creekmom Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I'd love to know if you teach/taught your own child to read differently than how you taught your students in the ps. I'm asking bc my sister's kids are in a great ps, and I would love to know how those teachers get the kids reading so well so quickly!! I know it's not like that in every school, but these teachers are on the ball!!! My sis's kids didn't even know the sounds the letters made when entering K, and by midyear, they're practically reading chapter books! My little niece spelled "worship" on her own last week and she's only been in K for a few months! What's the secret?? I know they do a little phonics- but not a lot. Does whole language really work that well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessedmom3 Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 wow , that must be rare because most K kids I know can only read "I see a black cat" from a book with the picture of a black cat ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 (edited) The teacher! Your sis probably has the teacher's email address. Have her email a compliment, mentioning that she is curious about what reading method or program they use. I have found every teacher I've met loves to share anything they know ( or think they know) with me. I've received some advice that has been useful over the years. My neighbor is a retired teacher and principal of Catholic schools. I have her invite to cone over any time. :) Edited December 3, 2009 by Calming Tea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Lea Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I used 100 EZ Lessons for my now 15yo ds. I chose it because he had delays that made writing impossible at that age. We stopped 100 EZ Lessons at lesson 60 because he was reading on a solid 2nd grade level. From that point on, I taught phonics via his reading aloud to me. He just took to reading and spelling naturally. I've never used a formal spelling program with him either. I taught spelling rules via dication. Most of his grammar and mechanics has been taught via dictation. My 12yo ds is a struggling reader (we suspect dyslexia). I've had to be very thorough and systematic in teaching him to read and spelling using Orton Gillingham methods. Both experiences with teaching my boys to read and spell are vastly different than the way I taught in p.s. Also, both of my boys are in the opposite end of the spectrum as to what *most* of the kids I taught in p.s. could do at that age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 I'm asking bc my sister's kids are in a great ps, and I would love to know how those teachers get the kids reading so well so quickly!! I know it's not like that in every school, but these teachers are on the ball!!! My sis's kids didn't even know the sounds the letters made when entering K, and by midyear, they're practically reading chapter books! The teacher! Your sis probably has the teacher's email address. Have her email a compliment, mentioning that she is curious about what reading method or program they use. Get the teacher's email address from your sister, email the teacher yourself, then come back and report to us. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoPlaceLikeHome Posted December 3, 2009 Share Posted December 3, 2009 (edited) I would check out ElizabethB's page and Don Potter. IMHO after reading their web pages, I would stay far away from balanced literacy or sight words. http://www.donpotter.net/education_pages/ http://www.thephonicspage.org/On%20Reading/onreadinglinks.html One other thing is that I read from the above web sites that many schools uses special readers with the words they have learned such as sight words and that it may appear that they are reading well when in fact they are not if you use other books beside their readers. I also got the impression that schools, when they use balanced literacy, are not really doing phonics in a sufficient manner. Edited December 3, 2009 by priscilla Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 What Priscilla said! Whole language works for some students, and many of them look like they're reading because they've memorized all the words in their readers, but many of them can't read real books. For example, they can read the sight words can and ran but wouldn't be able to sound out tan. I've given out hundreds of grade level tests in the 15 years I've been tutoring and found that the only schools with most students reading at or above grade level teach with phonics. In the areas where we have lived near schools that taught with phonics mixed with sight words, about 30% of the children have some kind of reading problem. The schools that taught 100% whole language had 60 to 70% of the children with some degree of reading difficulty. (We move a lot, so I've seen a lot of different schools. We've moved 6 times in the last 7 years and will most likely move again this summer!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Perhaps your little niece could spell worship because she has seen that word written lots of times (eg do her parents have church literature around?). Knowing one or two impressive words doesn't necessarily mean she is a prodigy at reading (although she could be). My son, a later reader, can write marshmallows and science experiment after less than two terms of reading, but that's only because he has noticed that I am more likely to give him something if he writes the request down :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinsfamily Posted December 4, 2009 Share Posted December 4, 2009 Perhaps your little niece could spell worship because she has seen that word written lots of times (eg do her parents have church literature around?). Knowing one or two impressive words doesn't necessarily mean she is a prodigy at reading (although she could be). My son, a later reader, can write marshmallows and science experiment after less than two terms of reading, but that's only because he has noticed that I am more likely to give him something if he writes the request down :lol: So funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekmom Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 Thanks for the replies. I really should just ask the teacher. My sister said they do a mix of phonics and whole language. Sometimes I think a lot of the success has to do with the fact that they are saturated with words from 7:30- 2:30 Mon- Fri. My 1st grader gets about 30 minutes of reading a couple (if we're lucky) times a day. I'm sure he'll catch on - it just may take awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 What percentage of the kids in the class read that well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekmom Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 By far, the majority of the kids read well above grade level. My sister spends a lot of the time in the class volunteering. Remember, this is the best elementary in the state- and one of a few blue ribbon schools in the country. There is tremendous pressure on these teachers to succeed! The teachers have incredible classroom management skills, so there isn't any wasted time on getting kids to behave and listen. They learn at all times (my sis said they're reciting words during snack break)! They're also writing all the time. It really is pretty amazing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairie rose Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 Sometimes I think a lot of the success has to do with the fact that they are saturated with words from 7:30- 2:30 Mon- Fri. My 1st grader gets about 30 minutes of reading a couple (if we're lucky) times a day. I'm sure he'll catch on - it just may take awhile. What you are talking about is a language rich environment. You can just as easily create that. You can draw your son's attention to words in his environment. You can recite words during snack time, in the car, in the bath, in line at the store and any other time you need to kill a few minutes. If you make it like a game, most kids look forward to these impromptu word games. You can also make your own word wall, label items in your house and just make words an unavoidable sight in your house. Of course, reading aloud and keep book available to him for him to "read" is never a bad idea. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 nm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ohio12 Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 If it is the best school in the state, then it may have something to do with the parents. Many times good schools=involved and conscientious parents. Not that the teacher isn't great, but it could also be good home environments too where parents are reading and talking to their kids. Also, just in asking around to my friends who do public, private and home school, it seems like about half their kids just pick up reading pretty easily. Some of them said their child just brought them a book and read it to them one day. The other half needs more hand holding. It took my daughter about 9 months in OPG and she is doing great now..but it wasn't overnight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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