sat in.

That would be a very simple 8 page starter book. He could read one page at a time and then illustrate a pic. By the time he is done he will have read a whole book! He may even want to share his book with dad, grandma, ect. Obviously, as time goes by and his skills improve the sentences can get longer and more complex. Just make sure he is really "reading" not just looking at the first letter and trying to guess the word. You will be able to tell when he is sounding words out vs. just looking at them and saying them. Work with having him blend individual sounds with the letter tiles you mentioned first, and if you feel he is doing well with that then start with the books.

Definitely do not lose heart!! You are so right to mention that some kids seem to be reading "well" early only to "crash and burn" later on... third grade is a common time for that to occur if children are being taught to read primarily by sight. Your son will catch on. Practice and patience is the key!

[icukirt]

I tried to upload my pics and the file is too big. I don't know how to reduce the size other than when I email them. If you want to PM me your email address I can email them to you. Kirstin

[spidermansmum]

Hi I remember feeling so disheartened trying to teach my DS to read [Im still teaching him to read ].I think it was because he is the first one of mine I have homeschooled but my olders girls all went to school reading a little .Firstly sight reading is okay-its what we all do when we read unless we meet a new word.Picture reading is okay when they start out too.We used a lot of different things before we tried The Reading Lesson.I think its okay to try a few things out.But the thing I really wanted to say is that sometimes it looks like they are not making progress but they are -hang in there

[FiveLittlePeaches]

The only way I can see you doing it "wrong" is by making it a painful experience. If he's catching on by picture clues and successfully reads a story, is it really such a big deal? That is how my SIL's children were taught in school.

I remember my first daughter, when she was 3 almost 4, picked up a Dick and Jane book and started reading. She read outloud from page 1 to 36 and I was just blown away. (and she studied the pictures. She still does whenever there are illustrations in the book!) I asked myself, how did she do that? (I read to her a lot, since she was 9 months old) but still! My husband said he was the same way when he was a little boy. If you listen to the experts, many of them will tell you to take the phonics approach, NO SIGHT WORDS. I recently read a thread by some teachers discussing reading instruction, and to my surprise they said students have to memorize phonics, just like they have to memorize sight words so it's all memorizing anyway. I'm sure it was articulated much better, but that was the jist of the message.

Just take it step by step and you'll do fine. The only thing I've experienced with my children is that sometimes they "hit a wall", so we stop for a while then pick it back up when they're ready (this applies to math, as well). That is one of the best assets of home schooling, working at the pace of the child.

Congratulations to your son for reading his first book!

Joy
Using LHFHG and lovin' it!

[happy@home]

Thanks ladies for more ideas and encouragement. It is such a blessing to be able to "talk" to other mothers who are teaching their own little ones. Just sharing my "fears" and knowing that others sometimes have the same concerns is encouraging in itself! Have a great day!! I know I will - today is my BIRTHDAY!!